“So Mark, what is the difference between Symbian and Windows Mobile phones?”

Hello Everyone,

Regardless of how many times I am asked the above question, I cannot find a succinct and satisfactory answer.  Does such an answer even exist?  I do not know but I can tell you that the following article brilliantly written by CNET’s Rick Broida (May 2, 2008), entitled CNET’s Quick Guide to Handheld Operating Systems, makes me oh so aware of the difference they, the operating systems that is, make in my life. (Smile)

Enjoy,

Mark
CNET’s Quick Guide to Handheld Operating Systems
By Rick Broida (May 2, 2008)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Palm:  Ease of use and solid PIM apps have always been a hallmark of the Palm OS. See what else it has to offer.

Windows Mobile:  Windows Mobile 6 offers more than just a stripped-down version of Microsoft’s Office suite. Multimedia, anyone?

BlackBerry:  Find out why BlackBerrys have earned the CrackBerry nickname and what the future holds for these devices.

Symbian:  Though not as well known as the other OSs, Symbian brings solid productivity tools and versatility to the table.

Which OS is right for you?  Now that you have an overview of each OS, find out which one is best for you and check out some of our top product picks.

When shopping for a new PDA or smartphone, you probably weigh your decision on factors such as the size of the device, its features, and its price. These are important considerations, to be sure, but more importantly what about the operating system, the core software that runs these devices? Most users know the differences between Windows and Macintosh, but what about Palm and BlackBerry? Symbian and Windows Mobile? How do these handheld platforms compare, and should you use them as the basis of your buying decision?

After weeks of poking, prodding, and tapping on screens, we found the answers. We put the BlackBerry 4.3, Palm 5.4, Symbian 9.2, and Windows Mobile 6 operating systems through the wringer, checking their strengths and weakness in areas such as e-mail, multimedia, Microsoft Office compatibility, and ease of use. We looked at the number (and quality) of third-party applications, which can make the devices more like pocket computers than pocket organizers. And we delved into the core applications themselves to see which operating system does the best job managing your contacts, calendars, and other critical info. Read on to see how they compare.
 

PALM

Palm OS 6, code-named Cobalt, has been dead in the water since 2003 with not a single manufacturer, including Palm releasing a device with the updated operating system. All of Palm’s latest models run a variant of Palm OS 5 (version 5.4 in most cases), which is now more than three years old. Fortunately, however, what was good then is good now. Save for a few multimedia shortcomings, the Palm operating system is still solid.
Ease of use

Simplicity has always been a hallmark of the Palm operating system. Although version 5.4 packs in more features than ever, it’s arguably just as easy to operate as the first version. To run a program, tap its icon. To enter data, write onscreen using the character recognition software or tap-type on the virtual keyboard. Everything about the operating system seems logical, intuitive, and uncomplicated.

We particularly admire the way the Palm operating system manages applications. You never have to exit a program the way you do on a PC, you just switch to a different one. And unlike some operating systems (yes, we’re looking at you, Windows Mobile), Palm’s never gets bogged down by multiple memory-hogging applications running simultaneously.

Core applications
Already solid when they debuted back in 1996, the Palm operating system’s core applications have only improved over the years. For instance, you can now attach a photo to a contact, which is a particularly wonderful feature for camera-equipped models like the Palm Treo 650. The Tasks applet has added new buttons for quick sorting by date and category, and it lets you assign alarms to your tasks. In short, Palm’s core applications continue to combine power and simplicity, and we still rank them tops among PDAs.

The Palm Centro highlights some of the hallmarks o the Palm operating system, including ease of use and solid PIM applications.Desktop compatibility

Palm PDAs offer two desktop-synchronization options, Outlook and Palm Desktop. The latter is a fairly robust information manager that has the advantage of being much more novice-friendly than Outlook. It also supplies the tools you need to copy photos and videos to your device; install new programs; and set up your e-mail.

Office compatibility
Though not an inherent part of the Palm operating system, DataViz Documents To Go comes standard on nearly every Palm handheld (the sole exception being the $99 Palm Z22), so we’d be remiss if we didn’t consider it. The program automatically syncs Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents between your Palm and PC while keeping them in their native formats (meaning you can also instantly view documents received as e-mail attachments with no conversion required). You can edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets and compose new ones, though PowerPoint files are read-only. The software also supports PDFs.

