Symbian
Symbian is the old operating system used by many feature and basic phones. It provides a decent experience for the most basic functionality and is being enhanced as well. It is certainly not the most popular for smart phones and is rarely used for anything more sophisticated. It’s robust and solid and provides a good user experience for what it does.Android
Android is a superb offering from Google. It is constantly being updated and enhanced. It is one of the most user-friendly interfaces available. And on top of this, Google allows manufacturers and developers to tweak and enhance the operating system in order to tailor it to the different phones and different users.Manufacturers are able to add applications, re-skin, recolor, and adopt icons so that the user experience matches the handheld device. This is a real bonus and Android has seen by many, especially the technical, as the best operating system available for smart phones.
Apple Operating System
iOS is the offering from Apple and is locked to Apple devices. It is not found on other handsets from other manufacturers. Many people are passionately loyal to the Apple brand. They love the iconic iPhone series and they love the usability of the Apple operating system.
It is very good, very usable, and very friendly especially for newcomers to smart phone technology. Apple did a wonderful job of creating a platform that could suit both those looking for more complex operation and those who are relatively unskilled and inexperienced working with computer interfaces.
Windows Has Arrived
Microsoft has been a very late entrant to the mobile phone/smart phone market. They have translated the Windows operating system found on laptops and desktops to the mobile phone environment. Many people are excited about this evolution as it brings business functionality that is in the office into the mobile sphere.
This means that there is a good level of continuity through businesses available with this platform. And also, users are familiar with a lot of the user experience. The Windows platform is certainly intuitive and attractive. They used a tile system to display and organize the features that the user wants to prioritize. It is certainly a competitor for the mantle of top operating system, but the jury is still out.
Summary
Android is probably the best operating system out there right now, with over 700,000 applications, and a choice of devices, users benefit from the best of all worlds. The Apple system is superb too, but you have to go for an iPhone to tap into it.
If you’re choosing an iPhone anyway, then this is no bother, but it is not the best phone on the market at the moment. Windows is going to be here to stay. Microsoft will evolve what they do and certainly the user interface is good and experienced; very fluid on the best phones like the Lumia 920. With the capacity to use Windows on a variety of phones, this is a real bonus.
For me, Android is the future. But Windows and Apple are also very good.
Phil TurnerAbout the Author:
Phil Turner has been looking at T-Mobile, GiffGaff and Virgin Mobile deals in his search for a better phone package than the one he is currently on.