White Paper On Mobile Oss And Efforts Towards Open Standards

Submitted By Sudeep-Mande
Words: 2508
Pages: 11

White paper on
Mobile OS and efforts towards open standards
By Dotcom Infoway

White paper on
Mobile OS and efforts towards open standards
S.No Table of Contents
1

Executive Summary

2

Smart phone OS

3

Types of Mobile OS models

4

Battle for Market share

5

Smart OS and Open Standards

6

Support for Third-party development

7

Conclusion

8

References & Glossary

Executive Summary:
This paper provides an overview of Smartphone platforms standards and a discussion on development efforts and the future of open standards.
Mobile phones are emerging from mere communicative devices to a software-intensive devices like
PCs and almost every manufacturer have stepped up to focus on creating more innovative mobile operating platforms. The conclusive success of a platform entirely depends on its adaptability to the third-party apps and ultimately, it constructs the global market. In the recent years, since the launch of the Smartphone ,it has proved itself to be an end-to-end mobile communication solution for the global mobile users. Now, with the introduction of the various Mobile operating systems, the major Smart phone companies are creating a monopoly of securing the information system. They drive the openstandard users and mobile phone operators to receive custom content, which are not common carrier functions and are delivered to users as a closed set or exclusive set of information services.

Smartphone OS:
The ‘Smartphone market’ has very specific requirements that make it different from the markets for
PCs and other mobile phones. Scaling down a PC-OS and to have communication capabilities within a small and basic OS, ends in various fundamental compromises. The characteristics that build smartphone markets is unique and calls for a comprehensively designed OS.
a.

Smartphones are small & handy:

Mobile phones are both small and, by definition, mobile. The mobile phone usage environment requires them to be able to have enough battery capacity to support long talk time without need to change them frequently. These expectations make considerable demand on power management. Also the devices need to be responsive in all situations, and cannot afford to go through a long boot sequence when it is turned on. In fact, the device should never be powered down completely since it needs to activate timed alarms or handle incoming calls. At the same time, a mobile phone must provide many hours of operation on a single charge or a set of batteries. Meeting these contradictory requirements can only be done ifthe whole OS is designed for efficiency.
b.

Multiple, Frequent and continuous connectivity
Smartphones are occasionally connected
-

To the wireless phone network locally

-

To other devices

-

To their own applications etc.

Accessing a particular data, managing Emails using an internal-client or synchronization needs vatious types of connection. Mobility difficulties usually make a wireless connection preferablewhether mobile network or personal area (e.g. infrared, Bluetooth). Wireless connectivity is, sometimes patchy, with number of protocols worldwide & fade-outs, while roaming in poor coverage area. Those kind of connectivity environment requires that operating system should be able to maintain connection by integrating utilities to manage dropped connections, gracefully and inform the user, immediately.
c. Products diversity
Smartphones have evolved from traditional cellular phones with main input via the keypad, to a candybar or tablet form factor phones, operated with a styli, larger screens and small keyboards. The changing input mechanisms and form factors sizably influence the intended primary use of mobile deveices and hence, OS design.
d. Open platform
The platform has to be open enough to accommodate independent third party technology and should make ways to software vendors to develop third-party applications. So as to reduce the time-to-market,
OS should provide the developers, the support of standards