Ubuntu Touch:Made in China, Assembled by FoxConn. Operating System is a subset of Linux.
On the outlook, Ubuntu Touch mimics any other operating system. While Ubuntu Touch trails Android in certain aspects, the latest crop of fixes could well be the platform for a new OS showdown. The new updates include:
- Improved updates panel: That allows you to keep track of new updates and witness the changes they bring in real time.
- Improved Emoji keyboard: The last Emoji keyboard was daunting to navigate.
- The new version is pretty easy to sort through and find the right Emoji that suits the moment.
- Calendar synchronization: The new OS adds support for iCal and CalDAV. It also allows you to synchronize many calendars through your Google accounts and your own cloud.
- New notifications panel: Brings on board refined notification settings. The new notification setting lets you choose which specific app notifies you with sound, vibration, or notification bubble
Only three phones are currently available utilizing Ubuntu Touch, one in Europe, two in China.
Amazon Fire OS
Made in China, Assembled by FoxConn. Subset of Android.
Amazon Fire OS is based on Android operating system. It’s produced by Amazon and specially designed for Amazon’s Fire Phone and Kindle Fire range of Smartphones and tablets. This operating system mainly focuses on content consumption. It comes with a fortified user interface and tailored to make content available from Amazon’s storefronts and services. Some of the newest updates to the OS include:
- Compatibility with current Android apps than ever before: Which means a lot of your apps would work on fires devices without added engineering effort.
- Free compatibility testing within 90 seconds: This means you only need to drag and drop your Android APK into the App Testing Service to find out your compatibility results.
- Amazon Rapids: Is considered a game changer for Amazon. Amazon Rapids is a reading app specifically geared towards children. Stories are told to children in the style of chat sessions.
- Alex video support: An app that’s able to search games, audio books, TV shows and movies on Amazon video.
On August 27, 2015, the "Phandroid" website reported that Amazon had discontinued the Fire Phone. Amazon still supports the Amazon Fire OS Tablets.
Firefox OS
No manufactured currently makes a phone using Firefox OS, although in 2014 and 2015 six such phones were made. It can be loaded on low end phones manually by a user. Based on Linux and Gecko. It is intended to boot from the web. Firefox OS is designed by Mozilla for Smartphone, tablets and Smart TVs. It was first released for sale in 2013. Firefox OS focuses on HTML5 technology to go in line with devices capabilities such as SMS and Bluetooth support. It comes with added features such as:
- Highly optimized for low-end hardware, meaning manufacturers can use it for free to produce devices that piece together low cost and high degree of functionality.
- It’s fully open source, which means it is community driven.
- Requires low battery capacity since the phone is intended to boot from the web and application to run on the web.
In December 2015 Mozilla announced it would stop development of new Firefox OS smartphones, and in September 2016 announced the end of development.
Tizen
Samsung's in house version of Android which actually has some commercially available phones.
Samsung introduced this new operating system after announcing that it would discontinue development of Bada operating system on 25th February 2013. Tizen has since gained a significant bite of share in the smartphone market. It’s now ranked the 4th largest Smartphone OS in the world. The biggest selling point of Tizen is that:However, its greatest challenge will be attracting customers from Android and iOS operating systems.
- It provides 100% revenue to app developers. This is why most developers prefer it
- Tizen is an open source OS, which means any company or individual, can join and initiate any modification.
Tizen is the one OS on this list that is still viable as an alternative, commercial OS.
Sailfish OS
Sailfish OS is developed by the Finish mobile company Jolla Ltd. and the Sailfish OS community. Some of its key features that worry the top operating system developers (nobody's worried—Swordmaker) include:
- Linux friendly: It utilizes Linux platform, which means it’s stable, perfect for Smartphones and can be modified with relative ease.
- Hardware ready: Adding hardware is relatively easy. It’s also easy to replace a part.
- Gesture controls and multitasking: Upgraded from button clicks to swipes. Ease of unlocking the handset. You only need to double tap. All you need after unlocking is swiping to maneuver through applications.
Currently still being supported and licensed on ten devices commercially, four of which are phones.
Windows 10 Mobile
This is Microsoft’s operating system utilized in Smartphones and other mobile devices. This Operating system is based on Windows CE 5.2 kernel. In 2010, Microsoft inaugurated a new Smartphone platform known as Windows Phone 7. The release of Windows Phone 8.1 followed in 2014. The latest update is the Windows 10 mobile operating system. The greatest selling point of the Windows 10 Mobile operating system is the Cortana and search application. Cortana is now available in Spanish, Portuguese and French. Window 10 aspires to provide greater consistency with its counterparts for computers including:
- Higher level synchronization of content
- An innovative global application platform that lets a single app to operate on multiple Windows 10 devices like mobile devices, PCs, and Xbox
- Freedom to upgrade your Windows 8.1 Smartphone to the latest Windows 10 mobile subject to the manufacturer’s approval and support
On October 8, 2017, Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore revealed that the company would no longer actively develop new features or hardware for Windows phones, citing its low market share, and the resultant lack of third-party software for the platform. Microsoft had largely abandoned its mobile business, having laid off the majority of Microsoft Mobile employees in 2016,[98] and having focused software efforts on providing apps and services compatible with Android and iOS instead.
These are NOT "terrific" operating systems, except in the original derivation of the word from "terrifying," in that they require more work than they are worth.