Android Android Hit the road with Android Auto Android Auto now works right on your phone screen. The world’s most popular mobile OS From phones and watches to cars and TVs, customize your digital life with Android. Instant answers, anywhere Now on Tap can anticipate your needs in the moment. With a simple tap, get an instant shortcut to just the right answers at exactly the right time. Browse phones Your world at a glance With an Android Wear smartwatch you can read and respond to messages, even when your phone isn’t with you. And with it’s always-on display, you’ll always see important info like time, calls and notifications.* With more apps than iOS, Android puts a world of options at your fingertips. Apps Carousel Explore a selection of Android applications that you can use to make your Android phone, tablet, wearable, auto console and television one-of-a-kind. Use the previous and next buttons, as well as the keyboard arrows, to change the displayed item.

Android operating system Android operating system 606 words [ 71 Screenshots ] [ 17 Versions ] [ 2 Weblinks ] - Last update: 2016-10-20 Page created: 2008-09-28 [SB] Android OS The android platform was founded by Google and offers on the base the Linux kernel 2.6 a uniform interface for mobile equipment and programmes. Through this it is easily to port and is programmed in Java. After the conversion into the own binary program format Dalvik (.dex) it is not compatible to Java any more. Advantage is the faster execution and the lower memory footprint of programmes than in pure Java. Every Dalvik application is executed in a Dalvik VM of its own. Applications can access all equipment functions. This makes it possible for the programmer to make innovative programmes which offers the user high value by the combination of all sorts of data sources with the equipment functions. The Eclipse IDE with an official plugin is used for the development. The operating system Android for Smartphones is supported by the Open Handset Alliance. Including more than 30 communication provider, equipment and semiconductor manufacturers as well as software companies.

Because Android is an open platform in the meaning of the software and product development the source code shall be available completely at a later time and is in opposite with the market leading closed operating systems Symbian, Palm OS and Windows Mobile. Android include C/C++ function libraries used by different parts of the operating system. Surface manager for 2D and 3D even overlay display System C library, specialized for Linux-based devices (BSD implementation) SGL, 2D graphic system 3D libraries, based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs with hardware or software accelerated 3D display Media libraries for playback and record of audio, graphic and video formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG) LibWebCore, Android internet browser FreeType, for representing of bitmap and vector fonds SQLite, an efficient and slim relational database for all applications The Android SDK is available for Linux, MacOS and Windows. It contains an emulator with the surface of Android to try applications. After unpacking the SDK the emulator can be found in the subdirectory " oolsemulator.exe" that shows a HTC Smartphone with keyboard.

Standard programs for e-mail, SMS, contacts, calendar, road maps, internet browser and others are preinstalled. The first Google Android Developer Challenge (ADC) started in April 2008 for engaged programmers to realize and present ideas. Approximately 1,800 programmes were submitted and 20 honoured with a price money under the best 50. Part of the best applications are for example cab4me by combination of Google Maps, GPS signal and a database to send a taxi in the simplest mode by click to the current position on the map. Or GoCart which reads the bar code of goods with the mobile telephone camera and looks over onlineshops and registered shops in the circumference for the best price. Google creates a sales platform for Smarthone applications with Android Market. At first the market place is provided free of charge. The first Android mobile telephone cames from the taiwanese manufacturer HTC with the T-Mobile G1 smartphone starting at October 22nd, 2008 in the USA and at the beginning of 2009 in Germany. The Android Market was renamed in Google Play on 6th March 2012. The market research group Gartner, Inc.

released a press news about the worldwide market share of smartphone ventors and operating systems on 19th August 2016. In the 2nd quarter 2016, 296.9 million Android units have been sold, this represents a market share of 86.2%. The Android operating system increased his share, in 2nd quarter 2015 the market share was 82.2% with 271.6 million units sold. Screenshots Which Is The Best Mobile Phone Operating System – iOS, Android Or Windows? | Tech Vocal Which Is The Best Mobile Phone Operating System – iOS, Android Or Windows? Which Is The Best Mobile Phone Operating System – iOS, Android Or Windows? Operating Systems May 6, 2013 7 Comments Jyotsna Ramani Consumers are provided with a great deal of choice when it comes to selecting smartphones based on different operating systems . This advancement in technology can surely be a blessing but one that causes a lot of confusion especially for the average non-tech consumer.

With so many operating systems already existing and still more to come, it can be mind boggling for a consumer to finally set his hands on a particular handset; especially because these little smart gadgets can cost a hefty price. Smartphones are the epitome of new age technology; there is a whole lot that can be done using these gadgets , from simple tasks like sending messages and making phone calls to more complex ones like sending mails, using voice commands to complete a task, browsing the internet and saving files on the cloud space. The various and variant features of a specific smartphone further allows more tasks to be handled effortlessly. So while each mobile manufacturing company struggles to produce the best and most feature-full phone, it is the sound marriage with the most compatible operating system that truly makes it successful amongst the consumers. The operating system is actually the processing software that uses all the components and features of the phone and makes it possible for you to perform tasks and use applications. To put it simply, the operating system brings together the hardware components and makes it possible for them to work in conjunction, thereby making the functionality possible.

