Since 1996, Microsoft has been writing operating systems for little computers to carry in your pocket. It was a lonely business until the company’s perennial rival, Apple, introduced the Web-browsing, music-playing iPhone. But now that smartphones are popular, Microsoft’s operating system, Windows Mobile, is foundering.
More cellphone makers are turning to the free Android operating system made by Microsoft’s latest nemesis, Google.
Cellphone makers that have used Windows Mobile to run their top-of-the-line smartphones — including Samsung, LG, Kyocera, Sony Ericsson — are now also making Android devices. Twelve Android handsets have been announced this year, with dozens more expected next year. Motorola has dropped Windows Mobile from its line entirely in a switch to Android. HTC, a major cellphone maker, expects half its phones sold this year to run Android. Dell is using Android for its entry into the cellphone market.
So long MS Mobile.
@honeyman, my observations (purely anecdotal) are that the developers view handset support this way:
1. iPhone
2. Android
3. Blackberry (Oh God, only if I have to)
4. Who cares?
The webOS from Palm has generated some interest, but I don’t know anyone who supports it yet. Symbian (pick your flavor), WinMo, LinMo, and others just aren’t worth the trouble.
Since Windows 7 is almost a big hit for Microsoft. Windows Mobile 7 is just around the corner and Microsoft is looking for another lucky number 7 here. Keeping fingers crossed.
As for Android, never seen it take off as much as Google had anticipated. It still seems like a naked Mobile OS with lack of application and horrible hardware. Needs a little more exciting hardware and software to make it a hit as just giving it away for free is not enough. Learn from Linux, as they have boasted FREE FREE all their lives but a normal user still never buys into their FREE crap.
google supports open source projects like operating systems, but only if it suits what they are doing of course… browsers, online applications… all good… but they’re projects that target their competitors… open source the search engine… adsense… then i will say they support “open source”. the devil you know is sometimes better than the devil you don’t.
#15 & #20
One of the great things about Android is that “compiled” apps will work on any Android enabled hardware. The manufacturers have to do the work of getting Android running on their device, but after that, any Android app should work fine. That’s the beauty of managed code.
What’s not to like about Android? It’s free, it’s open, and it’s evolving quickly. Some people worry about the platform fracturing, but I’m not sure it will ever actually become a problem.
Just have to wait and see what will happen in 2010. I for one, am quite sanguine.
SKL
#11 Even Ballmar agrees they got fat and lazy and now they are playing catchup slowly.
From my view Rim is the one to beat.
I just want a nice little computer with a key board that fits in my pocket, can make calls, take pictures/video, play music and videos, run office files, do email, and has built in gps.
Is that to much to ask? Not the way things are going.
The only reason RIM is doing well now is there is a big demand for smartphone and unless you are on ATT, the BB looks attractive. This will end when consumers see that Android does far more then BB ever will.
RIM is doing well because:
1) They conquered the corporate territory with excellent security and level of control that sys admins have with their BES solution.
2) Their email solution still is second to none. Some people, like Leo Laporte, jump on fads at the drop of a hat and go around saying that “email is dead.” But many other people realize that it is very far from dead. E-mail is the largest and most useful social network there’s ever been. EVERYONE is in it. There is actually very little that other phones can do that the Blackberry can’t, and most of it doesn’t matter. RIM specialized in things that matter: email, security and IT dept empowerment.
It’s just a matter of catering. Many people want serious. Many people want Mickey Mouse. RIM picked the serious. Apple picked the Mickey Mouse.
Where RIM doesn’t do very is with their web browser. For us at least that matters a lot. It took very few tweaks to get our ajax empowered web app to work well on an iPhone. Blackberry? It would require a separate development effort.
Oh, and this is a serious business app. Not some Mickey Mouse thing.
If M$ were smart, they’d plug phones with Windows Mobile on “Family Guy”! Perfect demographics!