E-mail
Palm’s VersaMail program has the enviable ability to fetch e-mail over a variety of connections: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or even desktop synchronization, which relies on your PC’s Internet connection for mail commerce. The applet itself is solid, supporting multiple POP3 and IMAP accounts, embedded images, and virtual private network (VPN) connections.

Multimedia
Although most Palm handhelds offer high-resolution screens and digital-audio capabilities, the Palm operating system isn’t the multimedia juggernaut it could be. For instance, you need third-party software (NormSoft’s Pocket Tunes Deluxe) to play DRM-protected songs, the kind you get from online music and subscription services. Palm bundles Pocket Tunes with most of its handhelds and smartphones, but with the exception of the latest Palm Centro devices, you’ll have to upgrade to the Deluxe version for DRM support.

As for movies, Palm’s Media applet can play them, but only MPEG-1 clips converted by Palm Desktop. For anything else, you’ll need third-party software. In fact, to watch a DVD, you’ll need two programs, a desktop converter and a handheld viewer. And if you want to play TV shows you can do so with the Palm client of SlingPlayer Mobile, provided you have a Slingbox at home.

Third-party applications
In terms of sheer volume, the Palm operating system continues to have an edge when it comes to third-party software. Users can draw from more than 20,000 applications to extend the functionality of their handhelds, a number–though steadily changing–still unmatched by the Windows Mobile platform. This isn’t to say that software available for the Palm platform is better, only that there’s more of it. And more software means more potential functionality.
 

WINDOWS MOBILE

Originally regarded as little more than Microsoft’s answer to Palm, the Windows Mobile (formerly Pocket PC) operating system has come into its own. In February 2007, Microsoft released Windows Mobile 6 and brought a collection of noteworthy improvements, including added functionality to the Calendar and Contacts applications and an e-mail search function. Recently, Windows Mobile 6.1 was announced and with it comes more enhancements to make the devices easier to use.

Ease of use
Windows Mobile is the better contact manager, offering a lot more data fields than the Palm operating system and an easier method of searching large lists. Tapping address-book-like tabs brings you to names starting with those letters. Even if you have 1,000 contacts, you can usually find the one you’re looking for with just two or three taps. Plus, there’s a feature called Smartdial where you input a couple of letters to pull up associated contact. It’s worth noting that all Windows Mobile devices let you record voice memos–a core function of the operating system–but only some Palm models do. The Calendar function on Pocket PCs is on par with Palm’s application, but we’ll just say the latter offers a superior to-do list, if only because it organizes everything more logically.

That said, one of the biggest complaints about Windows Mobile devices is the number of steps it takes to perform a simple task, such as exiting a program. Microsoft added a number of shortcuts with Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Core applications
Over the years, Microsoft has made few changes to the Calendar, Contacts, Notes, and Tasks applets, but Windows Mobile 6 added some nice enhancements to Calendar and Contacts. Though minor, call history is now sorted to the appropriate contact page so you can easily see when you received and made calls to that specific person, the time of the call, the duration, and so forth. The new operating system also now provides a quick Send Text Message shortcut, and 6.1 brings threaded text messaging.

For Outlook users, the Calendar app is also more user-friendly, as the upgrade adds a new Calendar Ribbon at the top of the screen and provides a better view of your schedule at a glance. The calendar functions are even more robust if you are using Exchange Server 2007. With that integration, you can forward and reply to meeting requests and see who is attending a meeting.

Desktop compatibility
The Windows Mobile operating system syncs with Microsoft Outlook and only Microsoft Outlook (though a third-party program called The Missing Sync allows for synchronization with Macintosh systems). The recently updated ActiveSync utility makes this a seamless, nearly instantaneous affair, though Microsoft inexplicably removed a few desirable features, like the option to sync via Wi-Fi.

Office compatibility
With Windows Mobile 5, Microsoft finally added native file support to its Word and Excel applets. Translation: It’s no longer necessary to convert desktop documents to the Mobile format, a process that stripped most of the formatting. And we were happy to finally see the addition of a PowerPoint viewer. Now, with Windows Mobile 6, all devices running the Standard Edition (formerly Smartphone Edition) now have the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite. Whereas Windows Mobile 5 smart phones typically came installed with the Picsel Viewer Suite for opening and viewing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, Windows Mobile 6 brings the real deal so you can not only see said files but also edit them, though the editing capabilities are pretty light.

It still shocks us, however, that Microsoft offers no convenient way to synchronize Word and Excel documents with their desktop counterparts unless you relocate everything to a special folder.

