of the smartphone wars

The Smartphone Wars: Describes strengths and weaknesses of Apple, Research in Motion, Microsoft, Google, Palm and Nokia in the war for the handheld platform.

The handheld computer is the new PC — the most exciting, promising new platform for running software and connecting to cloud-based services. What do I mean by a handheld computer? Well, it could be one of the new generation of super-smartphones, like Apple’s iPhone — which pioneered the new generation — or phones powered by Google’s Android operating system, or the latest BlackBerries from Research in Motion. Or, it could be a small tablet powered by the iPhone’s OS and user interface; by Android; or by other competitors, like Palm’s new webOS. A battle is shaping up in the next few years to see who will dominate this new handheld platform — who will attract the most users and third-party apps?

So, here’s a quick snapshot of the strengths and weaknesses of the main combatants in the war for the handheld platform.