The most common mobile operating systems are: Android from Google Inc.

. (open source, Apache) BlackBerry OS from RIM (closed source, proprietary) iOS from Apple Inc. (closed source, proprietary) Symbian OS from the Symbian Foundation (open public license) Windows Phone from Microsoft (closed source, proprietary) webOS from HP (certain parts open sourced)

Android from Google Inc. (open source, Apache) Android was developed by a small startup company that was purchased by Google Inc. Released on November 5th 2007 Android is an open source, Linux-derived OS backed by Google, along with major hardware and software developers (such as Intel, HTC, ARM, Samsung, Motorola and eBay, to name a few) Android releases prior to 2.0 (1.0, 1.5, 1.6) were used exclusively on mobile phones. Android 3.0 was a tablet-oriented release and does not officially run on mobile phones. Android releases are nicknamed after sweets or dessert items like Cupcake (1.5), Frozen Yogurt (2.2), Honeycomb (3.0) and Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0). Most major mobile service providers carry an Android device.

1. What is Android? Android is a software platform and an operating system for mobile devices, The first device running Android is T-Mobile G1 officially released on October 22nd 2008.

2. I want to develop for Android. What are the basics I need to know? Android requires knowledge of Java programming language although it allows other programming languages (C C++for example) to be compiled in the native code. This however is not officially supported by Google. You can download SDK and get all the relevant info

at http://code.google.com/android/index.html Make sure to checkout Android Developers forum for more tips at http://androidforums.com/a/ and/or share your experience with us.

3. What makes Android different than other platforms available? Android is the first free and open source platform. Unlike others available, it allows third party developers or users to fully access (and modify) source code. More info in the Android Developers forum at http://www.androidforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28%20 4. Which apps are Android core apps? Core apps include an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts and other. All applications are written using the Java programming language. Also, being an open source project, Android offers developers with full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. Android OS Build MODEL for all mobile phones. Acer, Bluelans, CSL, DELL, Garmin, Geeks Phone, General Mobilev, Highscreen, HKC, HTC, Huawei, i-Mobile, Lenovo, LG Group, Motorola, Qigi, Samsung Group, Sony Ericsson, Tiger, ZTE, Nexian. Many Android OS based phones are releasing day by day and it is really competing with iPhones the most famous and most selling Android Phone is manufactured by HTC.

BlackBerry OS from RIM (closed source, proprietary) BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion The operating system provides multitasking and supports specialized input devices particularly the trackwheel, trackball, and most recently, the trackpad and touchscreen. Currently Blackberry's App World has over 15,000 downloadable applications. RIM's future strategy will focus on the newly acquired QNX

 Initial release version - 1.0 for Pager BlackBerry 580; January 1999[2] version 3.6 for smart phone BlackBerry 5810 Wireless Handheld; march 2002[3][4] Latest stable release -7.0 (BlackBerry Bold 9900) / May 2011; 4 months ago Available programming languages(s) - Java Kernel type - Java based iOS from Apple Inc. (closed source, proprietary) The Apple iPhone use an operating system called iOS, which is derived from Mac OS X. Native third party applications after the release of iOS 2.0 on July 11th 2008. Before this, "jailbreaking" allowed third party applications Currently all iOS devices are developed by Apple and manufactured by Foxconn or another of Apple's partners. The iPhone OS uses Apples Objective-C language, which can mostly be unravelled by app developers who are already familiar with C and C++. This being more exclusive may become a stumbling block for developers who are not too proficient in other programming languages. Symbian OS from the Symbian Foundation (open public license)
Symbian has the largest share in most markets worldwide, but lags behind other companies in the relatively small but highly visible North American market. This matches the success of Nokia in all markets except Japan. In Japan Symbian is strong due to a relationship with NTT DoCoMo, with only one of the 44 Symbian handsets released in Japan coming from Nokia. It has been used by many major handset manufacturers,

including BenQ, Fujitsu,LG, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony Ericsson. Current Symbian-based devices are being made by Fujitsu, Nokia, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony Ericsson. Prior to 2009 Symbian supported multiple user interfaces, i.e. UIQ from UIQ Technologies, S60 from Nokia, and MOAP from NTT DOCOMO. As part of the formation of the Symbian OS in 2009 these three UIs were merged into a single OS which is now fully open source. Recently, though shipments of Symbian devices have increased, the operating system's worldwide market share has declined from over 50% to just over 40% from 2009 to 2010. Nokia handed the development of Symbian to Accenture, which will continue to support the OS until 2016.

