Two new operating system developments could signal a fundamental shift in the way in which we work and browse online, especially while on the move.

Most of us spend the vast majority of our computer time actually online, so Google Chrome OS is essentially a browser that also works as an operating system. You can create documents and view video, be on social network sites and catch up on email all at the same time from a single page.

Because your computer doesn’t need to load all the various elements of your operating system you are taken straight into Google Chrome OS within seconds of booting up.

It will support Android applications, and while initially it’s principle appeal with be among those who need to access and share information speedily on the move, it will also be available on desktops.

As every function is performed online, all files are stored on the internet, much like information such as webmail you access via your phone or desktop.

This is known as ‘Cloud Computing’, with your browser replacing your hard drive and becoming, to all intents and purposes, your computer.

At Optix we monitor these developments as they progress from research projects into reality, and can help customers design solutions and identify new opportunities generated by these shifts in the way we all work and behave online.

On September 23rd last year the 2 billionth application, or app, was downloaded to an Apple iPhone, just over two years after it was first launched in June 2007 and one of over 100,000 apps now available – and counting.

2010 promises to be the year that the explosion in mobile application technology will move beyond the iPhone and be developed and supported across many more mobile platforms, including the likes of Blackberry and Symbian.

At the centre of this important shift is the development of Google’s Android, a new mobile operating system that will allow for the downloading of apps to any Android enabled phone or handheld.

One of the fundamental changes this will bring is that, unlike with the current generation of iPhones, people will be able to customise what is on their mobiles, both touch screens and keypads.

The market is now open to some of the biggest mobile manufacturers and network providers, who are now launching their own generation of Android phones.

By enabling customers to pick and choose the apps they download from third party publishers and developers, Android looks set to initiate a boom in the development of new and existing apps for a massively expanded market.

Even though not yet universally available here, all the indications are that Android enabled phones are beginning to capture the public imagination. Just this week 21% of would-be smartphone buyers polled in the US said they planned to buy an Android device in the next 90 days and by November last year almost 800 million people worldwide had requested information from phone manufacturers.

At Optix we believe advances such as Android will offer huge opportunities for customers to source new markets and enhance their brand by enabling them to produce their own tailor-made apps for mobiles.

Our team will work with you to develop apps for both the iPhone and the new expanding platforms that feature your products or services or open a mobile-enabled version of your website at the touch of a button or key.