Who will prevail in the Battle of the Smartphones?

The common man previously had no way of acquiring high tech devices, with features that were more apt for business users, the high tech toys of the past were simply unnecessary for the man on the street. Thanks to the advancements in technology and the fierce competition though, gadgets and personal computing is fast becoming not only an affordable choice, but a large part of how we go about our daily lives. Take your mobile phone, for example, from the bulky ice-shaver of the 90′s, to your sleek, do it all pocket rocket, technology is becoming more prevalent in our modern, hyper connected lives.

From the first generation smart phones of the early 2000′s that had single touch and stylus needing touch screens that had basic emailing and web surfing functions to today’s social network connected, GPS enable, Wifi ready computing machines, smart phones have become front runners in cutting edge, direct-to-consumer technology. Especially in the last few years we have become used to being able to complete tasks without having to use a desktop or laptop, relying on mobile computing devices to receive and send emails, make changes to presentations or log in to remote networks to complete emergency work orders. Smart phones play a big part in our connected world, offering the convenience of always being connected and with ample computing powers, they have replaced mobile phones, digital cameras, voice recorders and notebooks, offering the functionality of these machines in one tidy package.

Arguably, the two leading and most comparable smart phone operating systems (OS) are the iOS from Apple and the Linux driven, open source Android from Google. Apple took an early lead with the iPhone in 2007, leaving popular phones at that time scrambling after them. The main changes that the Unix-based iOS presented was radical improvements in how smart phones interacted with their users, with responsive, fluid multi-touch screens that was as far away from stylus-clicks as the iPod was from portable CD payers. Basically, the iPhone took a complex system that was seen as business tools and made them user friendly enough to be accepted by everyday users while retaining the versatility and rage of applications that made smart phones smart.

Now, the iOS is being effectively challenged by the Google initiated Android OS. The versatility and advancements of the Android operating systems is in full display with Verizon HTC Android smartphones that offer different models for specific target markets. One of the key differences in the two is Android’s support of Flash technology, a widely used video streaming software from Adobe. With its membership to the Open Handset Alliance, the Android OS plays a big bard in establishing open standards for mobile devices with the alliance counting leading companies and suppliers as members.