Apple ipod

Selected operating system for handhelds

June 4, 2010

One of the key considerations in designing an IT solution Mobile is the choice of operating system your handheld. No doubt there are many options available in the market today, but the choice can be quickly eroded to some basic questions about what you are trying to offer solutions to their customers and a basic understanding of the features work plans and operating systems themselves.

What are the operating system options and where they are why?

As we all know, the smart phone market has really exploded, and continues to grow with Android ® to be launched last year and iPhone and Blackberry ® ® continues to lead with an increase in market share consumers and businesses, respectively.

One might think that the solutions of PDA operating system is a relatively new thing, but this is not true. Those of you who have a penchant for history will remember the 1993 Apple Newton ® technology as the first PDA. In fact, he was CEO of Apple, and John Scully, that have shaped the concept of "Personal Digital Assistant." The PDA is rapidly becoming everywhere with Palm (recently bought by HP ®) HP, Psion ®, IBM ® and many others in the market since the 90s until mid-2000. RIM has entered the market in any two-way pager in 1996, but e mail and the BlackBerry platform now famous speech, was released in 2002.

Microsoft ® entered the market with operating system Windows ® CE handheld in 1996, and then added a layer to use CE with Pocket PC ® in 2000. This year, Microsoft announced a new mobile operating system for consumers, Windows Phone 7 series (based on CE 6.0 R3) is published by the holiday season and more directly in competition with the likes of the iPhone ®, and Android ®.

A first mobile operating system is not really a smart phone at the time, COPD was to be later Psion Symbian ® with a company and several Mobile phone manufacturers pocket. Nokia ® now has the technology and made an open source code license this year.

Of course, the newcomer on the block is Android, an open source platform based on Linux ® 2.6 and developed by Handset Open Alliance led by Google ®. Android is fast gaining market share, mainly from Microsoft, since its launch in 2008.

Click here for a summary of some of the handheld operating system on the market today:

By far the largest destination market for operating systems is a matter for the consumer smartphone. There were more than 54.5 million units produced in the first quarter of 2010. The largest player remains Nokia, RIM, Apple, Motorola and HTC that form the top of the market.

How to choose an operating system development?

There are many criteria for choosing an operating system on a handheld. Those covered here focus on the use of handheld as part of the whole system end-user use.

If you propose a solution or an application?

The primary and first question to ask is whether your product is a solution and a solution I mean the product software / hardware that will provide for use in a day's work users end the means by which they perform their tasks. If the end user use the phone regularly, as the search for Inventory or check the status of an order, and the rest of time, the main use of the material is also a phone, calendar and contacts, is then applied.

If your focus is on implementation, then you really should consider the level of consumer goods such as Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Classic Telephone / Series 7 and others. There may be some exceptions (See other issues later) that can lead to another in the environment, but usually these systems are sound and necessary general utility as a tool for the end user. Your support will be mainly for its implementation and the company most likely to need support by phone / e-mail.

But if your goal is a solution, you must read the questions and consider the rest of the system …

Are there are special devices for use?

The second question to address is, the user can request any data collection, communication systems, or perhaps imaging solutions special "ordinary" does not provide the equipment? peripherals such as scanners, bar code, RFID readers, custom radios, sensors, readers biometric, tape drives, digital cameras still true, GPS systems and precision are not available to suppliers of consumer goods and even "Stick with the theme" can be difficult and unreliable.

Generally, if you want to integrate a "special" device, in an industrial environment OS and Windows CE is your best bet, drivers and system integration can be closely linked to the operating system. In most cases, the operating system runs by the supplier of hardware to take advantage of key features of special hardware.

Do you or your client requires a long life?

IT investment is not cheap at first, and overall implementation costs such as training, support and installation can not be part of dollar cost of a project. So, given that it is important to understand and manage the disturbances in the soil and the cost due to obsolescence or system operational "improvements" that can cause problems with your solution.

In general, consumers of mobile OS are managed by the company, which means that your order and the soldiers are for you to thank your calendar operating system update and content. These operating systems on a regular and rapid updated to take advantage of new features and services (or questions). Usually, this is not always a problem with your application runs on the "new OS ", but when are you may well be limited to the actions you take. An operating system is not always practical recoil (or available), so let you have your engineers striving to develop a work-around/fix "now."

