Android's mobile operating system is based on the Linux
kernel and is the world's best-selling Smartphone.
There are currently over 200,000 apps available for Android that are
made accessible through the Android Market,
which is the online app store run by Google.
The apps are primarily
written in Java.
The Android
operating system, including the Linux kernel, contains
approximately 12
million lines of code.
In this there are: 3 million lines of XML, 2.8 million lines of C, 2.1 million lines of Java, and 1.75
million lines of C++.
Android Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California in October, 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White.
Their goal was to develop a "smarter mobile device that was more aware of its owner's location and
preferences.”
They operated secretively,
admitting only that they
were working on software
for mobile phones.
Google acquired Android Inc. in August, 2005,
making Android Inc. a wholly owned part of Google Inc.
Nick Sears was the only original founder that did not stay with Android Inc. after the acquisition.
At this point in time, many assumed that
Google was planning to
enter the mobile phone
market with this move.
Once at Google, Rubin led a team to develop a mobile device platform powered by the Linux kernel.
Google marketed the platform to handset makers and carriers with the intent of providing a flexible, upgradable system.
This caused speculation about Google's intention to enter the mobile
communications market
to build.
On October 21
st, 2008, Android 1.0 became available to the public.
"Today's announcement is more ambitious than any single 'Google
Phone' that the press has been speculating about over the past few weeks.
Our vision is that the powerful platform we're unveiling will power
thousands of different phone models.“
-Eric Schmidt, former
Google Chairman/CEO
Android Market application download and updates through the Market app
Web browser to show, zoom and pan full HTML and XHTML web pages - multiple pages show as windows ("cards")Video
Camera support, but no way to change resolution, white balance, quality, etc.
Folders allow the grouping of a number of app icons into a single folder icon on the Home screen.
Email provides access to email servers commonly found on the Internet and supports POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP.
Gmail synchronization with the Gmail app
Google Contacts synchronization with the People app
Google Calendar synchronization with the Calendar app
Google Maps with Latitude and Street View to view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business and get driving directions using GPS
Google Search of the internet and phone apps, contacts, calendar, etc.
Google Talk instant messaging.
Instant messaging, text messaging, and MMS.
Media Player enables managing, importing, and playing back but lacked video and stereo Bluetooth support
Notifications appear in the Status bar - drag down to see details, also ringtone, LEDs and vibration options.
Voice Dialer allows dialing and placing of phone calls without typing a name or number
Wallpaper allows the user to set the background image or photo behind the Home screen icons and widgets.
YouTube video player.
Other apps include: Alarm Clock, Calculator, Dialer (Phone), Home screen (launcher), Pictures (Gallery), and Settings.
Other supported features include: WiFi, and Bluetooth.
Handset Layouts
The platform is adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications, and traditional smartphone layouts.
Storage
SQLite, a lightweight relational database, is used for data
storage purposes
Connectivity
Android supports connectivity technologies including
GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (no
connections through Proxy server and no Ad hoc wireless network) LTE, NFC and WiMAX.
Messaging
SMS and MMS are available forms of messaging, including threaded text messaging and now Android Cloud to Device Messaging Framework is also a part of the Android Messaging service.
Multiple Language Support
Several languages are available on Android. The number of
languages more than doubled for the platform 2.3. However, it lacks font rendering of several languages even after official announcements of added support.
Web Browser
The web browser available for Android uses the open-source WebKit layout engine, along with Chrome's JavaScript engine.
Java Support
Most Android apps are written in Java, however, there is no Java Virtual Machine in the platform and Java byte code is not executed.
Java classes are compiled into Dalvik executables and run on the Dalvik virtual machine.
Dalvik is a specialized virtual machine designed specifically for Android and optimized for
battery-powered mobile devices with limited
memory and CPU.
Dalvik Virtual Machine
WebM
H.263
H.264 (in 3GP or MP4 container)
MPEG-4 SP
AMR
AMR-WB (in 3GP container)
AAC
HE-AAC (in MP4 or 3GP container)
MP3
MIDI
Ogg Vorbis
FLAC
WAV
JPEG
PNG
GIF
BMP Android supports the following audio/video/still media formats:
Android has support for multi-touch which was originally made available in handsets such as the HTC Hero.
The feature was
originally disabled at the kernel level (possibly to avoid infringing Apple's patents on touch-screen technology at the time).
Google has since
released an update for
the Nexus One and the
Motorola Droid which
enables multi-touch.
Latest version
available for mobile phones
Enhanced UI with more polish and
several refinements
Also adds support for NFC, which
allows for mobile
payments with only the use of the
device
Based on Android, Google TV allows your TV to be
connected to the
internet and all of
the media content
that it has to offer.
Designed for use on Tablet devices
Different UI
compared to
Version 2.3
Gingerbread
Android is the fastest growing mobile
operating system.
Its growing even faster than IOS!!
More developers are choosing to create Android applications
There are more than 200,000 apps
available.
Soon, Android will be able to
communicate with your own home and automate your life with
Android@Home!
Android “Ice Cream”
will combine
Gingerbread and
Honeycomb into one unified seamless
operating system.
Android will continue its growth and
dominance in the
mobile operating
system race.
Started as a small idea by a few
developers
Purchased by Google
First open source mobile operating system
Set higher standards for what a
smartphone should be
Fastest growing and most popular mobile OS available
The future of
mobile computing is Android!
