In smart phone battle, it's all about software

— Windows Mobile: Once a pioneer in smart phones, Microsoft is struggling to keep up. Manufacturers like Motorola Corp. and HTC Corp. are shifting away from Windows Mobile toward Google's Android. Last year, fewer Windows Mobile phones were sold than the year before, even in a market that grew 35 percent.

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Microsoft is expected to show off a new version of its mobile software Monday in Barcelona. Analysts see that as a do-or-die attempt to stay relevant in the business.

— Android: Google's software has been on a tear, racking up a lot of support from manufacturers, and favorable reviews. There was just one Android phone out in 2008. At the end of 2009, there were more than a dozen, from Motorola, HTC and Samsung and others.

"I think 2010 is a year when Android share will really expand," Golvin says.

Android is free for manufacturers as part of Google's effort to stimulate use of its Web services on cell phones. It's attracting a lot of attention from application developers, but the offerings still don't match those on the iPhone, either in quantity or quality.

Carlaw believes Android will, much like Symbian, mainly be used in mid-to-low tier smart phones, leaving the high end of the market to the iPhone, and perhaps Nokia's Maemo.

— webOS: Palm Inc. more or less created the smart phone then limped along for years with aging software that had its roots in the Palm Pilots of the mid-'90s. Last year, it made a clean break, introducing the new webOS, running on two phones, the Pre and Pixi. It's the only phone software that does a good job of running several applications at once and letting the user switch between them. It's gotten very favorable reviews, but sales have been less than stellar. In the U.S., the phones were exclusive to Sprint Nextel Corp. until January, when Verizon Wireless added two upgraded models. AT&T Inc. has said it will add webOS phones later this year.

"The easiest one to write off is Palm. They're just so small in terms of overall market share," says In-Stat analyst Allen Nogee. "Unless they really see phenomenal growth coming out of Europe, and their expansion with Verizon and AT&T, it's going to be very challenging for them in the long run."

— LiMo: Short for Linux Mobile, LiMo is a consortium that gives away its software. Its selling point is that it gives wireless carriers and manufacturers the freedom to put their own stamp on their cell phones. It's also suitable for cheaper, non-smart phones. But uptake has been minimal, and Android and the free version of Symbian seem to have stolen a lot of LiMo's thunder. Motorola uses LiMo for some non-smart phones, but is now focusing on Android. Carriers may like the idea of customizing their phones, but consumers are more focused on phone brands that stretch across carriers, like the BlackBerry.

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