Mobile Operating Systems the Heart of Smartphones
Mobile operating systems are the heart to any smartphones and it is what separates a smartphone from a regular feature phone. Simply put, the mobile OS is comparable to the operating system found on computers.
Most individuals are familiar with their computers which run either:
- Windows
- Mac OS or
- Linux.
The same concept applies to mobile operating systems where the focus is on controlling:
- Broadband and local connectivity
- Mobile multimedia formats and
- Different input methods.
The Key OS Smartphones
Just like Darwin and survival of the fittest the same theory applies to the mobile os market. It is an everchanging field but a few operating systems do standout and are very popular. They include:
- Google Android
- Brew OS from Qualcomm
- Apple iOS
- Linux
- MeeGo from Nokia and Intel
- Blackberry OS
- Symbian platform from Symbian Foundation
- webOS from HP
- Windows Phone by Microsoft.
There are two giants which are pushing the explosion in awareness about the differences between the various OS smartphones and that would be: Apple and Google. Most of the time you will see manufacturers not only touting the qualities of the cellphone but also how the OS can be a defining feature of a smartphone.
So mobile OS has been available for several years but with Apple's introduction into smartphones with the revolutionary iphone the focus has turned to touch screens and the user interface (ui). A trend that will only grow with time.
What Are Advantages to Smartphone Operating?
Nowadays the strength of any mobile operating system is the ability to have access to apps and more apps. But these smartphones are much more than cellphones made to access app stores. The OS actually influences the overall user experience in many different ways.
For instance, what happens when you shut down your smartphone's browser? Depending on your OS the browser may remember where it left off or you will have to launch from the beginning. Clearly this is a pro or con depending on how you view the situation.
How about the ability to search your phone? You got it the operating system controls this functionality. Some allow you to search multiple applications at once, while others it is one at a time.
Ok we could go on endlessly naming every feature and function which is controlled by the OS but we'll stop because you get the point. But in short, any feature on your smartphone is dictated by the mobile OS it is running on. Features would include:
- Picture cropping
- Tethering
- Call recording
- Multitasking
- Turn-by-turn GPS
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