These types of problems can usually be mitigated by using Windows CE or Linux operating system even products that manufacturers can "Lockdown" at a specific level of review after application solution develops. In many cases the EC is almost ideal as Microsoft defines the basic rule, but provides the hardware companies with large amounts of source code to enable maintain or improve and debug the operating system.

If the matter is a proprietary operating system that is actually under the control of the manufacturer. If your company to be purchased (PALM) then hope someone will continue to support (and sales) of these devices.

Open Source is not usually a problem with life is the source code Open to the collection, provided that the compilers are available (provided in practical terms). Who designed the operating system, and sustainability in terms of support and security are one of the most complex issues that face many markets in general.

What About Security?

It is a key issue in the minds of the people (and in some key), end users, through IT departments and developers. There is no such thing as "totally" secure system, but overall, most of which access is restricted to this system is less likely to the security threat can enter.

The perennial Windows Mobile (aka traditional phone) and are excellent examples Symbian operating system for consumers with the aim of viruses, malware and security questions almost from its inception. It is the nature of its "openness" and allow free access to online systems for that.

Android is interesting, webOS iPhone and have had very few reports of security problems. In general, this is due to the nature of the operating system and delivery / Update of the methods used.

Finally, Windows CE. As the EC is the basis for Windows Mobile / Mobile, to think logically It would also be susceptible to viruses, and would be adequate in terms of the technical nature of the product. However, in the context of systemic product deployed CE solutions are generally much more demand-driven so there is no "component that all users have access" to their characteristics. So manufacturers have the ability to block CE operating system in a way that can not be altered and it is easy to verify that the "singularity", which makes it very difficult to integrate one virus.

Who will be the end-user support?

This question actually goes back to the application original discussion / resolution. If you provide a product that is a single application and the material also has many other "all purpose" that offers the user always (or almost) the use and applications / functions need support and updates / maintenance system that can be based on very general knowledge … A consumer OS will be an excellent option to consider.

Moreover, when you offer a solution, the support staff really needs to be focused on end user is that the work done efficiently and reliably. phone, email and "general purpose" applications and uses is not the first (or in many cases allowed) characteristic of the product. In this case, a customizable operating system, such as CE or Linux can provide an excellent platform.

What if the mobile application is only part of my solution?

In many if not most, component products is only part of a series of IT "views" on the solution together. There are other points of view may be a web site, a desktop application, even a TV application (think Xbox ® or PlayStation ® interface type). Their development will probably need to build familiar environments, development kits and APIs tools through product offerings in order to minimize the diversity of skills and reduce risk and time to acquire knowledge. Time to market (with a quality product) that's all.

Traditionally mobile applications were "on their own, which means that the operating system and hardware are limited to really need a set of skills and personal experiences with the program for her. Although this is still the case for certain means (Symbian, Android and the iPhone comes to mind) others have really open.

Microsoft has integrated. NET and Silverlight ® platforms in the development environment Complete Desktop and Server through your 7 Series Windows and Windows CE. This means that while developers have yet to understand his "point of view and hearing range of materials" Portal Services "They no longer need to be completely recycled or Total of" specialists "in each area.

Java has also promised long ago independent "platform" for development. Wholesale also meets this requirement with the Java ™ runtime environment (JRE) are taken to most systems operational. The question to be is usually the lack of manufacturer's hardware support for Java. Even the Android SDK, while the use of Java applications, such as syntax and structure, is in fact his own language and system.

Conclusions?

I think you'll agree that nobody solves problems operating system for everyone or concerns. In general, there are more factors to consider that are specific to your business solution.

If you develop a product with specific devices and the requirement of a long life product, the solution is very simple, with Windows CE.

However, if the product is an application actually using a keyboard (or touch screen) without other devices, then a consumer OS is probably your best option.

If your product is somewhere between two scenarios, then you really need to focus on the levels of support, security and road map for understanding the development that suits you.

About the Author

President and COO of Two Technologies Inc.

Pageonce – A Personal Assistant