The Mobile Operating System - Dissertation Example

The Mobile Operating System Abstract The mobile industry is one the fastest evolving segment both technologically and economically. It offers immense opportunities and dimensions to both its users and providers in terms of application. With its ever-expanding span of operations the need for up gradation of technological aspects of mobile hardware and software is essential. One of the areas the mobile industry to develop upon is the heart of its functions, the Mobile Operating System. The operating system of the mobile phone is the key to all functional aspects and user satisfaction. All elements of signal diversity and volume, speed and ease of use are dependent on the operating system. Mobile phones today are used for personal and professional purposes. Preferred services apart from basic voice operations include massive data elements like messages (Short Message Service and Multimedia Messaging Service being the primary of them), live content (real time content like sports updates, stock prices etc. Other applications include streaming media content, including audio, video and media feeds. All these are resource intensive and successful operation, to the satisfaction of the user and optimal use of the mobile networks depends largely on the protocols controlling data management and negotiation with the network, that is an integral part of the mobile’s operating system. Attestation Acknowledgements Table of Contents The Mobile Operating System 1 Abstract 1 Attestation 3 Attestation 3 Acknowledgements 4 Acknowledgements 4 Table of Contents 5 Table of Contents 5 List of Figures 6 List of Figures 6 1 Embedded Mobile OS 7 2 Technical Aspects 8 13 3 Conclusion 15 References 17 References 17 List of Figures 1 Embedded Mobile OS A mobile phone’s operating system controls the data flow in and out of it. Features like Call Hold, On-Call functions and elements like speed of access to phone book and records and messages and all other features that involve selection of signals and/ or their records, received or sent is controlled by the operating system. The ultimate outcomes of features like predictive or intelligent text for test and multimedia messaging depend on effective resource management of the mobile’s operating system. The variety of features is infact dependent on the operating system running the phone. The operating system also decided the protocols the phone runs on, including the band(s) it operates on and support for 2.5G or 3G technologies. 1.1 Present Mobile Operating Systems I would take up the latest versions of the preferred operating systems on today’s mobile phones. Other operating systems that may be available including phones that use lower version of the upgraded ones as on date and less used operating systems have not been included as either they have already been improved upon or their use will be phased out, thus rendering their analysis insignificant in the quest for a better operating system. The favorite operating systems among leading phone manufacturers seem to Symbian (Nokia 7650, 3650, N-Gage), Palm OS (Treo) and Windows (Motorola i930). Mobile application developers would vouch for Java (J2me) (incorporates Web Services, Wireless Messaging and Mobile 3D Graphics). It is worth mentioning that Linux (Panasonic 901) to has a major presence mostly among the developer community and some high-end phones. For application developers, there is an increased tendency to use Open source operating systems like Linux as much of the source-code is freely available that enable much better understanding of the operating system and customizing applications accordingly. This is in stark contrast with the ‘protected’ operating systems like Windows where a limited source-code is available to designated beneficiaries only, although there is an increasing possibility that more will be available to relevant users in times to come. Further, operating systems like windows have specific tools to work while those like Linux are easier to use. Java applications are the most popular applications with a growing demand for its gaming and multimedia content. Palm OS, though an old player in this segments looks steady. 1.2 Future mobile operating system A new operating system could either be an upgraded version of the existing systems or an altogether new operating system with standardizations as required. In both the cases, the new operating system should be : 1. Upgradeable on existing phones and operating systems 2. Support present applications and utilities 1.3 Focus points The future operating system will require to be built around the following focus areas: 1. Business : Mobile telephony has a promising future in the business segment. Progress is being made to deliver integrated solutions to business users to provide complete communication solutions. These include better synchronization with the contacts and their voice and data interactions. These features require seamless integration with the web, intranet and wireless connectivity to the mobile service providers’ servers1 Mobile e-commerce, which encompasses interactive business activities and processes related to a (potential) commercial transaction conducted through communications networks that interface with wireless devices. These systems provide the potential for organizations and users to perform various commerce-related tasks without regard to time and location (anytime from anywhere) wirelessly. Issues: Relevant questions: 1. Efficient use of limited bandwidth How can applications be designed so that they work efficiently in limited bandwidth situations? 2. Difficulties with mobile devices interfacing with multiple communications environments Can mobile devices be created that will function with different communications systems? 3. Spectrum and bandwidth availability Will there be enough frequencies and bandwidth available to handle demand for existing and new mobile commerce applications? 4. Interference among technologies Will communications technologies interfere with one another? 5. Addressing compliance with current and future mobile phone standards and speeds How can applications be designed or redesigned so that they function with different current and future mobile phone standards and speeds? 6. Willingness of businesses to pay the high cost of establishing new wireless infrastructures Will businesses pay the costs associated with the implementation of each new generation of telecommunications technology? 2 2. Technology : The future will see deeper penetration of 3G, W-CDMA and extensive mobile multimedia applications 3. Figure 1: W-CDMA Third-generation (3G) Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) rich multimedia content at data rates that will reach 2 Mbps and greater. Based on GSM, UMTS is the planned global standard for mobile users. [Redman, 2000]. 3. Security : GSM phones are the largest used phones currently. However they are exposed to major security threats, cloning being one with the highest degree of concern. The fact remains that with increased use comes breakdowns and increases the chances of the phone getting into hands of unscrupulous technicians who can clone the chip, all with its contents and misused. The valid user is left with higher bills and liable for all calls generated from the number that is while calls generated from the number are not. 3GPP technology aims to avoid such risks. 