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08/19/2019, Mon, 15:21, Moscow time , Text: Dmitry Stepanov

The American company Cloudmosa is using money raised through Kickstarter to develop a new mobile operating system, Puffin OS, for low-power smartphones. It allows you to run custom applications directly in the cloud. Cloudmosa says that thanks to this approach, applications in Puffin OS run an order of magnitude faster than in Android.

Android killer based on Android

The American company Cloudmosa is working on creating a cloud operating system Puffin OS, designed for low-cost mobile devices V price segment up to $100.

The developers are positioning their future product as a high-performance alternative to the Android OS, which is being developed by Google. According to Cloudmosa representatives, their brainchild will become an intermediate link between KaiOS, aimed at modern push-button phones with smartphone functions, and Android One/Go for budget gadgets.

It is worth noting that Puffin OS, which intends to compete with Google's brainchild, is itself based on open Android code(Android Open Source Project).

The company collects funds for the development of Puffin OS through crowdfunding. At the time of release of this material the project managed to raise almost $38 thousand on Kickstarter, thereby exceeding the initial goal of $31 thousand.

To date, Puffin OS has been ported to Nokia 1 and Redmi Go smartphones. In addition, it was tested on several models produced by order of one of the company's ODM partners.

Avatar technology

In the new OS, the user will not need to install applications in the conventional sense. All Puffin OS programs are web applications based on HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript that run in the cloud, thereby removing the bulk of the computing burden from the smartphone. Cloudmosa calls this approach Avatar technology.

Thanks to Avatar technology, programs in this OS on similar hardware run almost ten times faster than in Android. Consequently, to achieve a user-friendly speed of application operation on budget devices with a “weak” processor and small volume by today’s standards random access memory(512 MB/1 GB) Puffin OS can easily.

According to the developers, almost any website can be turned into an application for Puffin OS. Such applications launch almost instantly and take up almost no space on the smartphone.

What's bad about the new OS?

There are a few glaring shortcomings to note about the cloud model offered by Cloudmosa. Firstly, for most applications to work, the owner of a smartphone with Puffin OS will need a constant and fairly stable Internet connection (however, basic applications like phone book or dialer will work without it). The company, however, assures that thanks to a special technology for compressing web pages, the system will have enough 2.5G (GPRS) speeds for normal operation. It is the “second and a half generation” networks that are often the most common in countries with developing economies, in whose residents Cloudmosa sees its potential clients.

Another disadvantage of Puffin OS is the user’s dependence on the performance of the cloud infrastructure that ensures the functioning of Avatar technology. If the developers at some point change their minds about supporting the servers, owners of phones running Puffin OS will be left with nothing.

Judging by the information posted on the project page, the company plans to work directly with gadget manufacturers. According to the developers, the OS should be pre-installed on budget smartphone models, the price of which initially includes a two-year cost of using cloud applications. After this period, device owners will be able to renew their subscription for a fee.

Predecessors of Puffin OS

The Puffin OS project is not the first attempt to create a cloud mobile operating system. Previously, the Mozilla Foundation entered the market with such an OS. Like Cloudmosa, Firefox OS, introduced by Mozilla in 2013, was device-centric entry level. Smartphones based on Firefox OS were distributed mainly through operators mobile communications. In Russia, for example,

What does it offer? Russian market disappointed in iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

This graph shows the percentage distribution of mobile operating systems among smartphones sold. In the past five years the situation has changed a lot.

On this moment, BlackBerry OS (RIM) has a relatively high share of sales. But the time of this operating system is passing. New smartphones under the BlackBerry brand are released with Android. It is clearly visible that phones running alternative operating systems are practically not sold.

But they exist! The list of mobile operating systems on Wikipedia includes several dozen names. If we delete from it closed projects such as Symbian and Bada, and numerous firmware for Android, the list will significantly decrease. We will select from it systems, devices with which you can buy in Russia and tell you more about them.

Ubuntu Touch

The operating system for smartphones and tablets, Ubuntu Touch, was announced in early 2013. The project is being developed by Canonical LTD. Sometimes the system is called Ubuntu Phone OS.

