So far, 2010 had seen Android phones (or Droids) gaining grounds in the smartphone ranks especially since the release of Apple’s newest iPhone 4. However, with the continuous launching of new and improved smartphones from leading brands, namely BlackBerry, can make it difficult to decide which phone is best for you.

As they say, it’s the inside that truly matters and, in this case, it’s all about the operating systems (OS). With that said, here is a comparison between the three most popular smartphone platforms: iPhone OS, Android and Blackberry OS.

BlackBerry OS

BlackBerry OS and BlackBerry phones are among the pioneers in the growing smartphone industry. However, Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android mobile platforms have provided some tough competition for BlackBerry over the past couple of years.
 

Branding-wise, BlackBerry is not as consumer marketed as the iPhone and Droid. The brand has chosen to market itself as a business-oriented smartphones and has been the main mobile phone supplier to thousands of businesses worldwide. But despite its popularity and seniority, Blackberries do have some known flaws:

• Lack of selection and variation. BlackBerry does not produce enough differing variations in their models. They tend to look alike.

• BlackBerry browser is far from the best as far as page rendering, overall speed and browser innovation are concerned.

• App World (BlackBerry’s version of the appstore) is a bit passé. It has a decent selection of applications but the BB App World comes nowhere close to Apple’s appstore.

• Unlike Android, and same as iPhone, BlackBerry is more of a closed app development environment and not open source. You can only use BlackBerry OS with an official phone by BlackBerry (likewise with iPhone respectively). On the other hand, Android is a mobile platform that you can get in several different variations, including LG, HTC, Motorola, etc.

If you are looking for a “fun phone” with many entertainment features BlackBerry may not be the smartphone for you. As mentioned above, BlackBerrys are tops for business professionals and smartphone users who need top of the line and reliable email support and easy-to-use messaging. But things may soon change as the company will be releasing its all new, renovated BlackBerry OS6 which will round out the BlackBerry and make it more of a “fun phone” while keeping all of the benefits of business that it currently holds.

iPhone 4 / iPhone OS 4

The Apple iPhone has been conquering the smartphone market and is still the most popular among the three leading brands. The iPhone offers the widest selection (and arguably the best) apps that are purchased or downloaded from the appstore.

Most iPhone users tend to be overly loyal to the brand and would swear by the brand. However, biasness aside, the iPhone does lack some features for which other smartphones have been capitalising on. These are some of them:

• Poor antenna placement for reception (iPhone 4)

• No Flash support

• Stricter app development standards (for developers)

• More of a closed app development process (as compared to Android)

• Somewhat poor network, depending on where you live (in the US)

Even with these imperfections, there are valid reasons to why iPhone is still a hot-seller to this day. For one, the interface is classic Apple – easy to navigate, user-friendly and simplistic. The best thing about the latest iPhone 4 is it offers the capability of multi-tasking and a feature called ‘Face Time’ which allows you to chat with other iPhone 4 users, in an iChat style manner.

Android

Although Android phones have been available for some time now, they had only started to become popular since the later part of 2009. There has not been as much hype on ‘Droids’ in Malaysia but the way it has been gaining grounds in the US and Europe it’s just a matter of time before it takes up a substantial portion of the market in this neck of the woods. However, just like their  two other counterparts, Android-based phones are not perfect. These are some of the reasons:
 

• Android’s selection and range of apps are still limited compared to those offered in the iPhone appstore.

• The games and game selection available in the Android Marketplace is mediocre.

• Different versions of Android that will come with your phone, such as Moto Blur or HTC Sense, can be preferable… or not so preferable.

• Because Android OS is open to all developers (such as LG, HTC, Motorola, etc), different phones have different levels of quality.

• Different developers have different bugs. If you were to purchase the backordered and ever popular Android Incredible phone, you will find that there is a bug that saves copies of the web pages that you visit to the cache. This cache can be cleared, but you must do it manually. This bug can only be fixed with an update from HTC but it’s still uncertain to whether they will release one.

Notwithstanding the pros of Android phone still outweighs the cons seeing as Android OS is open source, workable, developable and growing quickly. This means improved apps, marketplace and software are on its way. What’s also worth mentioning is the Droids’ built-in Google navigation and maps feature is top notch as well.

All in all, there is not much that Android is incapable of but it is advisable for those planning to get one to get a good one (i.e.: Android Incredible) as reviews had said that it is much more “incredible” than a basic Android phone (i.e.: LG Ally).

Conclusion

As additional tips, it is advisable to get an Android-based phone, such as the Motorola Droid X, if you want the best possible all around phone. Also, BlackBerry phones,such as Bold or Storm 2 would be the most suitable one for you if you are going to be using your smartphone for business, lots of emailing and messaging (BB messaging) and keeping in contact with associates. Plus, if you are not a fan of touch-screens, BlackBerry (except for the earlier Storm models) has the best option for physical keyboard.

So, as it stands, all leading smartphone OSs have their fair shares of pros and cons. No matter what, the best way to know which one is going to be a good phone for you is to try the phone at the store before purchasing it.