New Mobile OS’ On The Block
A quick look at companies that are attempting to break out and establish themselves as worthy competitors in the Mobile OS space
With collective global market shares of over 85% (as of November 2013), Android and iOS are easily the two most dominant mobile operating systems in the world today.
Android’s compatibility with an infinite and expansive range of devices and the ‘pure’ quality of the iOS experience have made it very difficult for any new OS looking to enter the field, or to make a significant dent in that universe.
Despite the challenge, however, many companies are now attempting to break out and establish themselves as worthy competitors. Here’s a look at these competitors, and what each one brings to the table.
1. Tizen:
The brain child of Intel, Samsung and the Linux Foundation, Tizen is easily one of the more promising operating systems looking to mark its arrival in 2014. Though it has been in the works since early 2012, Tizen has garnered attention only recently with the involvement of Samsung in the project and the subsequent merger with Samsung’s home-grown OS; Bada.
Like Android, Tizen is an open source operating system based on the Linux Kernel and WebKit runtime. That being said, Tizen encourages its developers to write apps in HTML5, the most recent iteration of the new HTML standard, while Android and iOS use Java and Objective-C respectively.
The move essentially allows for a smoother Web Browsing experience for mobile devices, such as the ability to play embedded videos or play music without any additional plugins and save data offline.
In terms of looks, what little has been seen of Tizen indicates that its UI will not be that different from that of Android and iOS, still featuring core components like the home screen, notification panel, and lock screen. Stylistically, however, Tizen is more like TouchWiz, and seems to incorporate the circular icons of Nokia’s now abandoned MeeGo project as well.
One major challenge that Tizen faces is attracting developers to drop Android and iOS, and spend time developing Tizen instead. Not an easy job. Tizen’s considerable financial backing however, enables them to provide large incentives for developers to do so and they will be looking to capitalize on that.
Samsung are apparently looking to make sure the OS is “complete” before its release on a device (should be mostly for their wearbale devices to start with) sometime in 2013–14, and is ready to delay the release in order achieve the standard they have set.
2. Firefox OS:
The Firefox OS marks the entry of the Mozilla Corporation into the mobile OS arena.
The platform is also Linux based, but aims to differentiate itself from its competition by marketing itself as a Web based OS. Currently, Mozilla seem to be limiting the platform to low end hardware, entry level smartphones; the $80 ZTE Open being a perfect example.
This is not surprising considering the major selling point of a web based OS is that it doesn’t require the same hardware backing as more expensive handsets to deliver the same level of functionality. It aims to provide an affordable but smooth smartphone experience to users who would have otherwise bought a basic cell phone.
The phone’s UI has borrowed concepts from both Android and iOS, and will thus feel familiar to the user. Users get a basic home screen with a search box, a tray of customizable app shortcuts and an expandable notification bar with quick settings. Like iOS, almost every navigation element is onscreen; while that consumes extra space, it’s potentially simpler for users who aren’t comfortable with hardware keys. Ultimately, the interface is easy enough to understand that it takes just a few minutes to learn the ins and outs of the platform, a smart move bearing in mind the target market of the OS; first time smartphone users.
Mozilla currently has deals with ZTE, Huawei, LG and Telefonica to produce Firefox OS running devices, with LG’s Fireweb marking the inaugural LG-Firefox handset. This is encouraging for Firefox, especially when you consider the difficulty that other new platforms are facing to get manufacturer support.
Looking ahead, it has been rumoured that Firefox are planning a tie-up with Panasonic very soon, providing the operating system for the electronic giant’s new line of smart TV’s. Mozilla is also planning to release the platform in two higher end smartphones this year, hoping to expand the platforms reach by doing so, with rumours of a Firefox OS running tablet also doing the rounds.
The “light” nature of the platform also has many excited by the idea of seeing it on wearable devices.
All in all, Mozilla’s Firefox OS sounds like a promising prospect, and has the manufacturer backing required to be successful. One major hurdle that they still face, is the development of a marketplace, a hurdle common to most new comers, and one I would expect them to tackle in time.
3. Ubuntu Touch:
Ubuntu Touch can most accurately be described as a mobile version of the popular Ubuntu operating system developed by Canonical UK Ltd. and the Ubuntu community. Also based on the popular Linux, Ubuntu seems to be targeting users who want deeper integration between desktop and mobile devices with features such as the ability to convert the screen into a desktop screen on the connection of a keyboard or mouse being included.
In terms of design and user interface, Touch is more innovative than its competition. It does away with the standard lock screen, replacing it with a more intuitive mechanism which also displays information about calls, texts, tweets and music in the middle of this giant sun-like circle.
The rest of the platform has small variations to what we know today, with Canonical opting to include the now standard notification panel, home screen and app screen. Canonical’s primary agenda is to enable Ubuntu reach a wider market base. Despite the more complete package however, Canonical have struggled to find manufacturers to produce Ubuntu phones, with recent statements indicating that the earliest we’ll see a commercially available phone running the platform is 2015.
This lack of manufacturer support could be attributed to Ubuntu’s ambition of competing with the big boy’s right of the bat. While the competition seems to be targeting gaps in the existing system, Ubuntu aims to challenge it, and while this may be a worthy endeavour, it is also a more difficult one.
Ubuntu’s ambitious Kickstarter project, which aimed to raise a whopping $32 Million for the production of the high end Ubuntu ‘Edge’, to demonstrate its functionality also came up short, raising only $12 Million and seeing the dreams of all those down at Ubuntu pushed back another year.
4. SailFish OS:
Sailfish is a Linux-based mobile operating system developed by Jolla, in corporation with the Mer project and the Sailfish Alliance.
For those not in the know, Jolla is a company formed by ex-Nokia employees involved in its now abandoned MeeGo project and uses open source code from it to provide the framework for the Sailfish platform.
When it comes to design, Sailfish is probably most similar to BlackBerry’s latest BB10. It has no navigation buttons to speak of and is therefore gesture based.
Reviews of the Jolla phone report very fluid interface, and this is one aspect of the platform that has received much praise.
One distinct advantage of the platform is that it is owned by an electronic manufacturer, albeit a small one. This provides a ready pedestal for the system to make itself available to the market, thus bypassing a hurdle that has left many behind. That being said, many doubt that the platform will be able to make its mark unless it demonstrates its ability to work well on higher end devices.
The Sailfish running Jolla smartphone received fairly moderate reviews, and is a positive start for a platform still running its BETA version. Wrapping up, after years of seeing a duopoly in the OS market, it is heartening to see the competition exploiting even the smallest of holes left behind to provide consumers with innovative changes and raise the bar for operating systems across the globe.
While some may fail, the idea that they propagate may well prove to be defining in the evolution of operating systems, and the release of so many competitors this year is exciting to say the least.
Originally published at Chip-Monks.
