Symbian^3 vs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Symbian^3 and Gingerbread (Android 2.3) are two operating systems that are intended for smartphones. The main difference between the two is their age and track record. Gingerbread is simply a major update to the Android OS that adds more features, supports more hardware, and fixes previously found bugs. Although Symbian^3 shares the same name as the older Symbian S60, it is actually a completely new OS which is both a good and bad thing. Good because it no longer has the weaknesses associated with the aged S60, and bad because Symbian^3 does not inherit applications from its predecessor.
Because Gingerbread is just an upgraded version of Android, it has gone through a lot of scrutiny, both by the development team and ordinary users, and multiple fixes have been released in order to correct the bugs found. In comparison, the recentness of Symbian^3 and the very small number of handsets using it mean that there may still be some bugs that have not been found yet.
The lack of apps is one of the major disadvantages of Symbian^3. Since it does not inherit the apps found on older Symbian platforms, the list starts at virtually zero. On the other hand, Gingerbread already has hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from, and many more are being created every day.
Symbian expected the app shortage to change very quickly as more phones use the OS and developers flock to provide content to those phones. But Nokia’s decision to move away from Symbian and adopt Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 has taken the proverbial wind from Nokia’s sail. Up to the present, it is still a major question whether another company would adopt Symbian^3 or if it will just die a natural death. Gingerbread is not only adequately supported but is also sought after by many users who often complain when manufacturers do not promptly release an update for their phones.
Clearly, the choice between Symbian^3 and Gingerbread is quite easy to make. One is an excellent OS with a proven track record and more than enough apps. The other is new and untested, doesn’t have a definite future, and only has a handful of applications.
Summary:
1.Symbian^3 is completely new while Gingerbread is just an upgrade.
2.Gingerbread has undergone stricter scrutiny than Symbian^3.
3.Gingerbread has considerably more apps than Symbian^3.
4.Gingerbread enjoys plenty of support while Symbian^3 lacks so much.