 Symbian OS is an open source operating system for mobile phones primarily used on Nokia advanced or data enabled smart phones. Symbian OS runs exclusively on ARM processors and has evolved from Psion's EPOC which was developed as a rudimentary operating system for early electronic organizers. The Psion EPOC OS was refered to EPOC16 beginning in the late 1990's to help distinguish it from the newer 32bit Operating system EPOC32, which eventually became Symbian OS. Psion software created a joint venture with several mobile hardware manufacturers, Ericsson, Motorola, and Nokia called Symbian and eventually took on the name Symbian Software, renaming EPOC32 Symbian OS. The key advantage of EPOC32 over its 16bit predecessor is the ability to multi-task, perform multiple functions at once. In newer devices, this might mean being able to surf the web using the phone and not lose your content when answering an incoming call. Many third party manufacturers were able to license the 32bit EPOC OS for their organizers and other mobile data devices. Since the late 1990's,Symbian OS has become one of the most popular mobile device operating systems available. Several device manufacturers from Nokia to Sony/Ericsson have committed to the new and open project that Symbian has announced for its mobile phone operating system, Symbian OS. Wireless carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile have also pledged support for the project. Symbian OS has also adapted to include soft features such as global positioning software (GPS) which will become as common as a camera in the very near future. Service providers and other companies could then publish location based services that interact with the GPS found in a mobile phone, appearing on the display once the user is near an application. In recent years, Microsoft and Palm have been the most discussed providers of operating system software for mobile phones, but Symbian has been powering phones for quite some time. The company announced in 2008 that the operating system would become open source very soon, allowing other vendors and even users themselves to add to the already widely

established Symbian OS. The support for the much established mobile platform is far and wide, though much of the press lately has centered around Apple's iPhone and other offerings, including the Google Android OS for mobile devices. It will be interesting to see what hardware is developed for use with Symbian OS in the future to compete with phones like the iPhone and the latest mobile devices from Palm and Microsoft.

Windows Phone from Microsoft (closed source, proprietary) On February 15th, 2010, Microsoft unveiled its next-generation mobile OS, Windows Phone. The new mobile OS includes a completely new over-hauled UI inspired by Microsoft's "Metro Design Language". It includes full integration of Microsoft services such as Windows Live, Zune, Xbox Live and Bing, but also integrates with many other non-Microsoft services such as Facebook and Google accounts. The new software platform has received some positive reception from the technology press.

Microsoft develops one of the best operating system for mobile devices and smart phone which is Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile 6.5 which is most recent version of the Windows Mobile and Mobile 6.5 is based on CE 5.2 Kernel. More information is given this resource
Microsoft develops one of the best operating system for mobile devices and smart phone which is Windows Mobile. "Windows Mobile 6.5" which is most recent version of the Windows Mobile and Mobile 6.5 is based on CE 5.2 Kernel. In this Windows Mobile where suite of basic applications which his feature and this feature developed with Microsoft Windows API. Windows Mobile is designed alike to that of desktop versions of Windows. For the Windows Mobile, third party software development is available. If you want to get software applications you can purchased through the Windows Market place for mobile. Pocket PC 2000 operating system which is most Windows Mobile devices come with a stylus pen because it is used to go through commands by tapping it on the screen. On 15 February 2010 at Barcelona where Mobile World Congress held at that time Microsoft announced a new phone platform which is Windows Phone 7. If you are used Windows Mobile 6.x then you cannot upgrade your mobile operating system to version 7.

This operating system is 5th most popular Smartphone operating system which is clutch 5% share of

worldwide share market. Symbian, Black Berry OS, Android and iPhone before Windows Mobile. 24% share among enterprise users in United states and after Black Berry Os and iPhone OS this Windows Mobile is 3rd most popular Smartphone operating system.