When working on the interface, the creators of Ubuntu Touch tried to do something different from others. The OS has multiple screens that can be swiped in the same way as on Android. The first screen displays incoming calls, sms, mail and social network applications. The second displays the weather, nearby photos from Flickr and the latest articles from Wikipedia. And only on the third one can you get to the list installed applications. And on the fourth screen, news suddenly appears. And on the fifth is located music player. The transition between screens is carried out only sequentially. And there are enough similar strange bells and whistles in the system.

In desktop Ubuntu icons open source software available in the vertical bar on the left side of the screen. There is a similar element in Ubuntu Touch. It's quite convenient.

The system comes pre-installed with 25 applications. If you are missing them, you can download others from the Ubuntu Store. OS developers strongly recommend using Telegram messenger, since its philosophy is largely the same as that of Ubuntu Touch.

Most applications from the store are a link to the site, designed as an icon on the desktop. For example, the Instagram app is just a web page and does not have access to the camera.

For using Ubuntu Touch does not need to be purchased as a separate smartphone. It can be installed on some Android devices, for example, on tablets from the Google Nexus line.

Yandex.Market found three gadgets on which this OS is available out of the box.

About a month ago, official sales began in Russia BQ Aquaris E5. A few retailers are asking about 15 thousand rubles for it. Here are its brief technical characteristics:

• Number of SIM cards 2;
• Weight 134 g;
• Screen diagonal 5 inches;
• Camera 13 million pixels;
• Processor 1300 MHz;

Started selling earlier this year BQ Aquaris E4.5 for 13 thousand rubles:

• Number of SIM cards 2;
• Weight 123 g;
• Screen diagonal 4.5 inches;
• Camera 8 million pixels;
• Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, USB;
• Processor 1300 MHz;
• Built-in memory 8 GB;
• RAM capacity 1 GB.

The Spanish company BQ entered the Russian market this fall. It produces smartphones, 3D printers and toy robots. The products are aimed at creative people who like to modify their gadgets. Most of the technology from BQ is open source.

Flagship product of a large Chinese manufacturer Meizu smartphones X5 is on everyone's lips. This gadget in a metal case runs Android. But there is also Ubuntu Touch Edition, which costs almost 30 thousand rubles:

• Number of SIM cards 1;
• Weight 147 g;
• Diagonal 5.36 inches;
• Camera 20.70 million pixels;
• Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, USB;
• Octa-core MediaTek processor MT6595;
• Built-in memory 16 GB;
• RAM capacity 2 GB;
• Gravity sensor;
• Infrared distance sensor.

Firefox OS

At the time of writing this article, it appeared that Mozilla would stop producing smartphones running Firefox OS. The operating system will be developed for other electronics. The phones are still sold in Russia. Their prices are significantly lower than for devices with other alternative mobile OS.

The system began to be developed by Mozilla in 2011 and was announced in the winter of 2013 at Mobile World Congress. The system interface is made in HTML5. Applications for Firefox OS are created exclusively using web technologies.

The logic of smartphone screens is similar to the Android operating system. Many programs are links to websites designed as application icons. If there is no Internet connection, then the smartphone is practically dead.

Briefly about phones running Firefox OS, we can say this: “Dialers with good browsers.” Numerous reviews of the system show that budget devices with Firefox OS are incapable of anything big.

Alcatel OneTouch FIRE E 6015X was announced back in 2013. You can buy it for 5 thousand rubles.

• Number of SIM cards 1;
• Weight 103 g;
• Diagonal 4.5 inches;
• Camera 5 million pixels;
• Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0, USB;
• FM radio;
• Processor 1200 MHz, 2 cores;
• Built-in memory 4 GB;
• RAM capacity 512 MB;
• There is a slot for memory cards.

ZTE Open with Firefox OS costs about 3 thousand rubles:

• Number of SIM cards 1;
• Diagonal 3.5 inches;
• Camera 3.20 million pixels;
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB;
• Processor 1000 MHz;
• Built-in memory capacity 512 MB;
• RAM capacity 256 MB;
• There is a slot for memory cards.