4 4. VNC : VNC is an ultra-thin client system based on a simple display protocol that is platform-independent. It achieves mobile computing without requiring the user to carry any hardware. 5 5. Bandwidth : As bandwidth demand increases for new and existing network applications, there may be problems with obtaining unused “airspace.” While frequency reuse is increasing, the availability of both frequencies and bandwidth may become more limited in the future. 6 6. Adaptability & Mobility : Mobile phones, in conjunction with the service provider has to adapt to location (display live weather information according to location), activity (if the stock portfolio is loaded, the system alerts the user about price variations. This is a service provider dependent feature, but we are looking at the task being accomplished by the phone) and communication preferences (automatic language change and switch to time based applications as per time zone) to create a truly customized experience.7 Some success has already been achieved in this area but the cost for these is high and the applications are yet to be as smooth as our desktop applications. 7. Network Infrastructure The future embedded operating system should be all about ultimate robustness, high availability and stringent fault-tolerance. It should support: 1) Dynamic Reconfigurable End-User Systems, 2) 2) Reconfigurable Applications, 3) Environment Monitoring, and 4) Mobile Distributed Information Base.8 1.4 Overview The rapidly growing mobile phone market will need a better operating system that can offer seamless integration of multimedia, text and voice applications. A few Key upgrades to a new operating system The new operating system will need to be more sensitive and intelligent. Sensitive - This is an oft-used term for digital systems that basically means the ability of an electronic piece of hardware to recognize its conditions and surroundings. Intelligent - based on its ‘sensations’ as described above, the hardware should be able to respond according to the recognized conditions and surroundings. 2 Technical Aspects 8 The ARM architecture suits embedded operating systems for mobile phones the most. It helps design systems that are customer – oriented. Additionally, ARM integrates well with leading suppliers and development environments. ARM has worked closely with developers and offers a good understanding of hardware and software that is robust and highly optimized, a system development that is in sync with the evolving market needs. Building with ARM also allows access to a choice of tools to enable a rapid and high-quality development process. The combination of a best-in-class ARM core running an optimized OS is a key step in achieving competitive end-product differentiation. The growing use of resource intensive embedded applications is driven by the need to support increasing system and software complexity, while managing aggressive development timescales. It should offer management of the hardware and software resources, and a stable, consistent interface for application development. It should be able to satisfy the needs of different markets, applications and hardware systems. The embedded mobile phone operating system should include: • The functional needs of the application • Availability of development tools and technical support • Third party application and developer support • Real-time capabilities • Processor architectures and peripheral support • Memory footprint • Business model — from royalty-based to open source • Conformance to standards • Familiarity of programming interface 2.1 Market Requirements 8 As product requirements evolve, an embedded OS must support the changing needs of the application. Key technology trends drive current OS selection in the most common embedded application areas. 2.1.1 Wireless Data and entertainment services are expected to be the primary drivers for adoption of GPRS and 3G handsets. Location-based services, entertainment, 3D mobile gaming, mobile payment, music, radio, still image and streaming video promise a raft of new revenue opportunities. Generic applications with mass appeal, such as multimedia messaging services (MMS) and web access, offer huge potential growth. High-end Smart phone designs feature multifunction handsets which provide a color LCD, camera capabilities, greater memory capacity, more processing power, network connectivity, and a rich application environment – all integrated into a single device with a satisfying user experience. These stringent requirements dictate the need for a class of powerful, highly functional and secure OS that are tuned for the exacting needs of the mobile handset market. 2.1.2 Security Security can be handled through add-on secure tokens - such as smart cards - being integrated within the various devices which constitute the different interoperable "data platforms" of a complete networked system, or deeply embedded in the very architecture of those devices. Whichever option is chosen, ARM SecurCore™ cores and ARM TrustZone™ technology offer the underlying foundation that Partners can build on to offer a comprehensive end-to-end security solution. ARM ensures that ARM cores support a wide spectrum of OS, from those integrated in tiny smart cards up to those embedded in much bigger systems such as mobile phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, DVD players, printers or even cars.8 3 Conclusion 3.1 Summary With the rapid growth of the mobile phone industry, the demand is for 1. More user-friendly appliances and applications 2. Demand for integration of facilities like contact management, voice and data. 3. Need for more localized and personalized content and interface These broad specifications demand a host of advancements and the key is an embedded mobile phone operating system. 3.2 Evaluation Whether upgrading existing operating systems or opting for a new embedded mobile phone operating system,this endeavor will require: 1. Strong user – developer interaction 2. Industry support A close monitoring and forecasting will be required to assess present and future user preferences. This will also involve admitting the past experiences that provide feedback on the impact of new features in the past. A development activity will require all industry players including mobile phone manufacturers, and application developers to work in close cohesion to ensure proper infrastructural, financial and logistical support. This interactivity wil also be essential to develop the protocols. 3.3 Future These findings should be used as a starting point by engineers to develop user-friendly and network independent embedded operating systems for mobile phones and mobile devices. References [1] Issues In Mobile E-Commerce, Peter Tarasewich, Robert C. Nickerson, Merrill Warkentin [2] Daniel Cheung, imobile.com.au [3] Security Engineering, Ross J Anderson [4] Virtual Network Computing, Tristan Richardson, Quentin Stafford-Fraser, Kenneth R. Wood and Andy Hopper [5] Issues In Mobile E-Commerce, Peter Tarasewich, Robert C. Nickerson, Merrill Warkentin [6] Adaptation And Mobility In Wireless Information Systems, Randy H. Katz [7] Functionality Needed in Middleware for Future Mobile Computing Platforms, Nokia Research Center, Software Technology Laboratory [8] The Architecture Of Choice For Embedded Operating Systems, ARM Read More