OS Heaven

Fresh out of a sick leave, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is set to unveil a new operating system at a developers’ conference next week. The OS, dubbed “Lion,” will be revealed alongside iOS 5, the new version of the mobile OS powering the iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. Also in the lineup is iCloud, Apple’s answer to the cloud computing industry currently dominated by Google and Microsoft.

Lion will be the eighth version released of Mac OS X, which has been included in all Apple computers since 2002. Its predecessor, the Snow Leopard, was released in June 2009. Lion will be shown at the opening of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, which runs from June 6 to 10.

The conference will center on Apple’s latest developments in the Mac OS X and iOS systems. It will also feature more than 1,000 of the company’s engineers, who will be running hands-on labs and technical sessions to show developers how to make the most of Apple’s operating systems.

Jobs has just returned from his third highly publicized sick leave in the last few years, following a pancreatic cancer operation in 2004 and a liver transplant in 2009. These haven’t deterred him from business and public appearances; just this year, he made a surprise appearance at an iPad 2 launch in San Francisco.

The Lion OS will combine the power of the Mac OS X with the portability and ease of use of the iPad, according to Apple. It is scheduled for release in summer 2011, although previews were already released in last October’s “Back to the Mac” event. A developer’s version was also released to members of the company’s developer program last February.

Features will include a Mac App Store, where users can access a huge collection of apps from over 90 countries, and Launchpad, which lets them pull up installed apps instantly, as the iPad does. Apps can also be viewed on a full screen without distracting from other tasks, and while allowing for easy navigation between apps. A new feature called Mission Control lets users see everything that’s running on the computer at a glance.

The new OS boasts an “aqua” theme, which includes overlay scrollbars, popovers, and various animations that make for a more iPad-like experience. Road warriors will also appreciate the safety features, which include auto-save, resumption of app activities, and sandboxing, which keeps apps from disrupting network and local activity.

Of the many rivalries in the smartphone industry, the Android vs. Windows question has plagued smartphone users for perhaps the longest time—and no side seems to be giving way. BlueStacks, a Silicon Valley startup, may just have the answer for undecided users: why not get both?

Working on its ideal of a pro-choice mobile market (i.e., users shouldn’t have to pay for two apps when they only need one), BlueStacks has been hard at work on a technology that would allow users to run Android apps on devices with a Windows OS.

For a while, the idea was believed to have tanked. Several months after the news went out, a final, streamlined product had yet to hit the shelves. These speculations were put to an end with news of a Series A financing deal from a group of venture capitalists, who agreed to shell $7.6 million to push the project along.

The program would allow Windows devices to run Android apps and vice versa, eliminating the need to buy two apps for two separate devices. Developers have also promised a “nearly seamless” experience, meaning there would be practically no lag time in cross-platform usage.

The benefits also extend to both Windows and Android developers, according to experts. While buyers will be buying less of each app and device (since one will work on both systems), the demand for new and existing ones will be much larger. Android developers can cater to Windows and Android users alike. It can also speed up release as there’s no need to optimize one app for several systems.

Parallels, an Android program, allows some integration between the two but is still highly limited. With BlueStacks’s software, Android and Windows platforms can share drivers and utilities alongside small apps. Users will be able to print Android documents on a Windows printer, for example, or make Skype calls on Android through Windows VoIP.

BlueStacks is currently focusing on making Android apps compatible with x86 devices, particularly notebooks, netbooks, tablets, and all-in-one computers (AIOs). A beta version is expected in the next two months. The technology will be pre-loaded on some OEM products, so initially it won’t cost customers any more than the device itself.

Citrix, a San Francisco-based virtualization and cloud computing firm, says BlueStacks’s idea can benefit businesses as well. CEO Mark Templeton said it can allow IT personnel to “embrace consumerization,” making certain apps more accessible and increasing employee productivity.

An aging population in the West means that many corporate leaders are retiring. For big companies, this means a time for  succession planning—the practice of identifying promising employees and developing them to take on senior roles. Unlike small businesses, whose focus is on finding and keeping new talent, larger firms like to promote within their own talent pool.

Why is business succession planning so important? Why can’t it be as simple as handing your job over to whoever’s been there the longest? It’s because the jobs involved usually entail lots of responsibility, calling not just for skills and training but a certain level of dedication. With a good succession plan, you protect company traditions, maintain your image, build new values, and ensure that your company is prepared for future challenges.

The succession planning process can take up to five years for complex operations. Your plan should cover your company’s market value, goals and objectives, key decision-making points, and training for specific skills. Often, this means tracking candidates’ performance over the years, rather than a spot check. After all, you expect your successor to stay in position for the long run.

