This is Apple’s proprietary operating system for the iPhone. For users, this means direct manipulation using multi-touch gestures such as swiping, tapping, pinching and reverse pinching. The internal accelerometers alter the screen orientation if the device is rotated.
The iPhone OS 3.0 includes a seach option, copy-paste facility, MMS, e-mail and text messages in the landscape mode. The App store offers value-added applications. The software development kit allows geeks to create and sell their own apps, though Apple has a controversial fee-sharing agreement in place.
WINDOWS
This is the operating system that runs most of our computers, but can also run on our mobile phones. Windows Mobile has been through the usual ups and downs as witnessed by the regular Windows OS, but the latest versions such as Windows 6.1 are widely seen as stable.
Features include Office Mobile support, remote desktop access, voice over internet, Windows Live, out-of-office replies with Microsoft Exchange 2007 and support for Office 2007 document formats. The much waited Windows 6.5 is expected to offer even more.
LINUX
Linux provides a compelling alternative to commercial operating systems such as Symbian or Windows Mobile as it’s cheaper and not controlled by a bigger company. It offers a stable kernel, a support base not restricted to a single software firm and the ability to modify and redistribute the source code.
New versions of Linux Mobile even offer gesture recognition technology. Linux seems to be most popular in China and Japan where it is used by Motorola and DoCoMo. Panasonic, Samsung, Vodafone, NEC, and NTT DoCoMo are also working on a Linux-based platform.
