Another handy feature here is the ability to hide or lock certain panels, and we can already imagine the use case of stowing away rarely used system apps or bloatware.
ENGADGET: Smartisan OS unveiled in China, takes a fresh approach to Android UI design
Unlike Apple's closed system for apps, in which the company must approve all products in its store, Google's platform is far more open.
The Android system also lets apps from outside stores be loaded onto the phones and tablets that use it.
It adds that the lightweight nature of the system means that apps should run smoothly and offer "optimal battery life" on low-end devices.
BBC: First Firefox phones revealed by Mozilla and Geeksphone
The Rhapsody iPhone app will be fully integrated into the BMW Apps system, meaning users will be able to not only use the vehicle controls to find and listen to their favorite tracks, but also navigate Rhapsody's music discovery tools, which have been adapted for in-car use.
ENGADGET: BMW and Mini cars add iOS integration for Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn
Moving forward, these capabilities will enable live video conferencing and video calling through websites instead of through native apps or system level controls.
FORBES: Google's New Chrome Browser Can Take Over Your Webcam, Should You Be Scared?
Running in the background, too many third-party apps overuse system resources, memory, and network to the point where almost any machine with multitasking capability ends up running slowly and killing battery life.
ENGADGET: Entelligence: Mobile multitasking is mostly a myth
As previously mentioned, developers will be welcomed to the fold this year with APIs and a HTML5 SDK in the works for introducing new apps for the system.
ENGADGET: QNX outfits a Bentley Continental GT with Car Platform 2.0, we go hands-on (video)
Conflict-minded Apple fans argue that Android phones are less slick and uglier, and that they junk up the system with low-quality apps generated in its open developer community.
The system actually runs the services apps need in the background -- the apps don't need to do them individually, so it's not a "true" multitasking system, but it seems plenty effective.
ENGADGET: Multitasking comes to iPhone OS 4.0 -- but not to the iPhone 3G
On the HP, Windows 8 proved so buggy at first that I couldn't even get back to the Start Screen home base for the system after opening apps and the computer froze up frequently.
WSJ: A Review of Windows 8 Upgrade: Not for Old-at-Heart PCs
Still, for some weird reason, only a portion of the bundled apps have Dynamic Display switch enabled by default, so users will need to go into "ASUS customized setting" in system settings to choose more apps.
ENGADGET: ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo
Like other mobile operating system makers, Microsoft distributes its apps through an online app store.
FORBES: Microsoft Explains Windows Phone 7 Design Restrictions
The company could hardly do otherwise, after its CEO Tim Cook encouraged users to try other apps while its own system was improved.
However, many big developers will likely wait to see the initial reaction to BlackBerry 10 before sinking money into creating apps for the new system.
CNN: With BlackBerry 10, struggling phone maker eyes comeback
Garmin's new multi-controller concept provides a new and unique way of controlling essential functions of an in-car infotainment system, such as audio, apps, communications and navigation.
Ultimately, a China-domestic smart phone operating system (with Chinese-made apps) plus a domestic mobile search engine will be the best strategic 3G smart phone combination for MII.
Dropbox, Windows Live Mesh, Splashtop HD, Spotify, Logitech Media Server and other apps ran simultaneously behind Media Center and other apps without stressing the system.
ENGADGET: How-to: Build a multi-talented HTPC for (roughly) $1,000
As Windows 8 has been developed to work well with portable devices such as tablets, Microsoft has been working to create an ecosystem of apps for the operating system.
This improvement is likely due to a growing array of new features and services being offered that are providing a seamless product experience between the operating system functions and third-party apps.
ENGADGET: J.D. Power: average smartphone satisfaction is up, fights are fierce for second place
In addition to checking daily for security updates, Mountain Lion includes app sandboxing to keep misbehaving apps from compromising your system, and kernel ASLR for improved protection against buffer overflow attacks.
ENGADGET: Apple brings Dictation to the Mac, tells Siri to stay in the car
Running Windows is all well and good, but when you're running the RT flavor, which strips compatibility with the entire, massive and still-swelling catalog of Windows applications, you're left with a desktop-class operating system completely bereft of any desktop apps.
The Nexus 7 tablet, which goes on sale this month, is the first-ever Android tablet sold by Google, part of its efforts to convince developers to create apps for its mobile system and users to buy into its online marketplace called Google Play.
FORBES: Google Should Break Even On Nexus 7 Tablet, At $152 To Build, IHS iSuppli Says
In December, China issued what is known as a technical barrier to trade notification to the World Trade Organization that detailed a proposed law requiring handset makers ensure preloaded apps and operating-system updates are in accordance with Chinese laws before the phones are sold in China.
Unlike Apple, which places increasingly tight control over what people can put on iPads, Google seems to want as many outsiders as possible to put anything they want on Android, with the fastest possible velocity of successful apps moving through the system (love an app, and you can automatically Tweet a link to its app store location).
It features improved performance throughout the system, including faster orientation changes, faster responses when switching between recent apps, and smoother and more consistent rendering across the system through v-sync and triple buffering.
ENGADGET: eFun unveils Nextbook 7GP for $130: 7-inch screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1
Consider that Facebook has a thriving system for mobile development and even desktop apps (which is the case with Spotify).
Considering the implications this has for developers, putting together a system for discovering the continuing influx of apps is as important as ever.
That way, if anyone wants to start pushing tunes (or apps) to your sound system, you have to enter a four-digit code of your choosing.
ENGADGET: Ask Engadget: what's the best way to arrange a protected AirPlay setup?
When iPad appeared in 2010, it plugged right into that system, quickly earning 100, 000 apps, and we all started talking about the battle of the mobile ecosystems.
应用推荐