How fast or how easily you are able to make phone calls, send text messages, emails, browse the web, play games, use the GPS navigation system, make video and take pictures or how user-friendly the interface is, all depends upon the operating system that has been installed into the phone. So if you have lately noticed that your smartphone crashes after using the camera or hangs while playing the video, then this is a definite indicator that you should be switching your operating system. Currently there are 3 – 4 top operating systems that have the bulk of the market share and we are going to compare here the iOS (used only with Apples iDevices), Android (used with majority of smartphone brands like Samsung , HTC, Motorola, Sony Ericsson etc.) and Windows Phone (used by Nokia’s Lumia range, LG Optimus 7, Samsung Omnia 7 etc.) operating systems. There is no denying that Apple’s iOS (or iPhone OS as it was once known) really gave birth to the smartphones of today but then it soon had other contenders to follow; so a mere birth right is not going to take it too far.

Yes, it is true that iPhones hold the majority of the market worth (perhaps because of its higher prices) and the quality of its apps are still unbeatable, but the others are soon catching up. Where numbers are concerned, Android is doing admirably well too but then again it can be owing to the fact, that every other phone (except Apple’s iPhones and Nokia’s certain range) is a host to Android operating system. Microsoft’s Windows Phone is still very young but clearly it has left the testing waters and is competing with giants like Google (Android) and Apple (iOS) with full force. In fact, consumers are already becoming more than satisfied with Windows Phone 8 in comparison to the latest iOS and Android phones. The reasons are numerous and wide apart. Following is a brief yet elaborate comparison of each of these three operating systems. Depending upon the functionality preferences, the consumer will be able to select the best operating system and hence the best phone for himself.

Very expensive phones and requires a good technical knowledge to jail break it Free market share has no quality control, therefore quality of phone and apps suffers Very less market share therefore it is not well supported with some very popular apps, It becomes obvious that Android phones have a lot more to offer to the consumers right now then do the other two operating systems. iOS is only supported by Apple’s devices and this is the reason that they are very expensive and less compatible with the other systems. Windows Phone is doing well considering it is only its second year but for Android, like Google , is becoming the favourite amongst the average consumer who doesn’t want to stick to only a single brand of phones. The famous phones in Android’s line of work, like the SIII and Note 2 are currently unbeatable, all things combined. Until Apple cooks up another ground breaking strategy and Windows hauls in more followers, Android will keep on taking the lead. What is Android? Top 10 Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com Get Heavy's Top 5 News Stories Every Day We will never share your email address. What is Android? Top 10 Facts You Need to Know Published Share Tweet Share Email Follow 1.

Android is a Mobile Operating System Android is the mobile operating system developed by Google. Essentially, Google produces the software that runs almost every other mobile phone besides Apple’s iPhone. There are also some popular Android tablets as well. Android is a Linux -based software system, and similar to Linux, is free and open source software. This means that other companies can use the Android operating system developed by Google and use it in their mobile devices (more on that later). The distinguishing factor of this brand is a kernel . Android hosts a central core, which essentially is a strip code that helps the software operate. 2. Android is a Mobile Powerhouse The future of this operating system is limitless. Google has the futuristic ambition and the funds to take Android to unprecedented heights. In many areas — such as predicting what users will do next (for instance, Google Now knows that in the morning you’re getting ready for work and will tell you about the traffic) — they’ve already surpassed Apple. Click here to read more Android has already posted some impressive figures that show that Android has become the number one mobile operating system in a number of areas. As of May 2013, 900 million Android devices had been activated.

Also, as of the Q4 2012, Android owned 52 percent of the U.S. mobile market share and an astounding 70 percent globally. Obviously, these numbers fluctuate regularly, but Android has had a dominance in the worldwide global market share for quite some time now. 3. Google Acquired Android Inc., A Small Startup, in 2005 The original creators were Android Inc. — led by Andy Rubin, who became the head of Android development at Google after the acquisition in 2005. Google bought the company because they thought Android Inc. had a interesting and important concept — of creating a powerful, yet free, mobile operating system — and its considerable mobile arsenal. Android helped Google to reach a younger audience as well as give the company a number of brilliant employees from Android Inc. In March 2013, Andy Rubin decided to leave the company he founded, Android , to move on to other projects. However, Android hasn’t missec a step, and replaced him with Sundar Pichai . Pichai used to be the head of Chrome OS — Google’s desktop operating system (for laptops and desktops) — so his experiences leading development teams should be beneficial to Google. 4.

Early Android Devices Weren’t Successful T-Mobile was the fortunate firm to release the first Android phone. In October 2008, the T-mobile G1 was announced. It gained mixed reviews upon its release, and most critics agreed that the design of the device was the biggest flaw. However, the processing power of the Android operating system was well received, which was the first indicator this would be a viable competitor. Click here to read more Similarly, in the tablet market, Android worked with companies like Blackberry, who released the Blackberry Playbook in 2011, to capitalize on the success of the iPad. However, those turned out to be unsuccessful as well. The first mainstream tablet made for Android was the Nexus 7 , developed by Google and Asus, and has been lauded for its powerful hardware and seamless operating system. [inline_share text=”Share this article!”] 5. Android Has a Thriving App Store, the Google Play Store One of the best parts of being an Android owner? The apps. Like Apple, Android has a selection of apps found in a store, called Google Play. This is the central hub that contains applications with a variety of purposes.

