As of July 15, 2010, over half of all Android users are on version 2.1 of the mobile OS.

Unless you’re an Android developer deciding your next strategic programming move, chances are your brain isn’t attuned to the distribution of operating systems among all Android smartphone owners.

However, Google’s periodic pie charts and stacked line graphs reveal some interesting data nuggets, at least for Android fanatics.

According to data collected from July 1 to July 15, just about 60 percent of all Android smartphone owners are running version 2.0 of the Android operating system or higher, with 55 percent of the data set concentrated on version 2.1. (We’ll go out on a limb to guess that of that number, 100 percent of those 2.1 users are hotly anticipating getting the 2.2 over-the-air update.)

Compare this OS 2.1 figure to the merely 3.3 percent of Android users who have already received the version 2.2 OS update, and the 40 percent still stuck in pre-2.0 limbo on older or midrange devices.

What really stands out when you flipping the statistic along the pre- and post- 2.0 OS line is that 40 percent of users running OS 1.5 and 1.6 are missing out on key Android features, including pinch-to-zoom, universal voice search, and a much more powerful Google Maps app with personalized search suggestions.

The figures will certainly soon shift again as more 2.1 phones migrate from “Eclair” to “Froyo” (2.2), but even then, the number of users running version 2.0 and above will still remain just over half until the next waves of Android phones on the latest OS begin to saturate the market, replacing older phones mired in older OS versions.

CNET

The HTC EVO 4G, unveiled at the CTIA Wireless exhibition this week, sure has a feature-list fit for a king. The phone boasts a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen with HDMI output, dual front- and back-facing cameras, and a superspeedy 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Oh yeah — and there’s that whole 4G thing, too.

Hang on, though: Wasn’t the Android throne just overtaken a couple months ago? Google’s Nexus One, after all, was widely seen as stealing the top spot from Motorola’s once-dominant Droid. (That’s speaking primarily from a specs perspective; the sales figuresactually paint a different picture.)

So with the HTC EVO 4G almost in the wild, is the Nexus One doomed to become a has-been? Consider these comparisons and decide for yourself.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The Display

It’s hard to miss all the gushing over the HTC EVO 4G’s display, and there’s a reason for the excitement: The phone has one sweet screen, and you don’t have to be an Android fanboy to see that. The EVO 4G’s 4.3-inch display beats the Nexus One’s 3.7-inch offering (whichbeat practically everything else back when it debuted). Both devices feature the same WVGA resolution: 800-by-480.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The Data Network

Sprint’s biggest selling point with the HTC EVO 4G is all about those final two characters. A 4G data connection, according to Sprint, brings you download speeds as much as 10 times faster than what you’d get on a flimsy old 3G alternative.

But — and this is a big but (you’re welcome, Sir Mix-a-Lot) — you won’t be able to get those tasty 4G connections in much of the country. So far, Sprint’s 4G network is available only in 27 U.S. cities. The carrier has plans to expand to a handful of other major markets later this year, but that still leaves everyone else with that aforementioned flimsy old 3G.

Plus, the EVO 4G will be available only on Sprint — so if you’re in an area where network coverage is spotty, you’ll be out of luck. The Nexus One, on the other hand, will soon be available on all major carriers, giving you greater choice in the data-providing department.

Which phone wins this category, then, truly depends on where you are and how the carriers’ coverage compares for your specific area.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The Hardware

The HTC EVO 4G is powered by the same chip as the Nexus — that snazzy-sounding 1GHz Snapdragon processor — so there’s a virtual tie in that department.

When it comes to cameras, the HTC EVO 4G is victorious: Its back has an 8-megapixel camera and its front features a 1.3-megapixel one. The Nexus One, in comparison, has a single 5-megapixel photo-snapper.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The Body

The HTC EVO 4G is slightly larger than its Google-endorsed cousin (4.8-by-2.6-by-0.5 inches, compared to 4.69-by-2.35-by-0.45 inches). It’s about 1.4 ounces heavier, too.

A deal-breaker? Unless you’re Thumbelina, probably not.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The OS

Both the HTC EVO 4G and the Nexus One are running Android 2.1 (eclair), the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. Despite the matching versions, however, the user experience will be quite different on the two phones.

The reason is that the HTC EVO 4G runs HTC’s Senseuser interface, while the Nexus One uses the stock Android interface. The Sense interface gives Android an entirely different look, with specialized home screen widgets and custom navigation tools. As far as which is better, it’s really just a matter of personal preference.

One area where the Nexus One’s setup will have a distinct advantage, though, is in future Android upgrades: Given the fact that the phone is running the stock Android interface, updating it to a new OS version will be a simple and likely delay-free process (the fact that the Nexus One is Google’s baby probably won’t hurt, either). Custom interfaces such as HTC’s Sense tend to take more time to update, as the manufacturer has to rebuild the interface around the revised platform.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The Data Perks

Sprint is billing the HTC EVO 4G as a mobile hotspot, meaning you can connect up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices to the phone and use its data connection to get them on the Internet.

