Huawei could give Sailfish OS a much deserved new lease of life
If there is an operating system for smartphones aside from Android that has always attracted my attention and has never disappointed me, it would certainly be Sailfish OS. Jolla's operating system with gesture navigation and support for Android apps could be set for a comeback thanks to Huawei and its problems with the US!
If you've been following the news of the last few weeks, you know how Huawei is now struggling for its survival in the world of mobile telephony outside of China. The US has imposed a ban on Huawei that prevents it from having business relationships with US companies and as a result many brands have pulled the plug on the Chinese giant. Among these, Google stands out because it can no longer certify smartphones to run Android and cannot sign the agreements necessary for the inclusion in Android of Google services and Gapps.
There have been many rumors about the existence of a proprietary operating system of Huawei ready to upset the market, however we know well that the prospects of success in a world split between Android and iOS is not so easy. Windows Phone and many others confirm this.
The latest reports indicated how the Chinese brand had accelerated the development of this mysterious Hongmeng OS (Ark OS for the West) and aimed to have it ready by this fall for the launch of Mate 30 Pro. It is even rumored that major companies such as OPPO and Xiaomi are considering adopting the new operating system and that Honmeng OS natively supports Android applications and points to advanced security features. The news even talked about a 60% performance improvement over Android, which is hard to believe if you're somehow emulating that system to run your apps.
The Bell's new report has lit up hope once again, however...
Aurora OS might be the best choice
Looking at the global smartphone landscape it is difficult to see a valid candidate to become the replacement for Android. Windows Phone is dead, even with all the might of Microsoft behind it. Ubuntu Touch is a project on which there is not too much emphasis (to say the least). Firefox OS has never convinced. WebOS by LG (formerly HP/Palm) and Tizen are mainly used on TVs and wearable and smart home devices.
How to solve this problem? There is no time to develop or complete a complete and reliable operating system, it is useless to tell stories.
There is one more player in this game that has never stopped playing below and that has not received the attention it deserves so far, in my opinion. I'm talking about Sailfish OS, Jolla's operating system. The holographic OS that impressed with a system of practical and intelligent gestures years before iOS and Android is still in development and it is even possible to buy a license and run it officially on some Sony Xperia smartphones.
In addition, Sailfish OS has found its market in Russia where it has even experienced support for different types of feature phones. The Bell mentions two sources that report that the executive of Huawei Guo Ping discussed the use of Aurora OS with Konstantin Noskov, the Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.
But do you know what the most interesting feature of Sailfish OS is? Compatibility with Android applications thanks to the so-called Alien Dalvik that Jolla uses under license. Sailfish OS 3 supports the installation of Android applications with Oreo 8.1 compatibility and, with a little practice, even supports many Google services! Aurora OS is a fork of Sailfish that is Open Source and could be a good starting point to build the new OS for Huawei!
So far, it's all speculation.
These (and the previous ones) are, however, only speculations. Take these leaks with a little salt and don't do like me: don't get excited about the arrival of a million smartphones with Sailfish OS on board because otherwise you could be very disappointed...
Remember that the US ban on Huawei will become effective in August and many things can still happen. In addition Huawei, apart from confirming that he has been working for years on a replacement for Android, has not released any official statement on what we can expect.
How would you see a Mate 30 Pro with Sailfish OS and compatibility with Android applications?
Via: Xda Developers Source: The Bell
