1. Android
The iPhone dominated technology news in 2007, 2008 and 2009. It’s hard to argue that any other device, software program or piece of technology had more of an impact on a culture and an industry as each version launched through the years.
It’s no longer so cut-and-dry. In 2010, Android displaced the iPhone as the best-selling smartphone platform in the U.S., powered many of the hottest smartphones including the EVO 4G, Droid X and Samsung Galaxy S.
The Android Market grew by leaps and bounds and more and more developers indicated that they see Android as the long-term path to success.
But the real news with Android wasn’t just on phones. E-book readers, laptops, tablet and slate computers, Google TV set-top boxes, car systems, television sets — you name it, an Android-based variation is either out or probably in the works.
Android’s rise from second or third-tier mobile platform to mobile superstar and embedded system of the future is certainly one of the biggest stories of 2010.
2. iOS
Apple may have faced some tough competition in 2010, but the company didn’t let iOS sit idle. The fourth generation iPhone, the introduction of iOS and of course, the iPad still showed that Apple is in this game to play.
As a platform, iOS continues to enjoy the largest mobile application store (200,000 apps and counting) and is the commercial platform of choice for many developers both large and small. With iOS 4, the company added some new features to bring the OS to parity with some of the competition, features like folders and multitasking and better notifications, while still introducing its own special features like FaceTime, Game Center and the iBook store.
Still, the biggest thing to happen to iOS was the iPad. The iPad is not just one of the biggest technology stories of the year, it’s one of the most successful product launches of all time. Millions of units have sold in the last six months with supply levels finally reaching the point that the device can be sold from outlets like Target, Walmart and Amazon.com.
The iPad is helping transform the publishing industry, is being used in education, and is appealing to users and buyers of all stripes.
iOS faces more competition than ever but the platform continues to remain strong and for many, is still the undisputed champion when it comes to a consistent, usable user interface.
3. Windows Phone 7
Microsoft isn’t a company that can often be described as the underdog in any arena. In mobile, however, it’s a pretty fair assessment. After ditching its Windows Mobile platform (now dubbed Windows Phone Classic), Microsoft formally announced Windows Phone 7 in February of 2010.
The phones will be hitting store shelves in Europe and Asia in a couple of weeks, with North America following soon after. With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is doing a very un-Microsoft thing and cutting all ties to its legacy Windows Mobile platform. Starting from the ground-up, Windows Phone 7 takes a refreshingly different approach to interface and smartphone user motifs.
Part Zune, part portable Xbox, part mini computer, Windows Phone 7 is taking a bit of a different path than its competitors like Android, iOS and BlackBerry. These differences are how Microsoft hopes it can distinguish itself in the marketplace.
Whether Windows Phone 7 is different enough or powerful enough to win back some of the mobile market, we’ll have to wait and see. Still, we wouldn’t bet against Microsoft’s ability to rally.
4. Unity
Unity isn’t a platform per se, it’s an integrated authoring tool for creating 3D video games. The Unity engine was already acclaimed for its role for making games for the web and Mac and PC, but it really helped game developers go to the next level when Unity iOS hit the scene.
Thanks to Unity, game developers can more rapidly create compelling and complex 3D worlds and do better device testing, without having to know all of the ins and outs of Xcode. More than 1,000 iOS games have been built using Unity, including best-sellers like Skee-Ball and Zombieland USA.
Unity is currently in beta for Android and will be available soon. In April, it looked like Unity might be affected by Apple’s brief ban on third-party programming tools. Unity was always confident its platform would be safe, and after Apple relaxed its guidelines in September, Unity’s place in the mobile platform development ecosystem was solidified.
5. Appcelerator
Like Unity, Appcelerator isn’t a platform per se, it’s more of a toolkit for helping web developers create native applications for the iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry operating systems.
Appcelerator’s Titanium platform has experienced terrific growth over the last year, with companies big and small turning to the platform as a way to cut down on development time, while still creating applications that are native, fast and intuitive.
What makes Appcelerator and other cross-platform toolkits important in the world of mobile application development is that they help break down some of the barriers to getting software created in the first place. iOS is one of the most commercially viable software platforms of the moment and tons of developers want to get started building apps. The problem is, if your background is in PHP and JavaScript, jumping into Objective-C and Cocoa might be a bit tough.
This isn’t to say that learning more about the native OS platforms isn’t a good idea — it is — but tools like Titanium can make that learning process less intimidating, while also making it easier to build apps in a language you know, and you can still gett the benefit of the native toolchains and UI kits.
As more and more devices hit the market, each with its own slight or major variation, the need for cross-platform development tools and platforms is only gong to increase. We think that Appcelerator is a great example of cross-platform development done right.