Standard Features in Windows Mobile for Pocket PC:

1. On the screen you see the owner information, date, email, tacks and upcoming appointments also. 2. Taskbar of windows Mobile shows volume and current time also. 3. In this Windows Mobile, mobile version of Microsoft office applications also included which is office Mobile. 4. Outlook Mobile also comes with this Windows Mobile. 5. Microsoft also develop the Internet browser for the Pocket PC which is Internet Explorer Mobile. 6. It also included the windows Media player for Windows Mobile. 7. This Windows Mobile also included the ICs means Internet Connection Sharing. Means this phones allows or connect your computer for or to share internet connection through Bluetooth and USB. 8. Important facility is ability to multitask.

For various hardware devices, Windows Mobile consist three versions are:
1. For the Smartphone with touch screens, Windows Mobile Professional available. 2. For the regular screens, Windows Mobile Standard available. 3. for the 'Windows Mobile Classic devices (Nothing but Pocket PCs)', Windows Mobile Classic.

Windows Mobile Classic devices:

PDA means Personal Digital Assistant with Windows Mobile which is a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It does not have telephone functionality. It is well known as Pocket PC. It is only developed for the only the Windows Mobile operating system. Both standalone Pocket PC devices without mobile phone capabilities and integrated mobile phone capabilities for use in Pocket PCs. "Windows Mobile 6 Professional" is officially indented for make use of in Pocket PCs. "Windows Mobile 6 Classic" used for which does not have mobile phone capabilities.

Smartphone Windows Mobile: After the pocket PCs, Windows Mobile is used in the Smartphone. Both Pocket PC phones and Microsoft branded Smart phones fit in "Smartphone" category. Smart phones are differs from the Pocket PC phones. Usually such type of Smart phones designed without touch screen. It has lower resolution than Pocket PCs.

Details of Windows Mobile

Developer of Windows Mobile: Microsoft Programming Language Of Windows Mobile: C++ Marketing Target Of Windows Mobile: Mobile devices Kernel type of Windows Mobile: Windows CE 5.2 Default user interface of Windows Mobile: Graphical License of Windows Mobile: Proprietary (Microsoft EULA)

webOS from HP (certain parts open sourced) webOS is a proprietary mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel, initially developed by Palm, which launched with the Palm Pre. After being acquired by HP, two phones (the Veer and the Pre 3) and a tablet (theTouchPad) running webOS were introduced in 2011. On August 18th, 2011, HP announced that webOS hardware is discontinued but HP will continue to support and update webOS software and develop the webOS ecosystem
HP appears convinced it can wring some value from the mobile OS it picked up after purchasing Palm last year for $1.2 billion. Stephen DeWitt, who heads up the HP division responsible for webOS, has emphasized that webOS will live on in PCs and as an embedded platform for printers and appliances. There are two ways of developing WebOS applications: By using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. This requires the software development kit, which can be installed on a computer running OS X, Windows or Ubuntu.

By using C or C++., This requires the platform development kit, which can only run on Windows
and Mac computers.

