A good operating system is essential to run any device smoothly. When someone says operating system people immediately think of computers. Well, it is not completely their fault as the majority of them do not think about the mobile phone’s operating systems. People do not realize how important an operating system is in building a great mobile. A mobile phone’s operating system is a software or platform which enables other programs or software to run on it. An operating system is what specifies the features of a mobile phone. It determines how mobile should function when doing specific actions like texting, emailing and so on.
Let’s look at some of the best operating systems that were created for smartphones.
Android
Android is the most popular mobile phone operating system right now. It is arguably the best mobile operating system that was ever created. Android was developed by Android Inc which was later bought by Google in the year 2005. Its operating system is designed based on the Linux kernel and some other open-source software. Android launched its first-ever device in 2008. Since then android has been unstoppable with the latest version releasing every other year. The latest version of Android is Android 10.0 which does not have any name of a dessert-like its predecessors.
Apple IOS
Apple IOS which was formerly known as iPhone os is an operating system that was designed and developed by Apple Inc. It was specifically designed to only support the hardware that is used in iPhones. IOS was first released in the year 2007 which later extended its support to other apple devices such as iPad and iPod touch. Its app store contains more than 2 million apps. iPhone ios is known for its awesome security features and performance. It is the most reliable operating system present in the market.
Symbian
Once upon a time, the Symbian operating system was the most popular operating system on the planet. It was developed in the 1980s by a company called PSION back then this OS was called EPOC. It was renamed to SYMBIAN after PSION offered its platform to phone manufacturing companies. Nokia, Motorola, and SONY Ericsson are the popular mobile brands that used this operating system in their devices. Nokia used this OS more than any other mobile manufacturer. It also acquired SYMBIAN in 2008. The last version of SYMBIAN was released in 2012, later it was discontinued. Even today many of the phones made in china use its OS.
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS was developed by a Canadian company called BlackBerry Limited to use it for their brand of handheld mobiles. Just like Apple’s IOS, this operating system is specially designed for the devices manufactured by BlackBerry. This operating system is very robust as most of the times it was written in JAVA. It was specially designed for BlackBerry’s Research In Motion devices. Its ability to support trackball and trackwheel features made Blackberry devices more popular. BlackBerry OS is still one of the most secure platforms as its network is separate from other carriers. It was discontinued in the year 2013 when the company released BlackBerry 10 in 2013.
Windows Mobile
We all know windows as the most widely used computer operating system in the world but it also created its own line mobile operating systems in the name of Windows MobileWindows mobile is an operating developed by Microsoft for smartphones. It was Microsoft’s big attempt to get its hands on the mobile phone market but it was not that successful. It seemed a little difficult to operate for new users but soon its popularity started increasing. Its last release Windows 10 was the most loved as it removed its complications. You can find Microsoft Digital Asset Management Alternatives which are highly advanced DAM software that provides its services to businesses in midsize to large industries
BADA
Samsung, the popular mobile phone brand has also created its own operating system called BADA. It was developed in 2009 with the intention of Samsung having its own mobile operating system. In 2010 Samsung released the Samsung wave which was its first phone that integrated BADA operating system. Samsung releases its phones with BADA operating system as wave series similar to its android powered galaxy series. BADA is considered to be one of the most developer operating systems that is available in the market. It was last used in the Samsung wave III.
Sailfish OS
Sailfish is one of the latest mobile operating systems to be developed. It was developed in the year 2013 by a Finnish company named JOLLA. It was initially designed to ship as OS to JOLLA smartphones and tablets. It is widely used as an alternative for Android and IOS due to its strong OS core. It also has strong security and privacy features. Moreover, this Sailfish OS is compatible with android systems. It can download and run apps from the google play store. Even though Sailfish OS can run apps from google play store it is totally independent of Google. Today Sailfish OS is used by many government and corporate organizations in Europe.
Tizen
Tizen is another operating system that is developed by Samsung apart from its BADA OS. It is one of the most popular open-source Linux-based operating systems that are present in the market. Tizen was created by merging BADA with its initial version. Samsung now uses this operating system to power its smart TVs and smartwatches. This open-source platform offers more flexibility and better intuitive gestures compared to android.
KaiOS
KaiOS is another Linux based operating system that was created in the year 2017. It was developed by a US-based company called KaiOS Technologies. Its aim was to make smartphones more affordable. KaiOS wanted to achieve this goal by integrating 4G LTE, GPS and WiFi capabilities into non-touch phones. It also supports the installation of apps like twitter and youtube in non-touch phones. KaiOS is currently the third most popular OS after Android and IOS.
MeeGo
MeeGo is an operating system that was created by Nokia and Intel in 2010. The main aim of this joint venture was to merge Nokia’s Maemo and Intel’s Moblin project to create a stronger and more flexible operating system. It was designed for all kinds of electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, computers and embedded systems. Nokia wanted to power all of its devices using Meego but dropped the idea in 2011. The MeeGo OS was discontinued in 2014 after Nokia completely stopped using it.
Conclusion
At present, there are only two or three mobile operating systems that are dominating the entire market but it doesn’t mean that one should only use them. Every user is different and everyone has their own priorities. So one should choose a mobile with an operating system that they are comfortable with.