Windows Mobile vs. Maemo vs. WebOS: which is the best smartphone OS?

Let's take a look at three of the hottest smartphones available on the market, and see whether Windows Mobile, Maemo or WebOS is the OS to buy.

HTC HD2

If you're talking big screens, there's no way you can avoid the HTC HD2, because it holds the record for the biggest screen seen on a mobile phone. At a huge 4.3 inches, it is truly vast, and the high, 800x480 resolution makes it genuinely easy to use things like scrollbars in menus. However, the HTC HD2 actually does a very good job of making it so you don't have to go into standard Windows menus that often, as on top of the operating system, the interface is HTC's patented TouchFLO 3D setup, where everything is achieved through various finger swipes and sweeping gestures. It is truly intuitive, and it (along with the truly awesome 1GHz Snapdragon processor) is the reason why the HTC HD2 is such an unmitigated joy to use. Of course, it's not all about being pretty, a phone needs to have decent features and the HTC HD2 has them in spades, from the 5 megapixel camera, through GPS, to incredibly fast HSDPA internet access (not to mention the superb Opera Mobile web browser). To a lot of people, the HTC HD2 is the best Windows Mobile ever made...

Nokia N900

Nokia's latest smartphone if the first in a new breed; it's the first phone ever to use the new Maemo interface (previously seen in Nokia's internet tablet range). Say hello to the Nokia N900. That Maemo OS gives the Nokia N900 a finger friendly interface, and on top of that, the phone has a built in QWERTY keyboard, so it has more ways to access the phone than ever before. It's not just about the interface, though, as the Nokia N900 is packed with high-end features. A 5 megapixel camera makes for superb photos, the multimedia playback is stunning, and with HSDPA and GPS, the Nokia N900 certainly isn't short of connectivity options.

Palm Pre

So, the Nokia N900 offers the brilliant, open source Maemo OS, and the HTC HD2 offers the best screen and processor in the business. And since Palm have been around for years, one must ask: what does the Palm Pre offer that's different? Well, one could talk about the WebOS interface it uses, as it's unique in the annals of phone history. And indeed, there's one feature of WebOS, directly related to the keyboard, that makes the Palm Pre so cool. Universal search. Now, many phones do that, but the Palm Pre does it so much more cleverly. Just start typing what you want to know about, from the front screen, and the Palm Pre will search your contacts, apps, music, pictures, and even the internet, to interpret and find what you're looking for. That really is a cool feature, and it may well make the Palm Pre the coolest QWERTY phone out there. If you value the interface above all else, the Palm Pre is the phone for you.