Users can find apps to help stay organized, watch movies, read books, etc. Google’s store is edging up on the competition with the possibility it could beat Apple to 1 million apps this year. Download costs are different, ranging from completely free to a few extra dollars, but that extra fee may be worth it. As of May 2013, there had been 48 billion app installs from the Google Play store. However, there are some issues with the Google Play store. Unlike Apple’s App Store — which has tight restrictions on what will and won’t be allowed in the App Store — the Google Play store doesn’t. Which has turned the Google Play store into a free-for-all: apps riddled with malware, fake apps, and apps with explicit adult content roam freely. Google does do a decent job getting rid of bad apps, but not as good as Apple. 6. Android Has Issues, Like Fragmentation The main issue with Android devices is fragmentation. Android fragmentation revolves around phones and carriers not being able to release Android updates on a timely schedule. Why?

Because Android has gotten so customizable over time, thanks to companies like Samsung and HTC, that if you own the Samsung Galaxy S4, you may have to wait a few months before Samsung can add all their extraneous features, like S Translator, to the hypothetical Android update. Because of this, two Android users can be using very different versions of the operation system. It also causes a pain for people who have older devices and can’t update to newer versions of Android because their carrier or manufacturer decided not to focus on that device anymore. There is some fragmentation with Apple devices, but it’s mostly surrounding one or two features per update (but Apple usually get the best features to older models). The chart above summarizes fragmentation: The most popular version of Android is 2.3 Gingerbread, which has 36.5 percent of the market share, but was also released in 2010, over three years ago. Click here to read more 7. Other Companies Make Android Phones and Tablets Google needed some more help creating some of our favorite devices. The primary manufacturers of the Android tablets and smartphones are HTC, Motorola and Samsung. Each company experimented with creating phones that run Android and got varying results.

The manufacturers ended up distinguishing themselves with their own popular versions of the phone. Motorola stood out with the sleek “droid RAZR” while Samsung favored a intergalactic feel with the Galaxy models. However, HTC has an Android smartphone that puts the others to shame. The HTC One is hitting shelves this summer and Google has put their stamp of approval on it. The reason other companies can use Android software is because it’s open source. Therefore, companies like Samsung and HTC are able to use Android’s operating system in their devices. Companies can even customize and alter the operating system as well. Samsung and HTC have drastically changed Android, adding features and changing the layout so it’s almost unrecognizable. Similarly, Amazon has altered the Android operating system for their Kindle Fire tablets (it’s almost completely different). Click here to read more 8. Apple and Windows Phone Are Android’s Biggest Competitors Apple may be Android’s chief rival, but Windows Phone is another competitor. Windows Phone has slowly grown into a reputable mobile ecosystem, producing well-made devices, even if they haven’t gotten as much love from the press as Apple or Android.

Nokia’s Windows Phone prides itself on its camera and focus on photography, and the Nokia Lumia 920 has some of the best camera specs on the market. If you’re interested in photography and love Windows, you may want to check it out. Apple jumpstarted both the smartphone and tablet industries when they released the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010. Both devices have spurred subsequent products that not only get better, but get more popular as well. Android may have a better market share worldwide and in the U.S., but Android also has a large number of devices; in most years, Apple only releases one to two iPhones and 3 iPad models, max. So, when you take those factors into account, the case could be made that Apple is doing better in the mobile world than Android, despite what the statistics say. Most analysts agree that Apple is the leader in the smartphone and tablet market, while Android trails as a close second. 9. The “Open Source” Model Makes Android Unique Apple’s creative crew is the biggest competition against Android’s arsenal of tablets and smartphones.

However, there is one main difference between Apple’s mobile operating system — iOS — and Google’s Android: While Android’s is open sourced and free for other companies, Apple’s iOS is extremely closed source. That means that it’s very limiting in terms of customizing your apps, etc. For instance, on iOS, you wouldn’t be able to change your default web browser from Safari to Google Chrome. The issues seems minuscule now, but that goes for everything, and some of Apple’s apps aren’t as good as the competition (there are a lot of other apps better than Safari, Mail and Weather). The open vs. closed operating system debate has been argued time and time again, but in the end, it depends on personal preference: Would you like a device that you can easily customize but might be more complicated (an Android) or one that’s easy to use, but doesn’t give you virtually any freedom (Apple’s iOS)? 10. Android is Moving Beyond Phones and Tablets to Other Areas, Like Wearable Technology The future of Android is extremely bright. Android seems to be putting an emphasis on wearable technology and other aspects of one’s life that consumers may not realize could be improved with the addition of a powerful mobile operating system.

For instance, Samsung released the Samsung Galaxy Camera , a fully functional digital camera that runs Android. Similarly, the Ouya was released earlier this month — a video game console powered by Android. Also, Google is reportedly working on both a Google-designed video game system and a smartwatch that are both powered by Android. However, the most impressive display of Android’s versatility is Google Glass. Many in the tech world consider Google Glass the future of technology — a pair of glasses that is connected to the Internet and displays information for users. Google Glasses, like most Google products, utilizes Android to the fullest extent. Ian Kar Android or Chrome? Will Google ever decide on one OS? - CNET CNET Android or Chrome? Will Google ever decide on one OS? Android or Chrome? Will Google ever decide on one OS? In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon offers some analysis regarding Google's confusing OS strategy. She also explains why some Android smartphone customers are still waiting for Jelly Bean. Up Next CES is finally open: Here's what you missed Google wants to change the way people access the Internet. And as part of that strategy, the company has been developing separate operating systems for mobile devices and personal computers.

