ANDROID to be World-wide #2?

See How Gartner Rates Smartphone Platforms

By Susan Nunziata

Dulaney also discussed iPhone OS 4.0, while acknowledging that Apple has supplied only a limited amount of information about the upgraded devices, due in June or July.

Until v. 4.0, Apple has resisted opening up the device's background processing in order to avoid risking battery life, according to Dulaney. With 4.0, "they created modules that have specific functions and, assuming those functions are in there, [your app] will get background privileges," he says.

Apple's initial 4.0 announcement in early April identified seven such background functions, including VoIP service and notification services that are relevant to the enterprise. However, Dulaney notes, "there was no background security module. So we don't see any progress where third parties can have full privileges for background processing [for security apps]." 

ANDROID

While some elements of Google's marketing strategy has left Gartner analysts "flummoxed" at times, Dulaney says "we expect them to be No. 2 in shipments by 2012, behind Symbian." That said, he noted, "Android is not recommended for any of our [enterprise] clients because it fails to have a security policy that enforces [the user's] password."

Dulaney added, "I believe Android is the best-designed user experience and user interface that is out there today. It is very consistent, it does things naturally at point you want to do it. It's better than iPhone."

Google's rapid release of multiple versions of its OS -- which are not all compatible with each other -- and the company's decision to offer some devices only online in its own Google store have created confusion in the market. 

In addition, he says, "Google has not understood that it needs to advertise its app store. The app store is the most important thing in the smartphone business. It creates the stickiness. Until Google identifies themselves with their app store, people buying these phones are going to think there are any number of platforms instead of just one. It's up to google to guide this thing."