Verizon Wireless has seen the number of mobile operating systems continue to grow over the past several years, and hopes to reduce the number of operating systems available in the future.
Consumers looking for a new mobile phone have to contend with a number of different of different mobile operating systems: Research In Motion's BlackBerry, Apple iPhone, Google Android, Windows Mobile, and Symbian, among others, which clutter the mobile OS space -- tech savvy consumers know the pros and cons of each OS, but the average user likely just wants an OS that works.
In an ideal world, Verizon hopes to reduce the number of operating systems from around 10 down to just three or four -- a reduction in OSes would help Verizon reduce the time it takes to bring new phones to the open market.
Verizon has teamed up with Vodafone and Softbank to try and create one single software platform able to allow developers to more easily create applications. The sheer number of platforms forces developers to pick and choose which ones they work with, or causes delays while the software is ported to all platforms.
The company reportedly isn't interested in turning its back on any specific operating systems, but understands that there could be too much confusion among developers in the future. Not surprisingly, Verizon didn't mention which mobile platforms could be selected, but it's likely Symbian, Android, Windows Mobile and BlackBerry would be selected.
Most Verizon phones, excluding smartphones, use a Qualcomm-based software platform.
