It seems like owning a proprietary operating system is the big thing for many mobile phone manufacturers these days. Before, it was only Palm, BlackBerry and Apple that used their own mobile platforms for their phones. In the meanwhile, Nokia, Samsung and other manufacturers have been using the Symbian OS, Microsoft’s WinMo and the Google Android for their high end smart phones.
Last year, Nokia broke the trend by announcing that they would be launching the Maemo OS on their newest N-series smart phones. While they cleared up rumors that they would be abandoning the Symbian OS (they did not), it certainly set the tone for a later similar announcement from Samsung –they have been working on their own OS too, the Bada.
Of course, other manufacturers such as Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola have yet to make their own operating systems –focusing mainly on smart phones that use third party mobile platforms. While they have been doing well (does not apply to Sony Ericsson), the most successful smart phones are the ones that use an OS made by the manufacturer.
While it would not be so surprising for other mobile manufacturers to announce that they will be working on their own OS, the possibility that HTC might be going solo is certainly something that raises eyebrows. While the move might certainly give them the edge to compete evenly against Apple, it would also mean that they would lose their position as key developers for the Android OS.
HTC makes handsets for all operating systems, but they are best known for their Android devices. They also produced some of the most famous Android phones as well such as the HTC Dream and the Google Nexus One. Many doubt that this is something that HTC can easily turn its back on.
Read more about the news that HTC is working on its own OS at Mobile Choice UK.
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