It’s not difficult to set up tethering on any Android phone (even if some carriers may discourage it). Still, this built-in multidevice functionality is certainly a perk worth considering.

HTC EVO 4G vs. Nexus One: The Final Judgment

Ultimately, the truth is that there’ll never be an end-all Android phone; it really comes down to what’s right for you. Given the nature of the platform’s open ecosystem, a new contender will always be right around the corner, and hyperbole-loving bloggers will always be chomping at the bit to label it the “killer” of everything else.

That, my friends, is the one thing you can count on.

While the Nexus One has four touch keys, the Droid Incredible has four physical hardware keys running along the bottom (Home, Menu, Back, Search). I actually prefer the Nexus One’s touch keys, though, as it gives the phone a more streamlined look.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
The browser on the Xperia X10 hasn’t gone under much modding by Sony Ericsson, resulting in a basic version which doesn’t compare so well to the Desire and Legend. That’s not to say it’s bad. Getting around pages is easy, but entering web address should be easier than having to go through the hard menu key at the bottom. YouTube clips streamed and played with no stutter within about 10 seconds. Impressive.

HTC Desire
The Desire’s web browser is great. Not only can you use pinch-to-zoom to get into the nitty gritty of a page, you can also directly tap into Wikipedia and Google Translate on any search term, just by highlighting and holding down on the phrase at the top of the page you’ve tapped in. That means one less page to visit when you need info stat. YouTube streaming is snappy and the inclusion of Flash is ace, even if clips on The Guardian took an eternity to start playing.

Google Nexus One
The standard Android browser that comes on the Nexus One is good, but it’s no match for the tweaked version on the Desire and the Legend. Navigation requires tapping into the menu button, something we’re not fond of. However, the Snapdragon processor helps video from YouTube load up sharpish, a theme we’ve warmed to across a number of the phones on test. The whole thing isn’t quite up to scratch compared to its rivals though.

HTC Legend
The browser on the HTC Legend is very much the same as the Desire. That means it’s speedy and can handle jumping around pages with aplomb. YouTube streaming is great and works within around fifteen seconds of starting a three minute clip. Flash, again, causes some issues and takes an age to fire up. You have to wonder of having Adobe’s video software on board is worth it.

HTC Tattoo
The browser on the HTC Tattoo is pretty standard for Android. It doesn’t have any added extras and isn’t the best you’ll ever use. However, it serves up pages in quick smart fashion and renders them fine if you’re using mobile optimised sites especially. YouTube clips look dandy too and make the Tattoo a very decent bet for budget conscious punters.

Verdict
The web browsing experience on the HTC Desire is the business and definitely squeaks top spot from the Legend. It’s the complete package, with Google Translate and Wikipedia baked in, and it’s a doddle to use. The X10 is a mite disappointing, while the Legend and Nexus One deserve honourable mentions.

Tablets have only been the subject of scrutiny for about a couple of months, but they already seem to have almost made their own niche market, even having drawn the attention of the watchful gaze of analysts. As such, forecasts dealing with what kind of tablets would come and go, and what content they would run and so on, were inevitable. Now, the inevitable seems to have finally come to pass, as IMS Research looked into what operating systems would be featured on this year’s and future slate PCs.

Obviously, for now, at the top of the list is the Apple OS, featured on the iPad, one of the few slates currently selling (the better known other being the unlucky JooJoo). Naturally, Apple’s tablet is expected to have the biggest market share this year, and probably over the next years as well. Still, Google’s Android OS is expected to perform quite admirably, with a market share of 24% predicted for the ongoing year. This is significant, considering that most Android tablets have yet to start out, and are still a way off from becoming available. Windows 7 is also expected to score a decent 10% this year, a figure that should grow later on.

IMS considers that the popularity of tablets, regardless of their current hype, will soon come to depend on not just the hardware, but also on the content and interface. The iPad already has Apple’s iTunes, but most competing devices currently lack an application store of their own. IMS also expects popularity to be affected by subsidization.

“The user interface and content that a tablet supplier brings to the table will likely influence purchase decisions just as much as hardware requirements. Suppliers are realizing the importance of content and service and many are turning to the Android ecosystem to be able to offer the complete user experience and compete with Apple’s offering,” Anna Hunt, an analyst with IMS Research, said.

“Right now many of the applications specifically designed for the iPad platform, which are starting to hit the iTunes App Store, are actually more expensive than apps for the iPhone OS platform. This leaves an opportunity for suppliers that can offer a tablet solution that is overall more price competitive,” Ms. Hunt added.