The idea is that the search and advertising giant wants to make it easier for people to connect to the Internet and eventually use Google services. Since it was introduced in 2007, the company's Android mobile operating system has become a huge hit. It's now the most widely used smartphone operating system in the world. But its Web-based computing OS Chrome, which was introduced in 2009, hasn't hit the same level of success. Still, the company is plugging away with its development efforts in Chrome. As the line between a mobile device and a regular computing device become blurred, so are the lines separating Google's operating systems. And many consumers are confused. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some insight into Google's strategy. And I help a reader decide which Google platform he should consider now. I also help another reader understand why it is taking so long to get an update to the latest Android OS, called Jelly Bean. What's up with Google's OS strategy? Dear Maggie, I'm hoping that you or your associates might be able to shed light on a subject for me. Where is Google going? I know that's a broad question, so let me explain. Google introduced Android. I love this mobile OS.

Since the original Droid debuted, I always buy Android powered phones. I've also been a user of Google's other products, which has made me a huge fan. When Google launched the Chrome browser, I began using this. And for years it's been my default Internet browser. Two years ago, Google introduced the Chromebook, and I was lucky enough to get a "test" computer, which my 3-year-old son broke. But now, on Android 4.0 and higher, you can download Chrome Browser. I know Chrome Browser for PC/Mac and Chromebooks are at version 23, and Mobile Chrome is at 10 (or a lot less). But Google has stated that next year they will be synced and the same versions. So my question is this: Why has Google only introduced Android tablets? How come there are no Chrome tablets? And which will eventually take over? Do you have any thoughts? If the Google (Asus) Nexus 7 is $199 and you can use Chrome, and all of the other Play Store features and apps, then why spend $249 ($50 more) for just a Samsung Chromebook?

I'm just confused on which product to get and how to even begin to figure out which would be "better" for me. Thank you for your time, Confuse-oole Dear Confuse-oole,, You are not alone in being confused. Google has two different strategies for operating systems. And it looks like over time, the two will collide. On one side you have the mobile operating system Android, which has been a huge success in smartphones and is starting to gain traction in the tablet market. Android, like other traditional operating systems, relies on native apps to be developed specifically for the platform. On the other side is Chrome OS. This platform relies on browsers to access applications built for the Web instead of apps specifically built for a computing operating system. From the earliest days when Google first introduced Chrome OS, there has been confusion about Google's strategy as it relates to these operating systems. And according to Sergey Brin, one of Google's founders, at a company event in 2009, eventually the two operating systems will be merged into one . But tying up Android and Chrome OS into a nice neat package won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight.

As you've suggested in your question, Google is expanding the Android OS from smartphones to tablets and into some laptops. The company is also working on taking the Chrome OS, originally built for laptops, into tablets. Google confirmed in 2011 that it is working on a Chrome tablet , but so far the company hasn't introduced anything. Still, there have been rumors out of China that Google may be preparing a Chrome OS tablet. But it's hard to say if or when such a product will come to market. My CNET colleague Stephen Shankland has written extensively about the evolution of Android and Chrome OS. I forwarded your question to him and to CNET's Google beat reporter Casey Newton to get their views on this issue. Each of them believe that Android and Chrome OS appear to be on a collision course. But the merging of these operating systems is still at least a couple of years away. They also agree that the reason the two platforms are still so far apart is because Chrome OS is immature compared with the native-app platform of Android. "There are no Chrome tablets because Web apps aren't as powerful as native apps," Casey said. As a result he reasons, a Web app on a tablet wouldn't be successful in today's marketplace. Stephen concurs.

"I totally agree with Casey," he told me. "Google would like some glorious future to come about in which Web apps are the way, but the Web programming foundation isn't as mature and, because it's developed by a sluggishly moving industry consensus, Google can't advance as fast as it can move Android." Stephen went on to explain that Google may be pushing for more of its programming technologies to be Web-based, but the reality is that Android offers more control. He said touch and multi-touch input are perfect examples of this. This is a fundamental technology for tablets and smartphones, but it still remains a work in progress for Web apps. What this means, at least in the short-term, is that Google will continue to have a two-pronged strategy. It will develop Web apps for personal computers running its own Chrome OS, Microsoft's Windows, and Apple's iOS. And it will continue to develop Android for smartphones and tablets. Stephen believes that the two markets are far enough apart that it would be too difficult to build a single OS that spans both ends of the spectrum. As a comparison, he points to the trouble Microsoft has had in developing Windows 8 and merging it with Windows Phone 8. That said, the convergence is coming.

But to be perfectly honest, it's hard to pick a single winner. And it's more likely that the technologies will migrate toward each other. "For Google, I suspect the convergence will come as the Web programming foundation matures," Stephen said. "Mobile apps often use Web technology under the covers, but not for sophisticated or performance-sensitive computing tasks. As it gets better, more and more programming can be migrated to use the Web engine built into mobile devices. The Web is a powerful technological force because of its universality, but it's just not ready yet to take on iOS." What does this mean for you and which products should you be buying now? The answer to that question depends on what you plan to do with your device. The value proposition of a Chromebook is that it's an inexpensive laptop/netbook with an actual keyboard. The device is somewhat more limited than a regular laptop. You can only access cloud-based applications, and you must have an Internet connection to do anything. It's essentially a Web-based work station. It's terrific in environments where you are assured of a Net connection. By contrast, Android is made for running native applications that were developed for mobile devices. And these devices are great for consuming content.