ZTE is one of the largest Chinese manufacturers smartphones. Many Russian mobile operators they trust it to produce budget gadgets under their own brands. The cost of this company's products is extremely low. I assume that they sell smartphones not by piece, but by weight :-)

Sailfish OS

The operating system is being developed by the Finnish company Jolla. Sailfish OS was presented for the first time at World Mobile Congress 2013. The core of the project team is made up of former Nokia employees, formerly busy with work on the MeeGo project.

You can install regular Android applications from Yandex.Store, which is in Jolla instead Google Play. Also, by default, the phone has Nokia Here Maps and Jolla Store.

To speed up working with files, you can enable terminal mode on Sailfish OS. If some desired application not in Yandex.Store, you can download it from the Internet or transfer it from your computer to your phone via USB apk file and start the installation.

At the moment, only one device running this OS is sold in Russia. Buy a smartphone Jolla JP-1301 possible for 18 thousand rubles. It has rather modest technical characteristics:

• Number of SIM cards 1;
• Weight 141 g;
• Diagonal 4.5 inches;
• Camera 8 million pixels;
• Front camera 2 million pixels;
• Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, USB, NFC;
• Processor 1400 MHz;
• Built-in memory 16 GB;
• RAM capacity 1 GB.

It is unlikely that anyone will have the desire to buy such a toy. But the system code is open and you can try to install Sailfish OS on some extra smartphone running Android.

Tizen

The development of the project is supervised by Intel and Samsung. The Tizen Association also includes LG U+, Panasonic and a dozen other large electronics manufacturers.

Tizen installed on watch Samsung Gear 2 and Intel ultrabooks. There are rumors that sooner or later Tizen IVI will appear in KAMAZ dump trucks. At the moment, this operating system is being actively implemented in LandRover and Jaguar cars. There is also active development of a version of the system for wearable electronics - Tizen Wearable.

Applications for Tizen are developed with using JavaScript, HTML5, CSS. But unlike Firefox OS, web technologies can be combined with the Tizen Native API and use them to create native applications that have access to hardware devices.

Tizen Association does a lot to support budding application developers. The SDK is constantly updated, a sea of ​​documentation is written and teaching aids, development competitions are regularly held. Tizen hackathons are held in major cities around the world. There were several such events in Moscow.

I assume that only this operating system, of all those described in the article, has a chance to capture at least 1% of the smartphone market in the next few years. Samsung specialists have enormous resources to develop a quality product and promote it. Canonical and Jolla are not strong enough to compete. Sooner or later they will leave the game just like Mozilla did recently.

To properly use your smartphone, it is very important to find out what is actually hidden behind the attractive sensor. All operating systems mobile phones can be compared by such a criterion as popularity rating among users. Full data for last year are available in the graph below.

The Android system is once again ahead of all similar products. IOS and Symbian, which have been ahead for a long time, are falling further and further behind in this indicator. While the former still has a slim chance of fighting, Symbian has lost its market share almost irrevocably. We can talk about potential competition in the near future from new Windows Phone 8.

Nokia remains the official owner of OS Symbian. All manufacturers who in one way or another use this system in their developments must agree with the owner on permission to use it. The company dominates in the segment of low-cost budget devices, where it uses Java Symbian. However, there has been a downward trend in demand for this product.

Such an OS is very convenient and well designed, but recent developments from other manufacturers are reducing its demand on the market.

Android

Efficiency and beautiful design have become the reason for the universal recognition of this system. Millions of applications created on the basis of . In Motorola, HTC, Samsung devices, manufacturers use this development, which is rapidly conquering the market and has already come close to the iPhone, whose position until recently seemed unshakable.

This product remains the wholly owned property of Ressearch in Motion. The development was carried out for the original line of smartphones. Blackberry is strikingly different from other systems with its unusual interface and stylish design keyboard and display.

It has increased reliability parameters and is practically invulnerable to all existing types of viruses. Use by other manufacturers is prohibited.

This system is familiar to almost every person in the era of computerization and mobile communications. Windows 7, with optimal usability options and a superb interface, breathes new life into the system. The second factor of universal recognition is its use in powerful devices from HTS, Samsung and Nokia.
Series models Nokia Lumia developed based on this unique operating system.

