Android is a software platform for mobile devices, powered by the Linux kernel, initially developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance. It allows developers to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.Applications written in C and other languages can be compiled to ARM native code and run, but this development path is not officially supported by Google.
The unveiling of the Android platform on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 48 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[6][7] Google released most of the Android code under the Apache license, a free-software and open source license.
Summary:
| Company / developer | Open Handset Alliance |
|---|---|
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Free and open source software |
| Initial release | 2008-10-21 |
| Latest stable release | 1.5 Release 1 / 2009-04-27 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| License | Apache 2.0 and GPLv2[1] |
| android.com | |
History
Alternative logo.In July 2005, Google acquired Android, Inc., a small startup company based in Palo Alto, California, USA.[9] Android’s co-founders who went to work at Google included Andy Rubin (co-founder of Danger[10]), Rich Miner (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.[11]), Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile[12]), and Chris White (headed design and interface development at WebTV[13]). At the time, little was known about the functions of Android, Inc. other than that they made software for mobile phones.[9] This began rumors that Google was planning to enter the mobile phone market, although it was unclear what function it might perform in that market.[citation needed]
At Google, the team, led by Rubin, developed a mobile device platform powered by Linux operating system which they marketed to handset makers and carriers on the premise of providing a flexible, upgradeable system.[citation needed] It was reported that Google had already lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part.[14][15][16]
Android at Googleplex.More speculation that Google would be entering the mobile-phone market came in December 2006.[17] Reports from the BBC and The Wall Street Journal noted that Google wanted its search and applications on mobile phones and it was working hard to deliver that. Print and online media outlets soon reported rumors that Google was developing a Google-branded handset.[18] More speculation followed reporting that as Google was defining technical specifications, it was showing prototypes to cell phone manufacturers and network operators. As many as 30 prototype phones were reported to be operating “in the wild.”
In September 2007, InformationWeek covered an Evalueserve study reporting that Google had filed several patent applications in the area of mobile telephony.
Open Handset Alliance founded
Main article: Open Handset Alliance
“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, Google Chairman/CEO
On 5 November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of several companies which include Broadcom Corporation, Google, HTC, Intel, LG, Marvell Technology Group, Motorola, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Texas Instruments, was unveiled with the goal to develop open standards for mobile devices.[2] Along with the formation of the Open Handset Alliance, the OHA also unveiled their first product, Android, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel version 2.6.
On 9 December 2008, it was announced that 14 new members would be joining the Android project including: ARM Holdings Plc, Atheros Communications, Asustek Computer Inc, Garmin Ltd, Softbank, Sony Ericsson,Toshiba Corp, and Vodafone Group Plc.
Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt took some time in the official press release to dispel all previous rumors and speculation about the existence of a stand-alone Google phone.
Licensing
Since 21 October 2008, Android has been available as open source. Google opened the entire source code (including network and telephony stacks[24]), which had previously been unavailable, under an Apache license.[25]
With the Apache License, vendors are free to add proprietary extensions without submitting those back to the open source community.
Android had been criticized for not being all open-source software despite what was announced by Google. Parts of the SDK are proprietary and closed source and some believe this is so that Google can control the platform.[26][27][28][29] The Android Software Development Kit License Agreement[30] states that:
3.2 You agree that Google (or Google’s licensors) own all legal right, title and interest in and to the SDK, including any intellectual property rights which subsist in the SDK. Use, reproduction and distribution of components of the SDK licensed under an open source software license are governed solely by the terms of that open source software license and not by this License Agreement. Until the SDK is released under an open source license, you may not extract the source code or create a derivative work of the SDK.
However, Google has since announced that all parts of the Android will be released under the Apache License where applicable and under the GPL elsewhere.[citation needed]
[edit] Updates
A cupcake was placed beside Android at the Googleplex to commemorate the 1.5 release of Android.Although an open-source product, some Android software development has been continuing in a private development branch. In order to bring this software into public view, a read-only mirror branch has been created, known as cupcake. It is thought the name comes from Marissa Mayer, who has an obsession with cupcakes.[31] Cupcake is commonly misunderstood as the title of an actual update, but as stated on Google’s development website: “cupcake is still very much a work in progress. It is a development branch, not a release.”[32] Notable changes to the Android software that will be introduced in cupcake include changes to the download manager, the framework, Bluetooth, the system software, radio and telephony, developer tools, the build system and several applications, as well as a number of bug fixes.[32] The exact update time frame remains unclear.[33] Future Android releases will supposedly use alphabetically-increasing codenames named after desserts: cupcake, donut, éclair, etc.[citation needed]
On April 30, 2009, the official 1.5 update for Android was released.[34][35] There are several new features and UI updates included in the 1.5 update:
Ability to record and watch videos with the camcorder mode
Uploading videos to Youtube and pictures to Picasa directly from the phone
A new soft keyboard with an “Autocomplete” feature
Ability to automatically connect to a Bluetooth headset within a certain distance
New widgets and folders that can populate the desktop
Animations between screens
Copy and paste
Features
The Android Emulator home screen.Current features and specifications
Handset layouts The platform is adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 1.0 specifications, and traditional smartphone layouts.
Storage The Database Software SQLite is used for data storage purposes
Connectivity Android supports connectivity technologies including GSM/EDGE, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.
Messaging SMS and MMS are available forms of messaging including threaded text messaging.
Web browser Main article: WebKit
The web browser available in Android is based on the open-source WebKit application framework.
Dalvik virtual machine Software written in Java can be compiled into Dalvik bytecodes and executed in the Dalvik virtual machine, which is a specialized VM implementation designed for mobile device use, although not technically a standard Java Virtual Machine.
Media support Android supports the following audio/video/still media formats: MPEG-4, H.264, MP3, AAC, MIDI, OGG, AMR, JPEG, PNG, GIF.
Additional hardware support Android can utilize video/still cameras, touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, and accelerated 3D graphics.
Development environment Includes a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, a plugin for the Eclipse IDE.
Market Main article: Android Market
Similar to the App Store on the iPhone OS, The Android Market is a catalog of applications that can be downloaded and installed to target hardware over-the-air, without the use of a PC. Originally only freeware applications were supported. Paid-for apps have been available on Android Market since 19 February 2009.
Multi-touch Android has native support for multi-touch but the feature is disabled (possibly to avoid infringing Apple patents on touch-screen technology[41]). An unofficial mod has been developed that enables multi-touch.
Hardware products running Android
Released
HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1)The HTC Dream (also marketed as T-Mobile G1, Era G1 in Poland) was the first phone to the market that uses the Android platform.[43][44] The phone is part of an open standards effort of the Open Handset Alliance.
It was released in the US on October 22, 2008, in the UK on October 30, 2008, in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic on January 31, 2009,[47], Poland on February 23, 2009, Australia on February 05, and will be available in other countries including Singapore, France and Germany in early 2009.
The HTC Magic, the successor to the Dream, went on sale in Europe on 27 April 2009.The Magic is similar to the Dream but without the slide-out keyboard, instead using an on-screen keyboard. It will become more widely available in May,[55] initially exclusive to Vodafone customers in Spain, the UK, Germany and France (SFR) and non-exclusively in Italy, with more countries to follow.
Chinese company Qigi released a version of its i6 (formerly Windows Mobile) device running Android in December 2008.The device is manufactured by Chinese ODM TechFaith.
HKC Pearl, which claims to dual-boot Windows Mobile 6.1 and Android.
HKC Imobile v413, an Android build similar to the HTC Touch.
Read Further on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Android