E-mail
E-mail got a big boost in Windows Mobile 5 with the support of direct push technology for real-time e-mail delivery, and all Windows Mobile 6 devices will ship with this functionality out of the box. The latest operating system also brings nine new one-click shortcuts, and you get more of the true Outlook experience as your Inbox view shows messages that are flagged, marked as high importance, and so forth. An e-mail search function similar to the previously mentioned Smartdial feature lets you easily find messages with a couple of clicks.

Finally, there is continued support for POP3 and IMAP accounts, but now you can view e-mails in their original HTML format, regardless of account type. If there happens to be a hyperlink within a message, you can select to go to that page or if a phone number is listed, you can dial out directly from that message as well.

Windows Mobile devices are known for their multimedia prowess; here, we show you how to watch TV on your Windows Mobile handheld.

Multimedia
No other platform can touch Windows Mobile when it comes to multimedia. Right out of the box, it supports DRM-protected music (meaning you can play songs purchased or downloaded from various online services) and TV and movie recordings from Media Center PCs and TiVo boxes. Most recently, Sling Media launched SlingPlayer Mobile for the Windows Mobile operating system, letting you watch TV on your handheld.

Third-party applications
If there’s a function you want your Windows Mobile PDA to perform, chances are good there’s a program that can do it. Sites such as CNET Download.com and Handango are home to thousands of third-party applications and some of the best games you’ll find on any PDA platform. Among the more celebrated Windows Mobile titles are Age of Empires, Quake Mobile, and Myst for Pocket PC.
 

BLACKBERRY

Though things looked a bit shaky for a while, BlackBerry manufacturer, Research In Motion, finally settled its longstanding dispute with NTP Inc. and recently shipped new versions of its Enterprise Server software and, more importantly, its software development kits (SDKs). If we learned anything from the company’s legal mess, was how much people rely on these devices to stay in touch.

Ease of use
The darling of corporate America (and many areas of government) wouldn’t be so universally adored if it was complicated. Although an interface driven entirely by a thumbwheel might seem awkward and slow, users invariably find it easy to learn and quick to operate. Admittedly, the lack of a stylus and a touch screen–staples of other PDAs–slows down certain operations (like hitting a link on a Web page), but the beloved built-in keyboard accelerates others, such as composing e-mail. Ultimately, the BlackBerry interface may not be the most efficient, but it’s certainly one of the easiest to use.

Core applications
The BlackBerry operating system does a better job managing your contacts than managing your calendar. The Address Book applet offers all the amenities you’d expect, plus contact grouping and unsurpassed integration with the phone and messaging applications. To send someone an e-mail, for instance, you simply highlight the person’s name, press the click wheel, and then select “E-mail Joe Smith.” There’s no need to open the contact’s record and navigate extra menus.

The calendar on BlackBerrys is a bit unwieldy by comparison, perhaps due to the awkward process for navigating between different days and views. The Week view is particularly cumbersome, requiring serious “wheeling” to move the cursor from one day to the next. The Calendar applet itself is sufficiently capable, but it suffers under the weight of the wheel-based interface.

RIM also supplies the obligatory memo pad and to-do list, along with an alarm clock, a calculator, a photo viewer, and a password manager–all functional but rudimentary applets.

Desktop compatibility
Like a traditional PDA, a BlackBerry can synchronize with your PC, swapping data with Outlook or Lotus Notes; the bundled Intellisync utility makes this possible. Of course, the BlackBerry operating system also provides robust wireless synchronization, meaning new appointments, contacts, memos, and tasks can be “pushed” from your office to your handheld (and back again), just like e-mail. That gives BlackBerrys a fairly major advantage over PDAs that rely on more-traditional synchronization methods.

Office compatibility
Although the BlackBerry operating system supports the big three Office applications–Word, Excel, and PowerPoint–it limits you to viewing documents. You can’t compose new ones or do any editing, which is surprising given the presence of a perfectly good thumb keyboard. As for PDFs, the operating system can open them as well, but it strips most graphics and formatting in the process, leaving you with little more than text.

They don’t call them CrackBerrys for nothing. The RIM BlackBerry Curve showcases the great e-mail capabilities of these devices.

E-mail
Ever wonder about the origin of the “CrackBerry” nickname? In a word: e-mail. It’s what the devices were born to do, so it should come as no surprise that they excel at it. Ironically, it’s not the e-mail applet itself that’s so addictive (though it deserves kudos for its streamlined efficiency), but rather the “push” method of e-mail delivery. Instead of having to be retrieved manually, new messages just appear like magic on the device. Although Palm and Microsoft have engineered similar systems for their smartphones, BlackBerry remains the undisputed e-mail champ.

