The smartphone platform smack-down has been going on for some years, with new contenders entering the race with confusing regularity.
Unless you are willing to read more news and analysis than is humanly possible, it can be tough to decide which mobile platform is the right one for you.
To help you overcome this conundrum, here is a brief guide to the common smartphone platforms and the kinds of handsets you can expect to see running each.
The current pop culture hero in the mobile world is Apple’s iPhone, running the iOS software shared by it and other devices like the iPod Touch and iPad. It provides a robust, user friendly experience that is not overly conducive to customisation.
The iPhone 4 is the latest model to run iOS, although the iPhone 3GS may still be available on some carriers, with the software functions largely identical between the two.
In the US, the platform of choice for business users has been Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS, available on devices such as the BlackBerry Torch, Bold and Curve.
While Apple’s platform is all about adding your own apps, BlackBerry puts the focus on emailing, messaging and web browsing, aided by the physical QWERTY keypads included on most handsets.
The relative newcomer in the smartphone race is Android, developed by search giant Google. It has already overtaken most of its rivals in terms of market penetration, in large part due to its availability on a broad selection of cell phones.
Android is the most flexible platform around, with individual manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC offering different user experiences based on the same core software. Android runs on high end superphones and entry level models, although there is some fragmentation because of the different versions which are available.
Microsoft refreshed its presence in the mobile market with the launch of Windows Phone 7 in 2010, erasing the issues of the past which had caused it to be squeezed out by rivals.
Windows Phone 7 straddles the line between Android, iOS and BlackBerry OS, offering a comprehensively cohesive experience no matter which handset you choose, just like Apple, while attempting to match Android for app developer freedom and diverse functionality.
There are other less dominant smartphone platforms available, including the Nokia-backed Symbian and HP’s WebOS, although these are only present on a tiny percentage of the mobiles sold in the US.
Nokia’s recent announcement of Windows Phone 7 support means that Microsoft is likely to see a surge in the uptake of its mobile OS, with analysts predicting that within four years, the market will be led by Android, with Windows Phone 7 in second place and Apple’s iOS in third position.
Because each platform is attempting to provide as broad a selection of features as possible, it really makes sense to consider each one before committing to a particular company. Each should give you social networking integration, web access, a healthy library of downloadable apps and the promise of future updates and enhancements.
There are positive and negative aspects to each platform, although they can become difficult to identify if you have thrown in your lot with a particular firm. In fact there are even handsets within a particular platform family that are better than others.
For iOS fans, the iPhone 4 is the only real option if you want to enjoy the latest features in full, while Android users looking for high end thrills should try the HTC Sensation or Samsung Galaxy SII. The BlackBerry Torch is king of its particular category, while the Samsung Focus brings build quality and a great screen to Windows Phone 7.
Whichever platform you choose, smartphones all have web-sufing capabilities, so you can read more about saving money at sites like Moneysupermarket.com
Related posts:
