Continuing on from yesterday's post from Wesley, today I continue the ultimate debate of Smartphone OS'. The tech world has grown a lot in about the past five years, with Apple's introduction of [what was originally known as] the iPhone OS, now iOS, Google's Android OS, and the growth of Research In Motion's BlackBerry OS. These three Smartphone OS' are the main competitors in the Smartphone world today.
To start off, for the past year or so, I have broken up the three OS' into two categories or groups. These two groups are iOS and Android, and then the BlackBerry OS. I have broken these three up because of the idea of apps. Applications make up most of what the operating system is for both the iPhone, as well as the phones that run on Android. Although, the BlackBerry phones, have had what they call apps, but in comparison to the apps on the iPhone and Android, the apps on the BlackBerry really don't compare to the other two competing Smartphone OS'.
One of the major differences to the BlackBerry that Research In Motion (the maker of the BlackBerry) has done a great job with is the BlackBerry Messenger. With BlackBerry Messenger, users of the BlackBerry, regardless of their cellular provider, are able to chat with each other in a much better way than by texting. The difference between BlackBerry Messenger (also known as BBM) and texting is huge. While BBMing uses data, as opposed to counting as text messages, it allows the BlackBerry Messenger a lot of features to it. This includes being able to send videos, photos, voice notes, seeing when the other people are typing/when a message is read, multiple friend conversations, and much more. In addition, in order to BBM other BlackBerry users, you must become their friend on their BBM list by sending them an invite to their specific PIN, unique to each BlackBerry phone itself. This is one feature that I really do wish I had as I am an iPhone user, and many of my friends own BlackBerry Smartphones (the correct plural for BlackBerry).
Now, the debate between Android and iOS, or the iPhone. The huge difference has lied between Apple's iPhone ever since it first launched and Google's Android operating system is that Apple has locked down iOS a lot. The features for the iPhone are determined by Apple, and Apple determines which apps make it into the app store. This is completely different to the Android operating system as the user has a lot of say as to what their phone will ultimately look like. Just in the past few weeks even, did Apple finally allow users to change their wallpapers on the iPhone. This is one example of how Apple has really determined and decided how they want users to use their iPhone. Android users have been able to change their wallpapers, and even add widgets to their home screens since it launched.
Another example of this is that Apple, with AT&T have just recently, with the launch of iOS 4.0 allowed US iPhone users to tether. The Android has had this for a while, as well as another smartphone OS, Palm's Web OS, including the Palm Pre, which even includes the ability to make a Wi-Fi hotspot. This Wi-Fi hotspot allows for multiple users to join on and surf the web, while using the internet provided by the Palm Pre. This is another example of how Apple has really decided for the user, how they want their phones to look and how they want their phones to function. Apple has really changed the industry with the introduction of the use of multi-touch within their initial iPhone. This has led to many other companies incorporating the iPhone into their own smartphones.
That is all for my Tuesday post. Hopefully, we can come back to this topic in the next few months, as it is one of the biggest talked about topics in the tech world today. Look for Stephen's post tomorrow!
Scott Wasserman
Twitter: @applehockey • Applehockey.com
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