A member of a modding community has come up with a way to give you the best of both worlds; dual-booting software for running either WinMo or Android.
If you are the owner of a smartphone running Windows Mobile but you are jealous of the Android-based mobiles that are swamping the market at the moment, then this will no doubt be good news.
The member of the XDA-Developers community, which has already made Google Maps Navigation available in the UK and ported Motorola’s MotoBLUR onto the T-Mobile G1, released the hack that allows the user to choose either WinMo or Android to boot with as they turn on their mobile phone.
You will need to install the Android ROM onto your mobile before you implement the hack and it will work with various WinMo smartphones including the HTC Touch Diamond and Touch Pro.
Dual booting is nothing new to the world of desktop computing, with Apple’s Macs now able to run Windows operating systems, but for mobiles it still requires the work of hackers to unlock the full potential of any phone.
Currently the hacker is working on an updated dual boot exploit that will allow WinMo and Android to run on phones that use the WVGA resolution, whilst the current release is limited to VGA mobiles.
This will mean that the HTC HD2 will be able to run Android, which could save those who are looking forward to the HTC Supersonic a long wait.

Who will continue to rule the cell phone roost? Symbian, according to the research firm.

By 2013, IDC forecasts that worldwide shipments of smartphones will surpass 390 million units, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 20.9 percent.

“Mobile operating systems have become the key ingredient in the highly competitive mobile device market. Although the overall look and feel of the device will still play an important role in the buying process, the wrong choice of operating system coupled with an awkward user interface can mean the difference between success and failure,” said Stephen D. Drake, vice president, Mobility and Telecom, in prepared remarks.

Key takeaways from the report:

• Symbian will remain the No. 1 mobile OS worldwide, thanks to Nokia’s strength outside the U.S.
• Android will experience the fastest growth of any mobile operating system: from 690,000 units in 2008 to 68.0 million units by 2013 (that’s 150.4 percent compound annual growth).
• Linux and webOS handsets “will struggle.” Android will suck most of the life out of other Linux platforms and Palm’s webOS, despite steady growth, will be limited by restrained deployment and availability of devices across multiple carriers.

No mention of BlackBerry overlords RIM in the announcement, but judging by Android’s growth, that’s not a good sign for them, either.

Either way, there’s no way development market can sustain so many different platforms. And with Symbian (and Nokia) resting on its innovation laurels, it’s no surprise Android stands to benefit.

The IDC report is called “Worldwide Mobile OS 2009-2013 Forecast and Analysis.”