whitepaper series: Smart Phone Platform ComparisonUS Smart Phone PlatformsA Comparative AnalysisPhavanhna Douangboupha Product Development Engineer R2integrated| Internet Marketing iPhone application developers; quality and quantity of the apps distributed in the store; and on the device portal distribution system.For the distribution statistics in January 2010, the number of free apps distributed compared to paid accounts for about 61% of the Android market place (www.androlib.com). On the other hand, free apps account for only about 25% of total app distribution on the iPhone app store (http:/148apps.biz). The most popular application distribution category in Apple, Android, and Palm WebOS app stores is games with 16% for the Apple store and Android market place, and 22% for the Palm WebOS catalog. application development In general, there are three different solutions for smart phone development native, worldwide Web, and hybrid. Native app is the application that works natively. Native app code is written specifically for a particular phones operating system. Web app is the application that renders via a Web browser using Web application solutions including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Hybrid app is the combination of a native app and a Web app. Some hybrid apps that are non-native apps are developed using JME, .NET CF (Compact Framework), and BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless). One of the important factors in choosing features to integrate into an application is selecting those features that are unique and useful to target users. There are many hardware features available for smart phones, of which the three important and unique features are touch screen, GPS integration, and built-in Wi-Fi. Other features include camera, phone, address book, e-mail, and location tracking. Percentage of touch screen, GPS, and Wi-Fi use (Canalys):Four out of the six mobile OS can be developed using Open Source platforms except iPhone and Microsoft Windows mobile. Three of the major running OS can be developed using Java. iPhone is based on Objective-C, Palm WebOS is based on Web base environment, and Windows mobile is based on the .NET, C# or Visual Basic environment (see Smart Phone Comparison Matrix). Palm WebOS has its own software development kit (SDK) which is called Mojo SDK, though Palm WebOS is based on Web base ideas. Palm WebOS app is not a Web app.Touch Screen Worldwide45%GPS Integration 80%Built in Wi-Fi 75% 2009 R2Integrated.com | Locations in New York, NY, Baltimore, MD, and Vienna, VA | infoR2Integrated.com 2009 R2integrated.com | Locations in New York, NY Baltimore, MD Vienna, VA Seattle, WA | infoR2integrated.comInternet Marketing Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or Google Friend Connect and these embedded apps will continue to grow in use for mobile applications. An example of such application is Time app for iPhone and iPod touch. The Time app (www.time.com) not only provides content but also allows users to share the content by posting a link via Twitter. Another social networking function is an application for suggestion with rating and voting to assist people with everyday decisions. A simple feedback submission will be something of the past, as we see more and more companies adopt the customer feedback system with vote capability. The voting system is a seamless brand integration technique by giving power to people in order to start conversations with a target group while capturing their feedback and engaging them. Customers can propose their own ideas and share with the rest of the community. Top ideas or feedback can be used to improve services and the product itself. An example of such application is iVote (www.ivotemobile.com). iVote has an iPhone app solution that allows users to vote in a poll. One of iVotes important features is the graphical comparison mechanism that shows results of the vote by cities and countries. Data and interactive visualization graphical based features will also be utilized more and more for business intelligence applicatiosn to take advantage of the phone touch capabilities and to present data to mobile users in a small screen in the most meaningful way. Last but not least, it would be an interesting year to see how Mobile TV and video content will be modeled outside of the existing providers. Those companies who can take advantage the user experience would definitely benefit. However, as the screen technology for mobile devices is getting better, network speed and other hardware limitations (e.g. battery life, processor speed, and memory) will still be key factors in executing such applications. more informationFor more information and useful links, please refer to the comparison matrix at www.r2integrated.com/MobileComparison.aspx. 2009 R2Integrated.com | Locations in New York, NY, Baltimore, MD, and Vienna, VA | infoR2Integrated.com 2009 R2integrated.com | Locat