And The Rest

If CES wasn't the convention of tablets (which it really was, actually), then it was the conventention of Android. I know for a fact that over half of the devices showcased at CES must have had Android, and the rest practically had Windows 7 (though no Phone 7, so again, Android domination).

But with CES behind our backs, we head into MWC (February) and CTIA (March) and you know what that means. More Android, some Phone 7, the One-Year-We-Still-Have-Not-A-Single-Device Anniversary of MeeGo, perhaps a new BlackBerry Storm and that slick(hardware)-looking Nokia E7 on Symbian.

In between major showcasing, we have press conferences from showcase-avoiders that will probably announce a Verizon iPhone (tomorrow) and a slew of webOS devices (Feb. 9).

So where do all these Operating Systems stand? Here's my take:

1. Apple iOS - From here on out, it's the war for #1 between Android and iOS. Android has a significant amount of more capable devices, but Apple has the iPhone, so it's a fair battle on both sides (okay, maybe it is a TAD lopsided, but Apple has held its own this far). Apple's next tool, aside from a new iPad and iPhone, would be a Verizon iPhone. A lot of hype here, a lot of potential users, and a new war between AT&T and Verizon is about to break out. Side-Note: It's pretty much the same iPhone. But anyway, a lot of battle, and it's time to see what that iPhone is made of.
2. Google Android - Okay, so maybe Android dominated CES, but we can expect a lot MORE out of them. At MWC we're looking at several new Sony Ericsson devices (Xperia X12, X12 Mini Pro, Xperia Play, Xperia Duo, Xperia Neo) and some promised Samsung Gingerbread-powered, Dual-Core Galaxy S duds (the i9100 anyone?). I also think you're going to get at least something new from HTC (T-Mobile got left out at CES), a few more MOTOBLUR duds from Motorola, possibly phones like the enV Pro from LG, actual smartphones from Casio and Pantech and a pile of new devices from companies I've never heard before (once again, I've never heard of them, so I can't name them). So all in all, plenty of Android devices of all size and shape, so there's no worry about their pitfall. However, it'll be interesting to see the war between Droid and a Verizon iPhone. Side-Note: Software-wise, we're looking at Android 2.4 Ice Cream and upgrades to Honeycomb.
3. HP webOS - Talking about battles, another big one is who gets to be #3. And one of the big contenders is Palm's webOS, a Linux-based operating system that offers a more full, enriched experience than Google's Android. The main question here is how will HP go about distributing this Operating System, if it will spend time beating around the bush like Palm (and currently HP) did, or will it jump into the mainlines and start pushing out new devices? As for what devices we're looking forward to in 2011, WSJ reported last year that there'd be 5 new ones (4 Phones + 1 Tablet), and we've seen the Pre 2 so far, expected to come to Verizon with CDMA (and possibly LTE) bands. Also rumored is the Palm Pixi 2, with a front-facing camera, the Castle, a "budget" (as if the Pre2 wasn't cheap enough) edition of the Pre 2, and the Mansion, with a 5.0" Screen. However, newer reads suggest that HP may be abandoning the usage of Palm in their phones and go for a new iPAQ device. In other non-phone news, expect a Tablet sometime.
4. Microsoft Phone 7 - Microsoft Phone 7 has a lot of potential simply because it has a slick, dynamic interface, but moreover because the live tile idea is revolutionary. Think of it as iOS 1, not 4. As a completely new operating system, not the Windows Mobile of old. It's fresh, new, and innovative, and it gears toward taking that #3 spot webOS covets. As for what's in store, the arrow points toward devices with CDMA Chipsets. We can expect the Samsung Omnia (potentially with 4G LTE) and HTC Trophy to Verizon and the HTC Pro to Sprint. And of course, more, new cool phones headed to your beloved T-Mobile and AT&T dealers. The big things to look toward are the upcoming NoDo and Mango updates, which will deal with major issues like Copy-And-Paste and data bugs.
5. Nokia MeeGo - With several ongoing technologies under its belt, I'm not quite sure what the whole roadmap for Nokia is, and I'm pretty sure no one, even Nokia knows that. They've promised new Symbian devices and new MeeGo devices, and somehow still continue using the Series 40 + Nokia OS. But as for MeeGo devices, there's a sick looking N9 down the road, and several other nice devices. Because of Intel's role in the development of MeeGo, we can also expect it to end up being MORE open source than Symbian. Other devices not by Nokia? There's an upcoming Acer tablet and the Aava Phone. I expect quite a lot from Nokia.
6. Nokia Symbian - Symbian was once the property of Symbian Inc, the brainchild, the future-moving OS that started UI customizations (UIQ v S60 anyone?), and the dominator of the mobile market. But the lack of progress and the rise of Google's Android and Apple's iOS is slowly destroying the Foundation. Talking about foundations, after the pitfall of Symbian Inc., the Symbian Foundation formed to take care of OS development, but it folded in December 2010 and handed all development to Nokia. During this period, it made three major revisions, and while it did evolve, so did everything else. With Nokia working on MeeGo, I think that Symbian may eventually be dropped (like maybe even this year) and set aside for Nokia OS improvements, MeeGo improvements, or just be thrown in the vault for eternity. As for devices, Nokia E7, X7, N87, and MAYBE one or two more.
7. Qualcomm BREW MP - Even if it don't go up, BREW ain't going anywhere. This dud of an OS pretty much powers the future phone market (along with Java ME and Nokia OS). But it's role in smartphones-too-dumb-for-even-Android hasn't just dissapeared, as CES showed us the new HTC Freestyle. Can we expect more smartphones running this platform? With most companies favoring Google's Android platform, the answer may be no. But don't be suprised if another HTC dud ends up sometime this year with BREW.
8. RIM Blackberry OS - End of the line. Seriously. Blackberry's were once these cool, well-built phones that kicked ass compared to everyone else's RAZR's, but now they're kind of old, archaic, and almost dinosaur-like to the majority of iPhone and Android users. But, then again, RIM promises a huge revamp (TAT UI, Dual-Core Support, QNX) so we can ultimately expect a lot more out of BBOS7/QNX than we got out of BBOS6. I'm partially anxious to see what the best shot is here but another part of me elsewhere says No, Give up already. As for phones, a Touch version of the Blackberry Bold, a budget version of the Blackberry Torch and a Storm are planned short term (BBOS6) and some rockin' Dual Core phones later on this year.
9. Samsung Bada - Samsung has this weird approach that's sometimes impecable at times. They've rooted themselves in the popular Android OS and yet hope to showcase "more" Phone 7 devices this year. Up until recently, they've used Symbian, and all this time, America hasn't seen one of Samsung's greatest creations: bada. Admittedly, in comparison to Android, it's nothing. It's like BREW MP vs HTC Sense on a REAL Android sucker. The TouchWiz 3.0 UI found on Bada phones is the same one that rocks the Galaxy S line. And while Samsung is favoring an even-lower in house remedy to power all their non-smartphones here in the U.S.A, I have absolutely no idea when or IF we will ever see the elusive Bada. But a new update promising things like NFC could mean a change in Samsung's business plan.