Other software platforms GridOS from Fusion Garage GridOS was built using open source code from the Android kernel. It is used as the operating system of the Grid 4 mobile phone and Grid 10 tablet, which are due to start shipping September 15th 2011. QNX from RIM [6] (closed source, proprietary) QNX is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. The product was originally developed by Canadian company, QNX Software Systems, which was later acquired by BlackBerry-producer Research In Motion. SHR (community-driven) SHR is a GNU/Linux based operating system for smartphones and similar mobile devices. It integrates various Free and Open Source Software projects into a versatile platform - flexible enough to run on a vast selection of mobile hardware such as the Openmoko Neo Freerunner, Nokia N900, Palm Pre and variants, T-Mobile G1, HTC HD2, iPhone 3Gs and more. The SHR build system is based on OpenEmbedded - well known from the Yocto project. For telephony, networking, etc. freesmartphone.org framework is used. On top of that an easy to use graphical interface centered around Enlightenment libraries is used to provide phone calls, messaging and pim. A growing amount of available applications offers SHR users with everything expected on a smartphone. But also numerous classical programs well known from other Linux distros can be made available easily. SHR is 100% community driven and based on Free and Open Source Software. This empowers everybody to realize their innovations or add support for new hardware - without needing to ask some CEO or strategy manager first.[21] MeeGo from non-profit organization The Linux Foundation (open source, GPL) At the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia and Intel both unveiled 'MeeGo' a brand new mobile operating system which would combine the best ofMoblin and the best of Maemo to create a truly open-sourced experience for users across all devices. As of 2011, Nokia has announced that it will no longer be pursuing MeeGo and will instead adopt Windows Phone 7 as its primary mobile OS. Nokia announced the Nokia N9 on June 21, 2011 at the Nokia Connection event [22] in Singapore. The phone is presumed to become available to the public in September 2011. LG announced its support for the platform.[23]

bada from Samsung Electronics (closed source, proprietary) This is a mobile operating system being developed by Samsung Electronics. Samsung claims that bada will rapidly replace its proprietary feature phone platform, converting feature phones to smartphones.The name 'bada' is derived from , the Korean word for ocean or sea. The first device to run bada is called 'Wave' and was unveiled to the public at Mobile World Congress 2010. The Wave is a fully touchscreen phone running the new mobile operating system. With the phone, Samsung also released an app store, called Samsung Apps, to the public. It has close to 3000[24] mobile applications. Samsung has said that they don't see Bada as a smartphone operating system, but as an OS with a kernel configurable architecture, which allows the use of either a proprietary real-time operating system, or the Linux kernel. Though Samsung plans to install bada on many phones, the company still has a large lineup of Android phones. Linux based operating system (open source, GPL) [6] Linux is strongest in China where it is used by Motorola, and in Japan, used by DoCoMo.[25][26] Rather than being an OS in its own right, Linux is used as a basis for a number of different operating
[27][28]

systems

developed

by

several

vendors,

including Android, are mostly

GridOS, B2G, LiMo, Maemo, MeeGo, Openmoko and Qt incompatible.

Extended,

which

PalmSource (now Access) is moving towards an interface running on

Linux.[29] Another software platform based on Linux is being developed by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung, and Vodafone.[30] Brew from Qualcomm Brew is used by a some mobile phone manufacturers and mobile networks, however most often the end-user does not know this since mobile phones running Brew most often lack any Brew branding. Brew runs in the background with the custom "skins" of the mobile phone manufacturer or operator on-top. Brew is used by Sprint Nextel, metroPCS, U.S. Cellular and Verizon in the US and by the Three network in much of Europe, the UK and Australia on many mobile phones produced especially for their network. Manufacturers such as Huawei, INQ Mobile, Amoi, and Samsung Mobile amongst others use Brew in some of their mobile phones and it is featured in Three UK phones such as the 3 Skypephone, INQ1 and Huawei u7510 (3 Touch). Two of HTC's mobile phones use Brew's successor Brew MP.

LiMo 4 from LiMo Foundation LiMo Foundation launched LiMo 4 on 14 february 2011, the latest release of the LiMo Platform. LiMo 4 delivers complete middleware and base application functionality, including a flexible user interface, extended widget libraries, 3D window effects, advanced multimedia, social networking and location based service frameworks, sensor frameworks, multi-tasking and multitouch capabilities. In addition, support for scalable screen resolution and consistent APIs means that the platform can deliver a consistent user experience across a broad range of device types and form factors[31] Historical software platforms Maemo from Nokia (open source, GPL) Maemo is a software platform developed by Nokia for smartphones and Internet tablets. It is based on the Debian operating system. Maemo is mostly based on open source code, and has been developed by Maemo Devices within Nokia in collaboration with many open source projects such as the Linux kernel, Debian and GNOME. Maemo is based on Debian GNU/Linux and draws much of its GUI, frameworks and libraries from the GNOME project. It uses the Matchbox window manager and the GTK-based Hildon as its GUI and application framework. Windows Mobile from Microsoft (closed source, proprietary) The Windows CE operating system and Windows Mobile middleware are widely spread in Asia. The two improved variants of this operating system, Windows Mobile 6 Professional (for touch screen devices) and Windows Mobile 6 Standard, were unveiled in February 2007. It has been criticized for having a user interface which is not optimized for touch input by fingers; instead, it is more usable with a stylus. However, unlike iPhone OS, it does support both touch screen and physical keyboard configurations. Windows Mobile's market share has sharply declined in recent years to just 5% in Q2 of 2010.[33] Microsoft is phasing out the Windows Mobile OS to specialized markets and is instead focusing on its new operating system and software platform, Windows Phone.

