Windows Mobile
Microsoft's attempt at making Windows Mobile entertaining has been half-hearted. However, while its tricky to be successful on the platform, there are an increasing number of applications and WinMo overlays that will let your Windows Phone do whatever you want it to do without crashing. When it comes to productivity and scheduling apps, Windows Mobile is still the champion. With the new Marketplace open for developers, it looks like finding WinMo apps that are fully compatible with your device will become an integral part of the Windows Phone experience. Then, finally, we'll see some real competition from Microsoft in the smartphone market.
Android OS
An increasing number of well-known Windows Mobile applications are appearing for Android OS, and it wouldn't be surprising to find developers giving priority to Android development at some point. Carriers and manufacturers alike are increasingly embracing the platform, which eventually will lead to a large audience craving third-party applications. When looking at the purpose and possibility of the platform, there's no doubt in our mind that Android OS could become the number one platform to consider when it comes to applications in 2010. Additionally, Android Phones will also allow robust support for traditional mobile content the way only Symbian S60 can do.
Symbian S60
While Symbian UIQ tried and failed to offer a touch-based platform, Symbian S60 avoided touch entirely up until just recently. Since finger-based touch applications are all the rage, Symbian S60 is clearly missing some opportunities right now. While both native and Web applications for non-touchscreen phones are many, there are few truly optimized options available for those who are currently buying Symbian S60 5th Edition touch phones. Still, if audio and video streaming or gaming is of importance, Symbian S60 is a strong contender nevertheless. With Nokia's admittedly problematic launch of the Ovi Store on their high-end Symbian S60 devices, Symbian developers will finally get a new channel for pushing their apps to consumers.
iPhone OS
Apple has succeeded with iPhone OS on the iPhone and iPod touch, but the company still holds a tiny market share when it comes to generating revenues from mobile content. On a global scale measured in pure revenues you would find S40-based Nokia handsets performing better. However, by keeping a low number of models available on the market, it's potentially easier for developers to write applications that actually work as intended, without worrying about compatibility. Perhaps the biggest question is whether the company will be able to pull off multi-tasking without hurting the user experience too much, if not for third-party applications' sake, then for all the goodies that Apple has crammed into the platform itself.
Palm WebOS and BlackBerry OS
It's difficult to say what platform is better than the other as far as applications are concerned. BlackBerry phones offer a healthy catalog of Java applications, while Palm WebOS gives Sprint subscribers a small taste of the future of Palm devices. In sheer numbers, Palm WebOS has the potential of getting the largest amount of applications of all platforms out there, since the company basically wants every Website out there to offer content through one or more WebOS apps. Think Amazon MP3 store with built-in streaming via Verizon's upcoming LTE network. But right now, neither can match the aforementioned platforms.
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