If you want to download a movie you can always watch it offline. If you plan on using the new device for work to create documents, spreadsheets or anything like that then the Chromebook is still a better choice. But if most of your activities include consuming content like watching movies, listening to music, reading electronic books, playing games or viewing pictures, then an Android tablet may be a better choice. I hope this information was helpful. And I hope that this column spurs some good discussion among Ask Readers. I am very interested to hear what others think about Google's OS strategy. Will my Droid Incredible 4G LTE ever get Jelly Bean? Dear Maggie, I have an HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE on Verizon Wireless. And I was wondering if you could tell me when it will get an update to the Jelly Bean version of Android. I feel like I've been waiting forever. What is the hold up? Thanks, Impatiently Waiting Dear Impatiently Waiting, One of the worst things about owning an Android phone is the fact that it's so hard to tell when or if your device will get the latest update of software. There are many reasons for this.

For one, some manufacturers, like HTC, which makes the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, layer on their own software. So any new Android update needs to be tested with the device makers own software. And the other hold up is usually the wireless operator, which also must do its own testing to make sure that the software works properly. Unfortunately, Verizon is notoriously slow with any updates to the Android software. The company likes to say it's because it has such stringent testing methods. But honestly, I don't know what the hold-up is either. What I do know is that HTC has announced the upgrades for some of its devices. The international version of the HTC One S, which is almost the same exact phone as the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, just got the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update last week . There is no word on when the U.S. version of the HTC One S, which is sold on T-Mobile will get the update. And there's also no word on when the Droid Incredible 4G LTE will get it. There was a leak in early December indicating that several versions of the HTC One series devices would get the Jelly Bean update within the next couple of months.

The Verizon version of the phone wasn't specifically named in the leaked document. But some sites have reported that the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is also expected to get the update "soon." Unfortunately, all that this tells you is that you will likely have to wait longer for this update. Sorry I can't offer you more specifics. Good luck. Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband questions. The column now appears twice a week on CNET offering readers a double dosage of Ask Maggie's advice. If you have a question, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" in the subject header. You can also follow me on Facebook on my Ask Maggie page. A complete history of Android | TechRadar A complete history of Android A complete history of Android Everything you need to know about Google's mobile operating system Shares Page 3 Back in July 2005, when Google seemed to have so much money it didn't know what to do with, it quietly went about buying up a load of start-up companies.

Some of these never really saw the light of day: for instance, Dodgeball, a service that allowed you to text a group of friends in a similar way to Twitter, has never really appeared anywhere in Google's stable. But at the same time, it also bought a little-known company called Android Inc, co-founded by Andy Rubin, now director of mobile platforms at Google. Little was known about this company even within its own industry: in fact, all that was available in terms of description was it was 'it developed software for mobile phones.' In 2003, before getting involved with Android, Rubin conducted an interview with Business Week: "Rubin said there was tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences. 'If people are smart, that information starts getting aggregated into consumer products,' said Rubin" The gPhone Hot on the heels of the iPhone launch, rumours began to increase of Google bringing out its own handset, to help leverage its burgeoning mobile search functions.

Widespread reports of Google hawking its wares round to all the major manufacturers and carriers began to circulate; it was believed the new handset would be designed to work around location-based services and implement a whole host of Google Labs' ideas, as well as the old favourites Maps and Mail. In fact, the fact Google was spotted more times than a Big Brother reject in the media meant it became a matter of when and not if a gPhone would be announced. Remember, remember the 5 November (2007) And then the Californians went and sprang a huge surprised on the world: not only had it not been working on a handset, it had been developing the core of a whole new open-source OS to rival the likes of Symbian, Microsoft et al. And all those clandestine meetings? The beginnings of what we now know as the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), including HTC, LG, Samsung, T-Mobile and a whole host of other names. And what many people fail to realise, especially those who call it 'Google's Android', is that the new platform was born out of this group, not Google incorporating the help of others.

Well, that's not strictly true - Google is clearly the main driving force behind the new system, but all factions of the OHA stand to do well from the success of the OS. Many people had trouble understanding the benefits of what Google Android actually was, and what made it special compared to the raft of other rival OS systems out there. Lego The best way to describe it was making all sections of the system like Lego bricks. Where before developers might have struggled to break down the bits of a mobile phone OS, and even if successful, would find that getting one part of the system to talk to another was very difficult indeed, as they were packaged up in their own little programmes. But with Android, the rules were changed. Fancy making a GPS application that used SMS location updates? The two sections would fit together nicely. If you wanted to add in some location data from the net too? Just pop on a web piece, too. OK, it may not be that simple, but to the developer community, it represented a big step forward. While the above may have been possible through things like Linux for Mobiles (LiMO), Google Android aims to provide the same thing on a larger, more unified scale, thus bringing a wider audience in the future.

