The document discusses several mobile operating systems including Palm OS, Symbian OS, Pocket PC, Linux OS, Windows Mobile, MXI, and Android. It provides overview information on each OS, such as Palm OS focusing on personal information management, Symbian OS being used in 85% of phones, Pocket PC leveraging Microsoft desktop apps, Linux being used in higher-end phones, and Android being an open source platform used widely in phones and tablets. Key advantages of mobile OSs are noted as portability while disadvantages include limited memory, slow processors, and small screens.

2.  A program that acts as an intermediary between
a user of a computer and the computer hardware
 Operating system goals:
o Execute user programs and make solving user
problems easier.
o Make the computer system convenient to use
 Use the computer hardware in an efficient
manner.

3.  Since handheld operating systems are designed to run on machines
that have lower speed processors and less memory, they were
designed to use less memory and require fewer resources.
 Handheld operating systems are also designed to work with
different types of hardware than standard desktop operating
systems. This is because the power requirements for standard
CPU's and memory far exceed the power that handheld devices.
 Handheld devices aren't able to dissipate the large amounts of heat
generated by standard CPU's either. To deal with this, companies
such as Intel and Motorolla have designed smaller CPU's with
lower power requirements and lower heat generation. Many
handheld devices rely on flash memory cards for their internal
memory as large hard drives could not fit into handheld devices.

4.  Since the development of handheld computers in the 1990's, the
demand for software to operate and run on these devices has
increased.
 Three major competitors have emerged in the handheld PC world
with three different operating systems for these handheld PC's.
 One of the first of these three companies was the Palm
Corporation with their PalmOS.
 Microsoft also released what was originally referred to as
Windows CE. Microsoft's recently released operating systems for
the handheld PC are now under the name of PocketPC.
 More recently, a few companies producing handheld PC's have
now started offering a handheld version of the Linux operating
system on their machines. In this paper, I intend to analyze these
three operating systems on the following criteria: standard
applications, file system, cost, availability, and ease of use to try to
determine the best operating system.

5.  Palm OS
 Pocket PC
 Symbian OS
 Linux OS
 Windows
 Android

6.  Palm OS
 Since the introduction of the first Palm Pilot in 1996, the
Palm OS platform has provided mobile devices with
essential business tools, as well as capability to access
the Internet or a central corporate database via a
wireless connection.
 Palm devices have traditionally concentrated on
providing basic personal-information-management
applications. The latest Palm products, however, have
progressed way beyond that, packing in more storage,
expansion capabilities, the wireless Internet and even
digital cameras.

7.  Symbian OS
 The Symbian OS was waning in popularity until it
received massive jolts from Nokia and Sony Ericsson.
Now it's one of the dark horses in this intriguing
handheld OS race.
 Symbian OS has become a standard operating system
for smartphones, and is licensed by more than 85
percent of the world's handset manufacturers. The
Symbian OS is designed for the specific requirements of
2.5G and 3G mobile phones

8.  Pocket PC
 Microsoft's advantage is its dominance as a desktop
operating system. Pocket PC handhelds leverage off this
by packing in familiar applications such as Pocket
Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Internet Explorer.

9.  Linux OS
 The first company to launch phones with Linux as its
OS was Motorola in 2003. Linux is seen as a suitable
option for higher-end phones with powerful processors
and larger amounts of memory.
 The operating system (OS) relays instructions from an
application to, for instance, the computer's processor.
The processor performs the instructed task, then sends
the results back to the application via the operating
system

10.  Windows Mobile
 The Windows Mobile platform is available on a variety
of devices from a variety of wireless operators. You will
find Windows Mobile software on Dell, HP, Motorola,
Palm and i-mate products. Windows Mobile powered
devices are available on GSM or CDMA networks.

11.  MXI
 MXI is a universal mobile operating system that allows
existing full-fledged desktop and mobile applications
written for Windows, Linux, Java, Palm be enabled
immediately on mobile devices without any
redevelopment. MXI allows for interoperability between
various platforms, networks, software and hardware
components.

12.  Android
 Android is the world's most popular operating system for mobile
devices and tablets. It is an open source operating system, created
by Google, and available to all kinds of developers with various
expertise levels, ranging from rookie to professional.
 From a developer's perspective, Android is a Linux-based
operating system for smartphones and tablets. It includes a touch
screen user interface, widgets, camera, network data monitoring
and all the other features that enable a cell phone to be called a
smartphone. Android is a platform that supports various
applications, available through the Android Play Store. The
Android platform also allows end users to develop, install and use
their own applications on top of the Android framework. The
Android framework is licensed under the Apache License, with
Android application developers holding the right to distribute their
applications under their customized license

13.  Advantage
 Portability
 Price
 Disadvantage
 Limited Memory
 Slow processors
 Small display screen
 Smaller Keyboards

14.  For developers the operating system is an ultimate
platform to develop apps innovatively and publish
in market very easily. Not only in mobile phones,
the OS is diverging in various fields like Tabs,
Smart TVs and Cameras etc.
 A mobile OS should be a result of factors like user
experience, battery life, cloud readiness, security
and openness. A successful mobile OS is a result of
a design between software and hardware together.