The best news for keyboardless PC fans will likely be the prediction that, over the next two years, tablets without word-processing software but with multimedia and web capabilities will cost under $200, which should serve to further encourage market-share growth.

“Over the next couple of years, we can expect a variety of tablet models that may not be able to run word processing software, but will offer a variety of web-based and multimedia applications for under $200 to the end user,” the analyst concluded.

The Good: Largest smartphone screen on the market, lightning-fast processor, 5 megapixel camera

The Bad: Won’t run Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system; dearth of applications

The Bottom Line: A great smartphone for consumers who don’t feel they need to own a device running Google or Apple software

Sometimes timing is everything. After several weeks of testing HTC’s gorgeous new HD2 smartphone, I can tell you it’s unquestionably the best device yet that runs Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

Therein lays the problem. Microsoft plans to release a major overhaul to Windows for smartphones—called Windows Phone 7—by the end of the year. As good as the HD2 is, it may have a very short shelf life.

The HD2, which went on sale on Mar. 24 in the U.S., through T-Mobile, is a design masterpiece. It uses Qualcomm’s (QCOM) speedy 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor and sports a stunning 4.3-in. screen surrounded by a thin, black bezel.

Yet HTC’s stunning hardware is hobbled by a lack of applications for users to download from Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Marketplace. By my count, there are less than 1,000, compared to more than 185,000 from Apple’s (AAPL) App Store and more than 30,000 from Google’s (GOOG) Android Marketplace for phones that run its operating system. Worse, Microsoft says many of today’s apps won’t work when it rolls out Windows Phone 7.

If that doesn’t bother you—or you want to take a chance that Microsoft will change its stance—I’d recommend the HD2 wholeheartedly. It’s available for $199 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile.

Adopting the less-is-more approach that’s increasingly common in the smartphone market, the HD2 has hardly any buttons. On the bottom of its face, from left to right, there’s a dedicated phone button, one that calls up a customizable home page of applications, a button to access Windows applications, a back button, and a power toggle.

A COUPLE OF EXTRAS IN THE U.S.

The phone doesn’t have much usable memory, but users can add up to 16GB of storage with an additional microSD card. (It takes some work to remove the rear panel to access the slot where you place the card.)

The T-Mobile version of the HD2 includes Blockbuster on Demand software for watching movies and free access to MobiTV for a month. European versions of the HD2 don’t offer those.

From a usability perspective, the HD2 stands out by cleverly layering HTC’s Sense user interface on top of Windows Mobile 6.5. Reviewers panned the operating system when Microsoft released it last fall, despite a belated move to icon-based applications, or widgets, which do away with a terrible dropdown system that had made navigation a nightmare.

HTC says it designed Sense to satisfy three fundamental needs: customization, discovery, and social computing. The HD2 does all three well. Users can configure the home screen to show nine favorite applications, including Facebook, a compass, and an e-mail program.

The lower portion of the screen includes a dock that handles the discovery and social aspects of using the phone. The dock includes quick access to a Web browser, YouTube, Twitter, a calendar, and other information, including music and video collections. There’s also weather, in the form of photorealistic animations of clouds moving across the screen and a windshield wiper when it’s raining.

A GOOD BUSINESS TOOL

HTC doesn’t skimp on the extras. It includes a 5-megapixel digital camera with built-in flash and photo-editing features such as white balancing and ISO setting adjustment. You can even send video via multimedia messaging. A built-in speaker on the back delivers relatively smooth playback of MP3 downloads from Amazon.com’s (AMZN) music store and from a personal collection, although most people will likely use the headphone jack on the bottom.

The HD2 is a good business tool, too. I downloaded the Good Technology mobile client, which synchronized my work e-mail, contacts, and calendar. At first, I had some trepidation about the lack of a physical keyboard, but then found that the phone’s virtual keyboard worked fairly well. I was frustrated with the predictive typing technology, which slowed me down by suggesting words that tried to match my typos. It was easier to identify the typos and correct them manually. And unlike Apple’s iPhone and Motorola’s (MOT) Droid, the HD2 doesn’t offer a landscape mode.

Some users may be turned off by the HD2’s relatively large size—about the length of one-and-a-half decks of cards. Yet thanks to its thin, high-resolution AMOLED display, it’s much slimmer than other smartphones. The glossy screen does show fingerprint smudges. The good news is that the screen works well, even in bright sunlight.

Battery life is slightly above-average and lasts all day, even with the Good data connection running at average display brightness. If you’re also using WiFi to access the Internet and have the Bluetooth connection turned on, expect about five hours’ use before you’ll need to recharge.

There’s a lot to like about the HD2. But thanks to Microsoft’s assertion that Windows 6.5 users won’t be able to upgrade their devices to Windows Phone 7, using HTC’s smartphone feels like admiring a beautiful but archaic work of art.

backlink: bussinessweek

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