1 How Does Google Make Money with Android? - Pocketnow How Does Google Make Money with Android? by Joe Levi October 3, 2010 11:52 am Contents Comments Advertisement When Google announced they were buying what eventually became the Android operating system — an operating system intended for cell phones — everyone immediately thought that Google was getting into the cell phone business, maybe even the cellular carrier business. Rumors of a “Google Phone” began to circulate. It was to be free, and you’d never have to pay another cell phone bill again. At least that’s what the rumors hinted at. We all know that didn’t happen. Google doesn’t make hardware. They don’t even have their own handsets any more (long live the Nexus One!). Google doesn’t even “own” Android. Google released Android as Open Source, basically giving it away for free to anyone that wants to use it. How can you make money when you’re giving it away for free? In a nutshell, Google doesn’t make any money from Android — not from the OS. With all the hours they spend contributing to the Android Open Source Project, Android actually costs Google money — a lot of money.

Last time I checked Google isn’t running a charity. How can their shareholders be happy with them throwing money hand-over-fist at Android? I’m glad you asked. Shareholders did to. Google asked them to trust them for the time being. I think the shareholders are happy with Google’s progress with Android. But to see why, let’s dig a little deeper. What kind of company is Google? Some would say they’re a search engine company. Others would say they’re an email company, or a web host, or a content distribution network (CDN) provider, or an application provider for businesses, or… the list goes on. Google is an advertising company. Google sells advertisements. They sell ads that they include on their search results. They sell ads that they include in your email. They sell ads that run on websites you visit. They sell ads that show up in the apps that you run. Google sells ads. To sell ads you have to match advertisers with potential customers. The better you can do this — the more relevant the ad is to the person viewing the ad — the more likely that customer would be to act on that ad.

Think of it this way: if you see an ad for a retirement community in Florida, you’re much more likely to act on that ad if you’re someone who has reached (or will soon reach) retirement age. If you’re a 14 year old boy seeing the same ad, well, you’re probably not going to request more information or buy a condo. How does Google know who you are and what your interests are? That’s the beautify of Google, and may be a more accurate representation of what Google “is”. You see, they don’t just sell ads, they also match them up with the viewers — by figuring out who you are. They way they know who you are and match ads to you is Google’s “secret sauce”. Google looks at your surfing habits by offering Google Analytics and Google Adsense to webmasters and content providers. These two bits of code on various pages help build a profile of what your interests are based on what sites you’re browsing. But not all websites run either of these. To capture those viewers Google offeres their own web browser (Chrome) with an integrated search bar and address bar in one.

Google even offers DNS services — servers that resolve computer names ( ) into it’s computer address (the IP address). By letting geeks use Google’s DNS and web browser, Google can see where people are going without the resulting site using any of Google’s services. Those geeks get faster DNS resolution times and faster web surfing, and Google gets the data. But surfing isn’t everything. Searching for stuff on the web is becoming more and more relevant to good, old fashioned reselling. Before you go out and buy that big-ticket item, you want to find out if it’s a good buy. You search for reviews, you search for opinions, and ultimately you search for prices. At that point why not buy right now, online, and have it delivered tomorrow? Ta-da! Google works! Both for you (the researcher turned buyer) and the advertiser (turned seller). Google got their cut along the way (for selling the ad, and by learning more about you on the way). Oh, and if you used Google Checkout, they got more money that way, too! Back to Android But why would Google be so interested in giving away a mobile operating system?

Google makes money (and justifies giving away the OS) by licensing the Google Apps that come on most Android phones (but not all). Apps like Gmail, the Android Market, Google Search, and others come in something called GAPPS. The Market is really where Google is interested. Sure, the other GAPPS add value to the phone (hence why carriers license their inclusion on Android-powered phones), but Google is making money with every app sold through the Market. Even free apps make Google money. Developers have to pay to have an account to list their apps under. Even ad-sponsored apps are likely using Google Mobile Ads, so Google’s getting revenue from that source as well. That’s not the elegance of Google’s mobile revenue stream. Google isn’t so much after making money from apps sold through their Market, or even by charging developers an admission fee to get their apps listed. Instead, Google saw that computers were getting smaller and smaller, more and more mobile, and connected to the internet in more ways. Now, instead of trying to remember something to look up on your desktop computer later, pull out the laptop… or better yet: your phone. Starting to see Google’s foresight now?

But Google didn’t stop at just having their search engine in your pocket. They made search easier. You can search through Google’s database by using your keyboard, using your voice, and even by using the camera on your phone. You can “scan” a barcode and see who has the best price (getting ads along the way) before you make your purchase. Google even knows where you are, so your search results are even more relevant to you. Google can tell you that you can buy that item for $5 less at a store 1.5 miles away. They’ll even give you turn-by turn directions to get there. Google knows that searching using input other than text is the next big thing. Spoken search is important, but people speak very differently all over the world, even across the country. To address this, Google bought a company called Grand Central (now Google Voice) to get voice samples from people — and give you “free voicemail transcription” along the way. You can even call Google (+1-800-GOOG-411) to get free 411 information from your phone — any phone. They’ll even connect you for free.

Google knows that searching by taking a picture is going to be big, too. So Google Goggles was created. Tie this in with the new face-recognition feature of Google Picasa and you may soon be able to search for someone just by snapping a picture of them. In Conclusion How does Google make money? By learning who you are, what you’re interested it, and how you search for stuff… then helping you find it in an intuitive manner anywhere you are. Android just helps them be able to do that even more efficiently. Advertisement Android - History Battery Now On Tap Get assistance without having to leave what you’re doing—whether you’re in an app or on a website. Just tap and hold the home button. Permissions Define what you want to share with apps on your device and when. Turn permissions off at any time, too. Battery Enjoy a battery that works smarter, not harder. Marshmallow optimizes your juice for what matters most with features like Doze and App Standby. Android 6.0 Marshmallow Now there’s s’more to love about your mobile device: easy shortcuts to smart answers with Now on Tap, battery life that can last longer and new app permissions that give you more control.