Multimedia
Fully cognizant of the BlackBerry’s reputation as a serious business tool, RIM has limited multimedia features on its devices in the past, but that’s all changing now. Starting with the first RIM BlackBerry Pearl, all current devices include built-in media players for playing music and videos, and with the exception of the most business-oriented models, all have integrated cameras, the latest featuring video recording capabilities. While the capabilities of the media player and camera are slightly limited, BlackBerry is certainly making strides on the multimedia front.

Third-party applications
Software developers haven’t shown BlackBerrys the same love that users have. We found only a few hundred third-party applications, a drop in the bucket compared with the thousands available for the Palm, Symbian, and Windows Mobile platforms. The essentials are there–a password manager, a Sudoku game, the popular RepliGo document viewer, and so on–and RIM promises plenty more. But for now, the software pickings remain somewhat slim when compared to the other operating systems.
 

SYMBIAN

The Symbian operating system appears primarily on cell phones and smart phones, and offers a broad array of personal information management (PIM) features, including contact and calendar management and a robust library of third-party applications. Yet because the operating system is usually tailored to individual hardware (in other words, it can look and act differently depending on the phone that’s running it), there are only so many conclusions we can draw.

Ease of use
As we just mentioned, your experience with the Symbian operating system will depend on the phone. For example, on the keyboard-equipped Nokia 9300, we found the Symbian operating system fairly easy to navigate, though it certainly wasn’t as intuitive as, say, the Palm or Windows Mobile systems. On the candy bar-style Nokia 6682 phone, the interface struck us as downright confusing, and data entry was as painfully slow as you’d expect. Overall, we’d say Symbian has the steepest learning curve of all handheld operating systems, but just how steep depends on the hardware.

The Nokia N95 runs Symbian OS and is packed with powerful multimedia and productivity features to suit the needs of the most demanding user.

Office compatibility
The Symbian operating system incorporates full support for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, though again the ability to create and edit these documents or just view them depends on your hardware.

E-mail
When it comes to messaging, Symbian is as versatile as any other platform, it not more so. Out of the box, it supports the usual POP3, IMAP4, and Webmail accounts. If you want something a little more robust, you can choose from several push e-mail solutions, including BlackBerry Connect and Visto. The operating system also supports Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange for maximum compatibility in the corporate world.

Multimedia
The Symbian operating system is pretty adept at multimedia, with integrated support for audio and video playback and recording, though not all those capabilities are realized on the devices themselves. The Nokia 9300, for instance, comes with both an MP3 player and the mobile version of RealPlayer, which enables playback of RealAudio, RealVideo, and MP3 files. But it cannot capture audio or video.

Third-party applications
A recent check of software site Handango revealed more than 5,500 third-party applications for the Symbian operating system–not quite up to Palm and Windows Mobile levels, but far more than you’ll find on other smart phone operating systems. That’s another big point in Symbian’s favor, especially if you’re weighing it against other phones.
 

WHICH HANDHELD OPERATING SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Now you have a general overview of what each operating system has to offer, but you still may be asking yourself, which is right for me? This will largely depend on what types of functionality are important to you. Palm and Windows Mobile handhelds offer mass appeal to general consumers and business users alike with their mix of productivity and entertainment features. For years, these two handheld operating systems have competed fiercely to woo handheld buyers, but now, they’re almost evenly matched in terms of the core applications: an address book, a calendar, a to-do list, and memos. Palm still holds the advantage in PC synchronization as it works with both Mac- and Windows-based computers right out of the box, and the operating system benefits from a large library of third-party applications; however, Windows Mobile is by far the champ of multimedia capabilities.

For e-mail fanatics, the BlackBerrys’ combination of push technology and integrated QWERTY keyboards is hard to beat, and though they’ve generally been more business-centric devices, RIM has made a push to reach more customers with consumer-friendly models and has successfully done so with the RIM BlackBerry Pearl and Curve series. Still, the entertainment features lag a bit behind the rest as does the Web browsing experience. Finally, Symbian might not be the most recognized OS among the group, it offers corporate users powerful productivity and security tools, and the versatility of the OS opens itself up to more general audiences. The only setback has been the limited number of Symbian-based smart phones available in the United States.

Click Here to go to the original article.