BADA

The efficiency and convenience of this product are comparable to Android OS. A giant like Samsung has the rights to use it. It is difficult to explain what the leaders of the concern are guided by without using BADA on the same industrial scale as other systems. It is almost impossible to find flaws in the design, and with minimal promotion its popularity among consumers could be guaranteed.
To date, the application is provided only in the design of three Samsung models.

Palm OS (Garnet OS)

A unique development from 1996, designed for miniature pocket computers. Used mainly for operation using a touch interface. Gradually it became the main element of some smartphone models.
Many companies have used this system in their development for several years, but now it is practically not used. After the renovation in 2007, all work on this project was suspended.

The operating system model, the brainchild of the developer Palm Inc, a short time later became the property of Hewiett Packard. The OS launched into production was used in several modifications of tablets and smartphones.
The advent of Android has significantly reduced the scope of application in this segment. HP has officially notified that it will no longer produce devices on this platform. However, many users are still confident in future updates of their favorite system.

Maemo

The well-known OS was the result of development after the merger of two concerns - Maemo Communty and Nokia. Latest version has a multi-sectional desktop and many convenient new products. The announcement of the project's merger with Mobilin was a major factor in the creation of an innovative OS called MeeGo.

MeeGo

The original idea was to create a platform for mobile devices. But the scope of application gradually expanded and the system successfully found its place in miniature computers, netbooks and latest models television equipment, devices used in vehicles. The Moorestown Tablet PC, Nokia No. 9, was presented at the prestigious Computex Taipei exhibition.

In terms of the number of OS units used, Android remains the undisputed favorite. But in terms of net profit, Apple is ahead of all competitors, having caught up with Firefox in this parameter. The long-standing hegemon in the browser market is now very actively developing an operating system for mobile devices and is determined to change the current situation in the OS market.

You go out to buy smartphone? Don't know what platform it's based on ( operating system) choose? This article is for you, dear readers of the ZedPost blog! More details below. Below is a rating of mobile operating systems.

1. Operating system from Apple - iOS

iOS- one of the most advanced operating systems on the smartphone and tablet market. Installs on iPhone, iPod and iPad. It has many functions, multitasking, and is not demanding on resources. But this system is paid, Apple devices are by no means cheap. Also, this system has a closed source code, which means the user cannot independently make changes to the system, and almost all applications for it are paid, well, if you are a conscientious user and do not install Jailbreak, so as not to lose the warranty.

2. Android operating system

Android - operating system for smartphones and tablets, and recently for cameras, televisions and other gadgets, developed by Google based on the Unix kernel, as a free operating system with open source code. This system also occupies a leading position among operating systems for phones and is a big competitor to iOS. For it, as for IOS, many applications and games are being developed; both budget phones starting from 2,000 rubles and quite advanced and modern devices are produced on this platform. The leader in the production of smartphones on this platform is the company Samsung, also on Android phones produced by Lg, HTC and many other companies.

3. OS for smartphones from Microsoft - Windows Phone 7

This system was developed by Microsoft to replace the outdated mobile operating system - Windows Mobile, which was not well suited for touch devices. This operating system is designed from scratch, so it doesn't have much available applications. Some people like the interface of this operating system, some don’t, as they say, “There is no accounting for taste.”

4. OS for Mobile - Symbian

Essentially a dying operating system for smartphones, which may soon disappear from the operating system market. It is unstable, has a complex outdated interface and few features.

5. BlackBerry - business operating system

BlackBerry(Blackberry) is a high-quality and well-thought-out operating system aimed at solving business problems. There are practically no games for it, but many applications for businessmen have been developed for this system (converters, currency exchangers, etc.). In Russia, this system is poorly distributed; almost all smartphones on this OS have a convenient QWERTY keyboard.

We looked at the 5 most popular mobile operating systems; there are many others, but their share among the rest is insignificant. Thank you for reading the article to the end.

Did you know that the first push-button telephone invented by an undertaker? More details on the website.