HANDHELD OPERTING SYSTEM

What is operating system

A program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the computer hardware

Operating system goals:o Execute user programs and make solving

user problems easier.o Make the computer system convenient to

use Use the computer hardware in an efficient

manner.

How are Handheld Operating Systems Different from Desktop

Operating Systems? Since handheld operating systems are designed to run on machines

that have lower speed processors and less memory, they were designed to use less memory and require fewer resources.

Handheld operating systems are also designed to work with different types of hardware than standard desktop operating systems. This is because the power requirements for standard CPU's and memory far exceed the power that handheld devices.

Handheld devices aren't able to dissipate the large amounts of heat generated by standard CPU's either. To deal with this, companies such as Intel and Motorolla have designed smaller CPU's with lower power requirements and lower heat generation. Many handheld devices rely on flash memory cards for their internal memory as large hard drives could not fit into handheld devices.

Introduction to Handheld operating Systems

Since the development of handheld computers in the 1990's, the demand for software to operate and run on these devices has increased.

Three major competitors have emerged in the handheld PC world with three different operating systems for these handheld PC's.

One of the first of these three companies was the Palm Corporation with their PalmOS.

Microsoft also released what was originally referred to as Windows CE. Microsoft's recently released operating systems for the handheld PC are now under the name of PocketPC.

More recently, a few companies producing handheld PC's have now started offering a handheld version of the Linux operating system on their machines. In this paper, I intend to analyze these three operating systems on the following criteria: standard applications, file system, cost, availability, and ease of use to try to determine the best operating system.

Types of handheld OS

Palm OS Pocket PC Symbian OS Linux OS Windows Android

Palm OS

Palm OS Since the introduction of the first Palm Pilot in 1996, the

Palm OS platform has provided mobile devices with essential business tools, as well as capability to access the Internet or a central corporate database via a wireless connection.

Palm devices have traditionally concentrated on providing basic personal-information-management applications. The latest Palm products, however, have progressed way beyond that, packing in more storage, expansion capabilities, the wireless Internet and even digital cameras.

Symbian OS

Symbian OS The Symbian OS was waning in popularity until it

received massive jolts from Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Now it's one of the dark horses in this intriguing handheld OS race.

Symbian OS has become a standard operating system for smartphones, and is licensed by more than 85 percent of the world's handset manufacturers. The Symbian OS is designed for the specific requirements of 2.5G and 3G mobile phones

Pocket PC

Pocket PC Microsoft's advantage is its dominance as a desktop

operating system. Pocket PC handhelds leverage off this by packing in familiar applications such as Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Internet Explorer.

Linux OS

Linux OS The first company to launch phones with Linux as its

OS was Motorola in 2003. Linux is seen as a suitable option for higher-end phones with powerful processors and larger amounts of memory.

The operating system (OS) relays instructions from an application to, for instance, the computer's processor. The processor performs the instructed task, then sends the results back to the application via the operating system

Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile The Windows Mobile platform is available on a variety

of devices from a variety of wireless operators. You will find Windows Mobile software on Dell, HP, Motorola, Palm and i-mate products. Windows Mobile powered devices are available on GSM or CDMA networks.

MXI

MXI MXI is a universal mobile operating system that allows

existing full-fledged desktop and mobile applications written for Windows, Linux, Java, Palm be enabled immediately on mobile devices without any redevelopment. MXI allows for interoperability between various platforms, networks, software and hardware components.

Android

Android Android is the world's most popular operating system for mobile devices

and tablets. It is an open source operating system, created by Google, and available to all kinds of developers with various expertise levels, ranging from rookie to professional.

From a developer's perspective, Android is a Linux-based operating system for smartphones and tablets. It includes a touch screen user interface, widgets, camera, network data monitoring and all the other features that enable a cell phone to be called a smartphone. Android is a platform that supports various applications, available through the Android Play Store. The Android platform also allows end users to develop, install and use their own applications on top of the Android framework. The Android framework is licensed under the Apache License, with Android application developers holding the right to distribute their applications under their customized license

Why Handheld Systems

Advantage Portability Price

Disadvantage Limited Memory Slow processors Small display screen Smaller Keyboards

Conclusion

For developers the operating system is an ultimate platform to develop apps innovatively and publish in market very easily. Not only in mobile phones, the OS is diverging in various fields like Tabs, Smart TVs and Cameras etc.

A mobile OS should be a result of factors like user experience, battery life, cloud readiness, security and openness. A successful mobile OS is a result of a design between software and hardware together.