Palm OS/Garnet OS from Access Co. (closed source, proprietary) webOS was introduced by Palm in January 2009 as the successor to Palm OS with Web 2.0 technologies, open architecture, and multitasking capabilities. DangerOS from Danger Incorporated Future software platforms Boot 2 Gecko[35] from non-profit organization Mozilla Foundation (open source, GPL) According to Ars Technica, "Mozilla says that B2G is motivated by a desire to demonstrate that the standards-based open Web has the potential to be a competitive alternative to the existing singlevendor application development stacks offered by the dominant mobile operating systems."[36] Aliyun OS from Alibaba/AliCloud (cloud based) AliCloud's operating system revolves around the idea of bringing cloud functionality to the mobile platform. According to the company, Aliyun will feature cloud-based e-mail, Web search, weather updates, and GPS navigation tools. In addition, the operating system will synchronize and store call data, text messages, and photos in the cloud for access across other devices, including PCs. Alibaba says it will offer customers 100GB of storage at launch. the operating system would allow users to access applications from the Web, rather than download apps to their devices.[37] Tizen from non-profit organization The Linux Foundation (open source, GPL) Tizen is an open source project hosted by the Linux Foundation, with Intel and Samsung leading its development steering group, and support from the LiMo Foundation. According to Intel, Tizen combines the best of LiMo and MeeGo." HTML5 apps will be emphasized for the new OS, with the MeeGo project encouraging its members to transition to Tizen, stating that the "future belongs to HTML5-based applications, outside of a relatively small percentage of apps, and we are firmly convinced that our investment needs to shift toward HTML5." Tizen will be targeted at a variety of platforms such as handsets, tablets, smart TVs and in-vehicle entertainment. The initial release of Tizen is targeted for Q1 2012, with the first devices using the OS planned to reach the market in mid 2012.[38][39] Meltemi from Nokia (open source, GPL) Meltemi is an open source project hosted by Nokia

Smartphone operating systems' market share

Table showing most of the current mobile operating systems for smartphones, PDAs and netbooks in 2010

Source Gartner [41] Gartner [42] Gartner [42][43] Gartner [43][44] Gartner [44]

Year

Symbian Android RIM

iOS

Microsoft Other OSs

2011 Q1

27.4%

36.0% 12.9% 16.8%

3.6%

3.3%

2010

37.6%

22.7% 16.0% 15.7%

4.2%

3.8%

2009

46.9%

3.9% 19.9% 14.4%

8.7%

6.1%

2008

52.4%

0.5% 16.6%

8.2%

11.8%

10.5%

2007

63.5%

N/A

9.6%

2.7%

12.0%

12.1%

Total mobile OS market share including tablets and connected devices U.S. OS Market Share by Audience Installed U.S. OS Market Share by Digital Traffic (BrowserBase based page views) MOBILE OS Percent MOBILE Apple iOS 43.1% Percent OS Google Android 34.1% Apple iOS 58.5% RIM 15.4% Google Other OS 7.8% 31.9% Android [45] Source: comScore, August 2011 RIM 5.0% Other OS 4.6% [45] Source: comScore, August 2011 The disparity between the U.S. installed base of iOS at 43.1% and its share of browser-based page views at 58.5% suggests that iOS users are heavier-than-average consumers of Internet content. Additionally, in August 2011, 97.2% of all tablet Internet traffic in the U.S. was delivered to iPads