12 April 2011

Miscellaneous

When You Think of Smartphones, Does Your Head Explode?

When did choosing a mobile phone become so complicated, all that used to matter was which phone had the newest version of the addictive game Snake.

Are you in the process of purchasing a new phone? Are you stuck for choice? In the news recently there have been stories circulating about Android overtaking Apple as the number one operating system developer in the UK. 

So if your contract is up and you are about to choose a new phone, which smartphone should you pick?

Well, it all boils down to Operating Systems. What's that I hear you say, an Operating System or OS is the software that a mobile phone runs; they are similar to computer Operating Systems just simpler.

By 2016 Ovum predicts the following results; Android will take a 38% market share of smartphone shipments, followed by Apple's iOS (17.5%), Windows Phone (17.2%) and RIM's BlackBerry OS (16.5%). Over the past few years smartphones have made the industry much more competitive. 

Let's start with the two most innovative brands Apple and Android.

Apple and Google have been at loggerheads ever since the dawn of the smartphone and it's still a highly contested fight. HTC are the main subscribers to the Android OS, right now they are game leaders with their smart designs and ease of use for their customers.

Then there is the pretty iPhone, the game changer - Apple's iOS changed the way we use phones forever, put simply - if you want the original smartphone then it should be a no brainer, it's the iPhone.

The iPhone does come with its own problems though. Firstly the price is huge, when compared to the range of Android phones all of which are cheaper than it's Apple competitor. The strictness of Apple can sometimes become tedious and there is usually a complication when a new model or iOS goes on the market. On the other hand Android allow their customers to truly make their phone their own by allowing every part of the OS to be uniquely customised. 

But there is a phone manufacturer that has always been low key; RIM's BlackBerry smartphone has gone through a boom in sales over the past 24 months. Not to mention President Obama is a big fan of them.

Originally just a portable emailing system, in 2007 BlackBerry brought out the Curve, followed by the Bold in 2008, up to now they have been a resounding success. BlackBerry's have been a big hit for businessmen and women globally because the quality of the email service is excellent, but now they are also becoming popular in younger age groups due to BlackBerry's BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) service, which enables BlackBerry users to instant message each other for free.

BlackBerry's have a simplicity about them, they do not come with all the bells and whistles that other smartphones come with, this means that they are a lot more reliable over the course of your contract than other phones.

Finally, the overshadowed Windows Phone or Windows Mobile platform, we are yet to see its full potential. In the past six months Microsoft have collaborated with the phone giant Nokia in a bid to boost their market, as of yet no phone has been released. However, Microsoft and their OS do find themselves in some HTC, Samsung and LG phones, so they are beginning to make a dint in the phone market.

Which phone you choose is ultimately personal preference, there is no right answer.

Apple and Android are making huge forward strides in mobile technology, but the smaller market holders should still be considered.

All I do know is it's more than just which phone has an addictive game nowadays.