CTIA Wireless 2010 Scorecard: Mobile operating systems

Whose profile is rising? Android

With rivals like Apple, Research In Motion, BlackBerry and Palm below the radar or even non-existent at CTIA Wireless 2010, the stage was set for Google's open-source Android operating system to dominate headlines, and a series of new smartphones from a variety of competing manufacturers made good on the opportunity. Perhaps no Android device attracted more attention than HTC's forthcoming Evo, Sprint's first 3G/4G handset. Running on Android 2.1 and boasting an 8-megapixel camera on the back, a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front, HD video capture, HTC's Sense UI, Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, support for Adobe's Flash technology and a massive 4.3-inch touchscreen display, the Evo even inspired Sprint's Kevin Packingham to boast that the WiMAX-powered smartphone beats the "subpar network" of Verizon Wireless' rival Motorola Droid.

Speaking of Motorola, the manufacturer launched its first push-to-talk Android phone, the i1 for iDEN networks. The device, which had been rumored for months, also features a 3.1-inch touchscreen, WiFi, the Opera 5 browser and a 5-megapixel camera. Long-dormant Kyocera also returned to the smartphone arena with its first Android release, the Zio M6000--the EVDO Rev. A device runs Android 1.6 and features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, WiFi, trackball, 3.2-megapixel camera and 32 GB microSD slot. And Dell also touted its first Android smartphone, the Aero, which AT&T will release later this year.

Given the growing number of Android devices running different versions of the OS, fragmentation fears were a hot topic heading into the CTIA show. But insiders suggest Google is taking proactive steps to solve the fragmentation dilemma: Citing off-the-record discussions with sources "whose words carry weight," Engadget reports that over the course of the forthcoming Froyo and Gingerbread updates, Google will begin decoupling some standard applications and components from the Android platform's core and make them downloadable and updatable through Android Market--meaning consumers must no longer wait for manufacturer firmware updates or operator approval when Google or its developer partners revamp their software. In addition, Engadget reports the breakneck pace of Android's evolution is slowing down as the platform matures, translating to fewer updates in the pipeline. Once Google is comfortable with Android's core feature set, it can begin to emphasize a stable, more standardized developer environment, or so the thinking goes. Here's hoping the reports are true--if fragmentation remains a hot-button topic heading into this September's CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment event in San Francisco, Android might find its profile plummeting instead of ascending.

Whose profile is falling? Windows Phone 7

Just a few weeks ago, Microsoft's fledgling Windows Phone 7 was the toast of the 2010 Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain--following only four months after the much-criticized Windows Mobile 6.5, and promising an experience distinguished by a more user-friendly design as well as close integration with applications and the Web, the new OS was greeted with positive reviews from media and analysts who praised its innovative UI. But the buzz on Windows Phone 7 was almost non-existent at CTIA Wireless 2010, reflecting growing concern and confusion over the software giant's mobile direction.

Outside of demonstrating some forthcoming Windows Phone 7 handsets, Microsoft kept a low profile at CTIA, in part because the event followed a week after the company's own MIX10 conference. But several developers complained the MIX conference also yielded little new information, while others said they feel stranded in limbo after Microsoft announced earlier this month that existing Windows Mobile applications will not run on Windows Phone 7. "Windows Phone 7 Series is different because we reset everything we were doing to focus on end user experience. This extends directly to the developer platform," Windows Phone Application Platform and Developer Experience Program Manager Charlie Kindel wrote on his Windows Phone Development blog to explain the decision. "To enable the fantastic user experiences you've seen in the Windows Phone 7 Series demos so far we've had to break from the past. To deliver what developers expect in the developer platform we've had to change how phone apps were written."

Other developers are chafing against Microsoft's decision to limit Windows Phone 7 development almost exclusively to managed code--applications can be written in two frameworks, one based on Silverlight (Microsoft's cross-platform .NET environment rivaling Adobe Flash and Adobe Air) and the other based on its XNA gaming platform. Open-source software development initiative Mozilla said it will cease work on optimizing its Mozilla Web browser for the Windows Mobile platform, citing Microsoft's decision to close off native application development for Windows Phone 7. According to Mozilla, it believes Windows Phone 7 will succeed in the marketplace, but feels it has no choice to halt its efforts. "We're hopeful Microsoft will change its mind, but I don't have high confidence they'll open up soon," said Mozilla Vice President of Mobile Jay Sullivan. "They seem serious about pushing people to do Silverlight and XNA instead."