Learn more Notifications Material Design Android gets an entirely new look and feel that makes it easier to navigate your device. Based on shadows and motion, Material Design unites the classic principles of good design with the innovation of what’s possible through technology. Multiscreen With Lollipop you can seamlessly move from your phone to your tablet, Android Wear watch, or Android TV. Since Lollipop works on all your devices, you can pick up where you left off with songs, apps, photos, and even recent searches. Notifications Notifications move to the lock screen where they appear in neatly segmented cards. Catch up at a glance, or even view and respond to messages directly from your lock screen. Granular controls let you customize the content appearing on your lock screen. Android 5.0 Lollipop Android arrives on screens big and small - from phones and tablets to watches, TVs and cars. Lollipop has a bold visual style and the fluid tactile response of Material Design. Learn more Smart dialer Voice: Ok Google Get things done without touching your screen. Just say “Ok Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song. Immersive design Immerse yourself in what you’re doing.

Whether you’re reading a book, playing a game, or watching a movie, KitKat’s immersive design hides everything except what you really want to see. Smart dialer KitKat prioritizes the contacts you talk to most and you can search for nearby places directly from the dialer. Whenever you get a call from an unknown phone number, your phone will look for matches from local listings on Google Maps. Learn more Android 4.4 KitKat Android KitKat helped you get things done with just the sound of your voice - just say “Ok Google” to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song. And when you are hands on with your device, a new immersive design brings your content to center stage. Learn more Account switching Google Now Get the information you need at just the right time with Google Now. Pioneering a new level of mobile assistance, Google Now gives you today’s weather as you’re getting dressed and commute times before you walk out the door. Actionable notifications With Jelly Bean, notifications expand to show more information and let you respond in the moment; take action directly from the notification. Account switching Jelly Bean enabled multiple users on one device.

Each account has its own customized space from home screen to wallpaper, widgets and apps so you can share a device and not your info. Multi-user launched with tablets and later rolled out to phones with Lollipop. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Intelligence permeated all facets of Jelly Bean which ushered in the era of personalized mobile assistance with Google Now. It also made notifications more actionable and allowed one device to work for multiple user accounts. Learn more Android Beam Custom home screen Ice Cream Sandwich introduced app folders and a favorites tray. Widgets, which embed live app content directly on your home screen, became more flexible: expand your widget to show more content or shrink to save space. Data usage control Manage your network data usage to keep mobile costs under control. Track how much data you use, set warning levels and hard limits, and disable your service if you reach the limit. Android Beam Futuristic at the time, Android Beam allowed two phones to instantly share content via NFC by simply touching them together. Share apps, contacts, music, and videos with someone else - all without needing to open a menu, an app, or pair a phone.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream Sandwich upped the ante on customization and user control — tailor your home screen, define how much data you use and instantly share content when you want. Learn more Quick Settings Tablet-friendly design Honeycomb made the most of your tablet’s on-screen real estate. With a larger layout pattern, it enhanced the experience of reading books, watching videos, exploring maps, and more. System Bar Gone are the days of a physical Home, Back, and Menu button. With Honeycomb, a new system bar enabled on-screen navigation controls on your Android device. Quick Settings The new Quick Settings let you access essential information more easily: see the time, date, battery life, and connection status of your device all in one place. Android 3.0 Honeycomb Honeycomb ushered in the era of tablets with a flexible interface design that showcases large imagery and seamless on-screen navigation. Learn more Performance Voice actions Froyo took Android voice capabilities to the next level with Voice Actions which let you perform key functions on your phone- searching, getting directions, making notes, setting alarms, and more - with just the sound of your voice.

Portable Hotspot With tethering, Froyo let you turn your phone into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot so you could stay connected even when on the go. Performance Froyo introduced the Dalvik JIT compiler which delivered up to 5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code. It also brought the V8 JavaScript engine to the Android browser resulting in 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance. Android 2.2 Froyo Froyo unveiled lightning fast phones that can be controlled by the sound of your voice and hotspot capabilities ensured you’re always connected on the go. Learn more Speech-to-text Google Maps Navigation Google Maps Navigation gave new meaning to the definition of a smartphone. Turn-by-turn directions using Google Maps data included many features found in a typical in-car navigation system: a forward-looking 3D view, voice guidance, and traffic information - all for free. Home screen customization Android has always let you make your home screen just how you want it with custom ringtones, wallpapers, and the ability to arrange apps and widgets across multiple screens and in folders. Eclair introduced live wallpapers that came to life on an unheard-of 854 x 480 display.

