Gone are the days when you used to buy a mobile phone by looking only at its hardware specifications and design. The launch of Apple iPhone completely revolutionized the mobile phone world and to compete with it Google came up with its own open source Android OS which gave a stiff competition to Apple’s iOS. After Google, Microsoft also jumped into the war with its Windows Phone 7 OS.
So now we have a war between the operating systems which eventually has made the cell phone manufactures to be on their toes in order to fight for their survival. Nokia was the market leader in mobile phones around the globe till iPhone came into the market. And then Samsung came up with their Android based Galaxy series which sold like hot cakes as they had a number of Android based phone to suit the needs of a large number of consumers. Nokia on the other hand was left far behind since it didn’t adopt the Android operating system and there Symbian OS was not able to compete with the existing iOS and Android. So Nokia shook hands with Microsoft which came up with their new fresh looking Windows Phone 7 operating system.
iOS
This operating system from Apple is exclusively available on Apple iPhone so you have to buy an Apple mobile phone if you want to experience the iOS. Apple’s iOS is one of the most easy and quick to learn operating system. And Apple packs the OS in the best hardware configuration possible in order make the experience flawless. This operating system is something which suits everyone be it a child or a grandparent. As far as the apps are concerned Apple app store has the largest collection of applications as compared to Android and Windows Phone OS. Third party apps are not allowed officially so in order to access them you have to be geeky enough to Jailbreak the device which voids the warranty of your handset. In order to get an iOS based mobile phone you have shell out anyway from $650 to $850 (unlocked). So if you want a perfect phone and are ready to spend a good amount then iOS is definitely a pick.
Android
Google’s Android operating system is an open source OS which is supported by a large number of handsets from different manufactures such as Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony. Android based mobile phones devices are available from as low as $100 to $800. This OS gives you the option of using third party apps which is not allowed in the other two operating systems. Android has a dedicated app store called Google Play which has a comparable number of apps as the Apple’s App store and the best part is that the number of free apps on Google Play is much greater than in the Apple’s App store. Android OS works great on the higher end devices but it can be really bad sometimes on the low end handsets. It is only the OS among the three which supports true multitasking that is you can run two or more applications simultaneously but sometimes this makes the device to hang and you may end up rebooting the phone.
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 is comparatively new in the market. It has a fresh new look and feel to it since it does have the same icon or widgets on the home screen as the other two OSes have. This OS from Microsoft has live square tiles on the home screen which are stacked neatly in two columns. By live tiles we mean that the tiles keep on updating themselves according to the status of the application like for example the weather update application tile keeps displaying the temperature on the tile itself so that you don’t have to open the application everytime you need to know the temperature outside. But since it is a new OS it has many flaws which are expected to be resolved in the next major update from Microsoft. This OS also does not support third party apps. The number of applications on the Windows Marketplace is less as compared to the iOS and Android. It also lacks WiFi tethering which is available in most of the handsets of other two operating systems. Though the people hub feature in Windows Phone 7 OS helps you integrate your social networking connections very nicely in to your phone which something the other two operating system lack. Like Android, Windows Phone 7 is also supported by handsets from different brands such as Nokia, Samsung, HTC.
Every operating system has its pros and cons so now you have to decide what you are looking for in a phone and how much are you willing to spend on the device.
Which mobile phone operating system are you using or planning to go for?
