مستقبل الهواتف الذكية

الحق الآن, إذا كنت ترغب في شراء الهاتف الذكي لديك خياران رئيسيان: اي فون وأندرويد. إذا كنت تشعر الشجعان, هناك ويندوز فون. ليس كثيرا متنوعة.

كل ما هو على وشك التغيير.

هذه السنة القادمة سوف نرى الافراج عن جديد, مجانا أنظمة التشغيل الذكي التي تبدو على وشك تغيير العالم من الهواتف الذكية – للأحسن. دعونا نلقي نظرة.

أوبونتو

أوبونتو, وبصورة عشوائية وشعبية، المصدر المفتوح نظام التشغيل لأجهزة الكمبيوتر has been spreading rumors that they’re going to release a version of the operating system for smartphones. The phones aren’t out yet but folks around the internet say they’re definitely in the works.

I think this rather clever video does a pretty good job summing it up:

It’s an interesting idea no one’s tried before: making your phone into a computer so that your data is truly always with you. You’ve also got the best of both worlds: ridiculously powerful and diverse computer programs available on a phone, and all the stuff you do on the go available on a computer.

Here’s a scenario I see happening one of these days: a library or school removes traditional operating systems from its computers. بدلا من, it fits docks on the computers. A patron walks up to the computer, slots her Ubuntu phone into the dock, and sees all of her files and programs – exactly customized to her – appear on the computer. The computer becomes the ultimate workstation where she can literally do anything she’s used to, including using her apps and files. Then she undocks her phone, the computer goes blank (her data isn’t stored on the computer), and she picks up exactly where she left off.

Some folks are concerned that you can’t put such a huge operating system on such a tiny device. The thing is, most people do little more than text and play Angry Birds on their mobile phones (admit it – you do too); phones are more powerful than we give them credit for. Add the fact that they’re getting stronger by the day and this issue becomes moot.

على فكرة, Ubuntu is also considering releasing versions of the operating system for tablets and TVs. No word yet on their plans for toasters.

فيرفكس

You may not have guessed based on the name, but the great guys who make the open-source web browser فايرفوكس are developing a Firefox-based operating system for mobile phones. It’s currently available for testing but no actual phones will be released till next year.

The goal? To create a free, open-source, mobile operating system based on standard web technologies (HTML5, CSS, جافا سكريبت) – the same stuff that makes up websites like the one you’re currently looking at.

Because it’s open-source, anyone around the world can work on Firefox OS – from the camera app to the most fundamental code behind the scenes. What’s nice about this arrangement is that a community of volunteers decides what the operating system will be like, not a few corporate overlords.

In addition, standard web apps are first-class apps on Firefox OS. An online dictionary, مثلا, can become a Firefox OS app without any modification. عادة, you’d have to rewrite a program from scratch for each operating system (دائرة الرقابة الداخلية, الروبوت, نوافذ الهاتف – هناك 3 rewrites right there!)

Because of this, almost anything on the web can be easily harnessed for use on Firefox OS. فيرفكس, ثم, organizes the internet, supercharges it, and delivers it to you on a smartphone. 5 years ago the internet was just a bunch of websites – no apps. Nowadays, رغم أن, you have things from office suites إلى photo editors إلى الطيورالغاضبة available on the internet. And yes, you could take all of these things – and more – and use them in Firefox OS.

Firefox OS is already generating excitement around the globe, and phones running it will be coming soon. Mozilla, the guys who make Firefox OS, are partnering with mobile phone makers in places like Brazil; basic phones running Firefox OS will come out there in 2013.

For those of us not in Brazil, it’s not too difficult to put Firefox OS on your Android phone (they use the same core) and you can even test it out on your computer.

حتى الآن ما?

في الوقت الراهن, iOS and Android reign supreme, and Windows Phone is that other thing people talk about for some variety. But come 2013 I expect some shakeups in the smartphone market in the form of Ubuntu and Firefox OS.

The only question now is which new operating system I’ll put on my phone.