Speech-to-text Well before the days of “Ok Google” voice actions, you could tap the microphone icon to dictate right to your phone. Eclair replaced the comma key on the soft keyboard with a microphone; with a simple tap, your spoken words appear right on your screen. Android 2.1 Eclair With Eclair high density displays showed off stunning live wallpapers that respond to your touch. Drive anywhere with turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic information, right from your phone. Learn more Android Market Quick Search Box Android’s ubiquitous Quick Search Box was introduced way back with Donut. Get search results from the web and from your phone’s local content all at once from a single box on the home screen. Screen size diversity Android comes in all shapes and sizes thanks to capabilities launched with Donut which allowed Android to run on a variety of screen resolutions and aspect ratios. This opened the door for phones featuring displays other than 320 x 480 portrait. Android Market Before there was Google Play, there was Android Market. Launched in 2008, Android Market was redesigned with Donut to expose top free apps and paid apps just as Android’s third-party app catalog started to explode.

Android 1.6 Donut Donut brought the word’s information to your fingertips with the Quick Search Box. It also planted the seeds for Android to come in all shapes and sizes - meanwhile Android Market came of age. Learn more Android N: Google reveals future of the OS | Technology | The Guardian Android N: Google reveals future of the OS Early developer preview available with better battery-life optimisation, faster app switching, multi-window and night mode Android N running on a Google Pixel C tablet and Nexus 6P and 5X smartphones, which has just been released as a developer preview. Photograph: Google Android N: Google reveals future of the OS Early developer preview available with better battery-life optimisation, faster app switching, multi-window and night mode Thursday 10 March 2016 07.36 EST Last modified on Thursday 13 October 2016 16.06 EDT Close This article is 11 months old Google has released a very early preview of the next version of its mobile operating system – Android N – with split-screen multitasking, increased battery life and better notifications.

Usually Google releases a developer preview of the new version of Android at the company’s developer conference, Google I/O, at the end of May. It’s designed to allow developers time to test their apps and build new parts to take advantage of new features in Android before its release to smartphone manufacturers in October. This year, however, Google has started two months early, with a developer and beta build that lets users test new features. Head of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, said : “It’s earlier than ever, it’s easier to try and we’re expanding the ways for you to give us feedback. We want to hear from you and iterate on the platform with you – that’s what makes Android stronger.” Google hopes that the earlier preview will allow greater testing and let it provide the new Android version to manufacturers earlier. It takes several months for most smartphone manufacturers to release the new versions of Android for their existing smartphones. This means that Google’s Nexus smartphones and tablets remain the only devices running the new version of Android for months. This new preview strategy also gives an earlier look at what’s changing in the most-used mobile operating system in the world. Multi-window Pinterest Android N multi-window multitasking shown on a Nexus 6P and Pixel C.

Photograph: Google The biggest change is the introduction of a split-screen multitasking view called Multi-Window, which allows two apps to be run on one screen. It’s something Android smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung have had for several years, but will now come baked into Android N. The apps can be run side-by-side or one above the other, with the split resizable using a central slider, much like Microsoft’s split-screen mode introduced with Windows 8 in 2012 and Apple’s iOS 9 released last year. Android apps are built using a scaling, screen-size agnostic format, which means that most should work without modification with the new feature. While it will be available on smartphones, the feature is primarily aimed at larger devices including phablets and tablets such as Google’s Pixel C. Faster app switching Users will be able to double-tap the recently used apps button to switch to the previously used app without opening the recently used apps list, speeding up bouncing between apps. Sleep and zoom Pinterest The zoom setting allows users to make objects on the screen bigger for a clearer view or fit more on screen by shrinking it all.

Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian Android N will implement a night mode that blocks blue wavelengths of light to help prevent the phones from keeping people awake. Third party Android apps have been able to do something similar for a while using a red filter overlay on the screen and it’s something that Apple has slated for its next version of iOS. Users will be able to change the size of icons and text on screen by using Android N’s new zoom slider, which will help those who need a bit of magnification to see what’s going on. Notifications Pinterest The new notification shade will have a top row of quick settings, which the user can change, and group notifications. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian Android N will come with the ability to group notifications from a single app together. Several apps already do this, including Google’s Gmail app, which collects messages together as they come in and allows users to expand them to read the notifications or dismiss them as one. Google’s quick-reply feature, available within its Hangouts and Messenger messaging apps and Android Wear, will also become a standard feature within Android N, allowing users to bash out replies to messages straight from the notification shade without having to enter the app.

Longer battery life Pinterest The new version of Doze will help prolong battery life when the screen is off. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian Android 6.0 Marshmallow made big leaps in battery efficiency using a feature called Doze, which put a smartphone or tablet into a lower-power state and took tight control over what could wake the device up when the screen was off and it wasn’t moving. This meant that when a phone was placed on a desk and not touched for a while it greatly extended the battery life, limiting things such as internet access to set intervals. Android N is extending that feature to work when the screen is off but the phone is in motion – in a pocket or bag for instance - which should have a significant positive impact on battery life. Thinner, faster Android Android N also has a new version of its Java Android RunTime (Art), which runs the apps installed on the phone. It is faster and more efficient, meaning apps will install and update faster without needing a period of optimisation. This should greatly reduce the time required to install Android updates and other upgrades.

Google’s Project Svelte also been working on reducing the size and weight of Android so that it takes up less storage space and can run on lower-power devices, which should mean more space for apps and media. Developers looking to try out the beta version of Android N can enrol a Nexus device with Google to update over the air, and can return to the latest version of Android 6 Marshmallow in the same way. Those not running Google’s Nexus devices will have to wait until the manufacturer of their smartphone to receive Android N in the summer and then push it out to devices, which will likely be in 2017.

Question: What company makes the Android operating system?
Answer: Google