iPhone OS vs Android vs Blackberry OS vs Palm OS

Posted on July 14, 2010 at 5:06 am

2010 has been a great year for smartphones. With Verizon and AT&T raging subliminal war, Android slowly but surely gaining ground in the smartphone ranks, and the release of Apple’s newest iPhone 4, there has been much to talk about.

However, all of these new smartphone releases, firmware updates, and mobile OS progressions can make it difficult to decide which phone is best for you. Here, we will review the four most popular smartphone platforms: iPhone OS, Android, Blackberry OS, and Palm OS.

Google Android Mobile

Whether you are deciding on which smartphone to get next, what to upgrade to, or even trying to figure out whether to make the jump into the future from a normal cell phone to a smartphone, chances are good that you will be choosing between iPhone, Blackberry, Droid (Android Phones), or Palm.

Chances are also good that you are tied down to a carrier and under contract. If that’s the case, your choices will be a bit different, depending on which carrier you use, for example, Verizon and Sprint.

So, for this review, we will be comparing mobile smartphone operating systems, which to say the least, are quite similar to each other no matter which phone you go with. For example, using the Motorola Droid or the Motorola Droid X are different, but they are both Android based with a lot of the same features.

Droid Does

iPhone 4/iPhone OS 4

The Apple iPhone has been the traditional ruler of the smartphone world. Not only that, but the iPhone boasts the best, or better put, most wide selection of apps. iPhone apps are purchased or downloaded from the appstore.

Most iPhone users will tell you that there are not many flaws of the iPhone. These people remain loyal to the iPhone and recommend it highly. However, an unbiased opinion would tell you otherwise. The iPhone does lack some features that other smartphones capitalize on. Some of them are:

  • No Flash Support (Safari Mobile)
  • Poor Antenna Placement for Reception (iPhone 4)
  • Somewhat poor network, depending on where you live (ATT)
  • Stricter App Development Standards (for developers)
  • More of a Closed App Development Process (vs. Android)

Still, the iPhone is a hot selling phone, and for good reason. No smartphone is perfect, and all other major mobile OSs have their flaws as well, which we will get to later on. Even so, Apple’s iPhone is popular for a reason. The interface is classic Apple, easy to navigate, consumer friendly, and simplistic. Apple’s latest iPhone 4 even gives you the capability of multi tasking, and a feature called “Face Time” which allows you to chat with other iPhone 4 users, in an iChat style manner.

Apple's iPhone 4

If you are on the market for a new phone, and ATT wireless features good coverage in your area, the iPhone 4 may very well be your best choice.

Android

Drooooid, is the popular catch slogan of the futuristic Android/Verizon TV commercials. Although Android phones have been available for some time now, they are only starting to gain massive popularity as of Q4 2009 – now, and for good reason. However, do they live up to the hype. Just like the iPhone, Android based phones are not perfect. Here are some reasons why:

  • What’s a smartphone without the apps? Like a car without an engine? Although Android marketplace is ever growing and gaining momentum quickly, it still has yet to offer the selection and range of the iPhone appstore.
  • The games and game selection available in the Android Marketplace is mediocre.
  • Different versions of Android that will come with your phone, such as Moto Blur or HTC Sense, can be preferable… or not so preferable.
  • Because Android OS is open to all developers (such as LG, HTC, Motorola, etc), different phones have different levels of quality. Not really a con, but the iPhone 4 will dominate a slower, less capable Android phone.
  • Different developers have different bugs. For example, if you were to purchase the backordered and ever popular Android Incredible phone, you will find that there is a bug that saves copies of the web pages that you visit to the cache. This cache can be cleared, but you must do it manually. This bug can only be fixed with an update from HTC, will they release one?

That being said, Android phone pros really do outweigh the cons. Android OS is open source, workable, developable, and growing quickly. What does this mean for Droid phone buyers? Better apps coming, better marketplace coming, better software coming. Android phones can be purchased no matter which carrier you are using, so the availability is there. The built in Google navigation and maps feature is top notch as well.

Android Incredible

If you are in the market for a new smartphone and considering an Android based phone, congrats, because there is not much that Android cannot do, but here’s some quick buying advice:

  • Get a good Android phone. Not that there are a lot of bad ones out there, but the Android Incredible, is much more “incredible” than a basic Android phone such as the LG Ally.

That’s all for part one. We’ve already covered the two most hyped mobile smartphone operating systems. However, Blackberry and Palm may just have some tricks up their sleeves. Don’t count them out yet. Check back for part two.

» Filed Under Smartphones

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3 Responses to “iPhone OS vs Android vs Blackberry OS vs Palm OS”

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  1. iPhone OS vs Android vs Blackberry OS vs Palm OS – Part II Says:

    [...] in our iPhone vs. Droid vs. BlackBerry vs. Palm series, we covered iPhone OS and Android OS. Here, we will cover the mobile smartphone operating system [...]

    July 15th, 2010 at 5:04 am
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  2. iPhone OS vs Android vs Blackberry OS vs Palm OS – Part III Says:

    [...] three of our smartphone OS review series will cover Palm OS. Previously we covered the iPhone OS/Droid OS and the BlackBerry OS. Here, we will also provide additional buying advice for people trying to [...]

    July 16th, 2010 at 5:10 am
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  3. Unlocking/Jailbreaking a Cell Phone Explained Says:

    [...] As you may already know, smartphones are capable of much more than traditional cell phones. Why? Because smartphones run more complex operating systems. For example, iPhone OS, Android OS, Palm OS, and Blackberry OS. [...]

    August 3rd, 2010 at 6:24 am
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