A report suggests that basic mobile phone sales are slumping, while Smartphone sales are surging. The Smartphones are miniature form of your PCs where you can access your mails while on the go, reply them, forward them and can do many other business oriented tasks. Like PCs, they are also powered by an operating system.

The Smartphones run on operating system that are called Mobile operating system. Primarily mobile operating system segment is dominated by Symbian, RIM BlackBerry operating system and Windows Mobile. But, this is not all. Users have Apple iphone operating system, Google Android and much hyped Palm web operating system.

In such a jammed scenario, do you think there is a scope for any new contender?Do you feel that already crowded segment has the scope to assimilate the other new entrants arriving in, when all of them are on the track to gain popularity.

 Which new operating system will have the clout to fight back the booming Apple iPhone operating system and Google Android, which itself undergoes innovation on a more frequent basis?

Indeed, the arrival of Palm web operating system was a breather and touted as savior for beleaguered firm, Palm. The reviews tag it as the promising operating system against the obsolete Palm Operating system that it replaces. It really boasts of some innovative features, which users will definitely want to get replicated in their favorite ones.

The feature is a comparison among all the existing operating systems from a layman’s perspective.

Arriving at the top of the list is Apple iPhone 3G operating system, which is a mobile avatar of Mac OS X. It has been redesigned to fit in the pocket size device. It enhances the experience with its multi touch capabilities and leaves you enthralled and totally taken away by its charisma against the other menu driven competitors.

Though it lacks the multi tasking capabilities, the operating system looks really smart. It has everything so perfect (leave basic documenting capabilities and others) with it starting from the typography to the smooth animation effects and rich user experience. Above all the navigation features offered by Safari browser serve the purpose. It makes those sites navigable on the phone, which are otherwise considered as inapt for mobile viewing.

With good top of the line features integrated in it, the operating system lacks certain functionalities at its core.

Coming next on the discussion is Google Android. It is an open source initiative by Google to link many platforms and innovations on one. The reviews tag its interface as mashed up version of iPhone and BlackBerry. It also brings with it the touch capabilities; you can also vouch on its trackball and Menu, Home, and Back buttons. It is highly customizable and allows you to configure various short cuts along with permissible downloads of many widgets.

For apps, it closely knits all Google services like Gmail and Google Calendar. Leaving multi touch capabilities, it closely rivals Apple iPhone operating system.

Nice operating system in progress, which can be offered a shot but less creative and graceful than either iPhone operating system or WebOS.

No mobile operating systems discussion can be concluded without sparing time for Microsoft Windows Mobile. The operating system is endorsed by biggies in the segment like HTC, Motorola, Palm, and Samsung. It can be defined as pocket size version for full fledged desktop operating system. However, the operating system is not as inventive and intuitive as iPhone. The documenting apps are not bad but still, needs some boost to make its presence felt as in Desktop operating systems. More is expected from it and the wishes are not expected to get fulfilled by September, till the new version arrives.

The mobile version needs to gear up in its offerings against the others in the market.

Next coming in the line is Nokia Symbian mobile operating system. The newest version promises more entertainment features and new interface. The newest version is tagged as an attempt to serve the old wine in new bottle. It retains old-fashioned scrollbars. The disappointing features are many as compared to its decent offerings. Starting with icons, typography, and other interface details, the operating system lacks refinement.

The hottest in the discussion is Palm WebOS. The interface is responsive and touch enabled. It offers users multitouch input to resize Web pages and photos and is close competitor to iPhone with its aesthetic splendor and elegant interface.

The operating system’s “Synergy Feature” is a show stealer as it combines information from varies sources and enables the e-mail application to indicate whether a contact is online at the moment for a chat via instant messaging. The operating system lacks support of applications. With its ability to handle the multi tasking, the operating system for sure enjoys the upper edge.

Next in the line is most hyped and used Smartphone operating system, RIM BlackBerry. It has many stalwarts in its line of products including Curve, Pearl, 8800, Bold and Storm. The touch interface is as good as the menu driven with QWERTY keyboard.

The ability to push mails, reliable real-time connectivity with widely used messaging systems such as Microsoft Exchange; it clearly defines the style for many corporate users. The operating system is an old player but one which keeps on constant improvisation to shed off the competition.

Renu Singh/ITVoir Network