Android (operating system)

Android (operating system)

Android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google, and other companies.

Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005. The unveiling of the Android distribution in 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 86 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google releases the Android code as open-source, under the Apache License. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.

Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. Developers write primarily in a customized version of Java. Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Google Play (formerly Android Market), the app store run by Google. In October 2011, there were more than 500,000 apps available for Android, and the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Android Market as of December 2011 exceeded 10 billion.

Android was listed as the best-selling smartphone platform worldwide in Q4 2010 by . with over 300 million Android devices in use by February 2012. According to Google's Andy Rubin, as of December 2011, there were over 700,000 Android devices activated every day.

Version history

Android has been updated frequently since the original release of "Astro", with each fixing bugs and adding new features. Each version is named in alphabetical order, with 1.5 "Cupcake" being the first named after a dessert and every update since following this naming convention.

Recent releases

2.3 Gingerbread refined the user interface, improved the soft keyboard and copy/paste features, better native code support (which improves gaming performance), added SIP support (VoIP calls), and added support for Near Field Communication.

3.0 Honeycomb was a tablet-oriented release which supports larger screen devices and introduces many new user interface features, support for multi-core processors, hardware acceleration for graphics and full system encryption. The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, went on sale in February 2011.

3.1 Honeycomb, released in May 2011, added support for extra input devices, USB host mode for transferring information directly from cameras and other devices, and the Google Movies and Books apps.

3.2 Honeycomb, released in July 2011, added optimization for a broader range of screen sizes, new "zoom-to-fill" screen compatibility mode, loading media files directly from SD card, and an extended screen support API. Huawei MediaPad is the first 7 inch tablet to use this version.

4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, announced on October 19, 2011, brought Honeycomb features to smartphones and added new features including facial recognition unlock, network data usage monitoring and control, unified social networking contacts, photography enhancements, offline email searching, app folders, and information sharing using NFC. Android 4.0.4 is the latest Android version that is available to phones. The source code of Android 4.0.1 was released on November 14, 2011.

source..wikipedia

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean


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On June 27, 2012, at the Google I/O conference, Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Based on Linux kernel 3.1.10, Jelly Bean is an incremental update with the primary aim of improving the user interface, both in terms of functionality and performance. The performance improvement involves "Project Butter", which uses touch anticipation, triple buffering, extended vsync timing and a fixed frame rate of 60fps to create a fluid and "buttery"-smooth UI. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was released to AOSP on July 9, 2012, and an OTA update was released on July 11, 2012.

version 4.1.1 Features

• Vsync timing across all drawing and animation done by the Android framework, including application rendering, touch events, screen composition and display refresh
• Triple buffering in the graphics pipeline
• Enhanced accessibility
• Bi-directional text and other language support
• User-installable keyboard maps
• Expandable notifications
• Ability to turn off notifications on an app specific basis
• Shortcuts and widgets can automatically be re-arranged or re-sized to allow new items to fit on home screens
• Bluetooth data transfer for Android Beam
• Offline voice dictation
• New interface layout for tablets with smaller screens (closer resembling that of a phone)
• Improved voice search
• Improved camera app
• Google Wallet (for the Nexus 7)
• High resolution contact photos
• Google Now
• Multichannel audio
• USB audio (for external sound DACs)
• Audio chaining (also known as gapless playback)