The coloured back of the phone is interchangeable - and the operating system's interface will change depending on what type of cover you have.
That's not surprising as it's been among the few where the software giant has controlled "the whole widget" -- choosing the processor, designing the hardware, and developing not only the operating system and user interface, but a host of licensing standards, services and infrastructure supporting Xbox Live.
Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android's operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.
ENGADGET: Strategy Analytics: Apple still owns tablet market, but Android narrows the gap
But this digital Battle of Verdun is not the only challenge for Google as Mozilla is also launching its mobile operating system: FirefoxOS. To make a long story short, FirefoxOS is the equivalent of ChromeOS for smartphones: a light-weight mobile operating system where the user interface and all applications are web-based.
FORBES: How Alibaba And Mozilla Are Trying To Break Google And Apple Duopoly On Smartphone
Windows Phone 7.8 takes care of a number of bugs, tweaks parts of the operating system, and brings in the user interface elements from Windows Phone 8, notably the live tile system has been given the same flexibility as that of Windows Phone 8.
FORBES: Denying Windows Phone Users WP 7.8 Is Short-Sighted And Will Weaken Relationships
The operating system is based in Modern User Interface, a unified approach to desktop, tablet and mobile.
London, UK, 2 January, 2013: Canonical today announced a distinctive smartphone interface for its popular operating system, Ubuntu, using all four edges of the screen for a more immersive experience.
ENGADGET: Canonical announces Ubuntu for smartphones, we go hands-on (video)
The NOR type needs to be ultrafast because it is directly connected to the central processing unit of a computer and stores its basic input-output system (the operating system used by the microchip that lies beneath user-interface operating systems, such as Windows).
But the Washington state company hopes its 7-month-old Windows 8 operating system will become more popular as consumers get more familiar with its interface.
Though most of its user interface is totally new, the Kin runs an operating system based on many of the same components that underpin Windows Phone 7 and the Zune HD.
The Ascend G 330 runs Android's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and incorporates Huawei's own HAP 5.1 Android interface, which enables easy one-step access to key features from the unlock screen, including call, messaging and camera functions.
ENGADGET: Huawei Ascend G 330 lands on UK shores through TalkTalk
Jolicloud is a stripped down operating system that, instead of running software, connects to Web services using their application programming interface (API).
Bug-for-bug compatibility is a problem, but breaking backward compatibility would be a much bigger problem, so even as the lowest layers of the operating system are revised and rewritten, the layers that applictions talk to (the application programming interface, or API) are carefully tested to ensure that no changes are visible to the application.
It leverages Apple's iOS operating system and its corresponding SDK (Software Development Kit) to provide a two-way communication interface between apps and connected accessories.
ENGADGET: Oscium's iMSO-104 turns iPad, iPhone into mixed signal oscilloscopes
Another entrant, Jolla, says its 'Sailfish' platform is a second-generation operating system like BlackBerry's BB10 and is easy to use because it has a gesture-based user interface and is designed to avoid patent litigation.
应用推荐