Among the key tasks in business succession planning is overseeing the company’s talent pool. After identifying employees with high potential, you must train them in a wide range of areas, from leadership and decision-making to managing different teams. You must also take steps to retain these candidates—making them part of a talent pool gives them an incentive to stay longer with the company. Most importantly, you want to keep them available and flexible—they must be ready to step into key roles and deliver on short notice.

In widespread operations with bigger talent pools, succession planning software can help make the job easier. By organizing all employee information in a single database, succession software allows you to better track employees and their performance. Human resources directors can also use this to keep tabs on employee development, identify weak and strong points, and recommend training as needed. It also helps employees choose career paths that best suit their interests, which in turn helps the company retain their best talents.

Business succession planning should be high up on every entrepreneur’s priorities, especially as the marketplace grows and employee retention becomes more challenging. With a good game plan and the right succession planning tools, you can make sure your business is always in good hands.

Google and Apple have long fought over whose mobile operating system—Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS—is used on more devices. Consumer research group Nielsen Co. put an end to the bickering (at least for the moment) with its first quarter report, which declares Google the market winner.

Nielsen’s latest numbers show that Android has the biggest market share at 37%, zooming past iOS’s 27%. It has even beat the iPhone, Apple’s strongest offering, as the most desired gadget: a solid 50% of new handset owners went with Android, while iOS only reported half as much.

The Blackberry OS by Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) came in a close third with a 22% market share. Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 and its previous versions make up 10% of the smartphone market—far from making Google run for its money, but still an impressive feat considering the OS was off to a slow start.

Symbian, run by Finnish manufacturer Nokia and used primarily in Nokia handsets, continued its long decline after registering only 1% of smartphone sales. The release of its newest version, Symbian^3, failed to boost market shares.

Nielsen’s report also included a section called “next desired operating system,” where they asked respondents which OS they would choose if they upgrade. Android was the only OS to improve in this category since last quarter, posting an increase from 26% to 31%. iOS dipped slightly to 30% from 33%, and BlackBerry fell to 11%. Symbian remained at 0%, the only OS not to have shown any change.

A surprising  number of respondents answered the question with “not sure,” growing from 18% last quarter to 20% today. Experts believe it might be the growing presence of other operating systems, such as Windows Phone 7 and Hewlett-Packard’s WebOS, in the mainstream market. There are now six systems competing for market share, and people are clearly starting to realize that Android and iOS are not the only options.

The shift to a more crowded mainstream isn’t new—it’s already happened in the PC market, where there are about a dozen operating systems (counting Linux ones). Though it’s little threat to the dominance of the main players, it’s good news for consumers, who will have more options at their disposal.

Google will surely find new ways to widen its distance with Apple, but it looks like it won’t be easy. The latter has just released the iOS 4.3, whose added features—including an HD video outlet, iTunes Home Sharing, and enhanced AirPlay—are expected to lure media-savvy users back to their side.

Search giant Google Inc. was ordered to pay $5 million in fines by an Eastern District of Texas court for using Linux technology, patented by Bedrock Computer Technologies, in its Android operating system.

Bedrock, which filed the patent in 1997 and received it in 1999, wants to stop Google from using its Linux kernel code. The jury may require the latter to remove the code from their operating system. If the claim holds, the verdict can affect a number of other companies who use Linux or Linux-based operating systems. These include Intel Corp and Nokia Corp, which use the same kernel for their MeeGo OS.

In an interview with BBC, Google executives said the rise of patent litigations is forcing companies to overspend on “questionable” claims. The millions of dollars spent defending old patents could instead be invested in newer technologies and create jobs in the process, they added. The company called the case an attack on the open source community, and said it would continue to defend against them.

The complaint was originally filed against Google in 2009 in East Texas, where Bedrock is based. In the original document, other companies including PayPal, Amazon, Match.com, Yahoo, AOL, and MySpace were also accused of violating the Linux code patent. Google was the first of these companies to appear in court, possibly because they had the most Linux-based products.

The trial began on April 11th with Bedrock claiming Google violated the first two terms of its patent, and Google denying the claims and adding that the patent was in fact invalid. The jury ruled in favor of Bedrock on April 15th.

Google representatives say they plan to appeal the verdict. Experts believe they will try to get the patent proven invalid based on its original defebse, although history suggests the process can drag on for years. Other affected companies may have pay hefty royalties and license fees if the patent remains in place.

The Linux issue is one of several that have been filed against Google since the release of Android, a mobile operating system. In another case filed last August, Oracle Corp. accused Google of infringing on Java patents by using its virtual machine technology in Android. The patents were transferred during the merger with Sun Microsystems, Java’s original developer.

Many expect Google to make changes to its Android code kernel, or replace it altogether to avoid more infringement claims.