Android (operating system)

Android

Running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich"

Company /

Google, Open Handset Alliance,

developer

Android Open Source Project

Programmed in

XML, C, C++, Java

OS family

Linux

Working state

Current

Source model

Open source

Initial release

September 20, 2008

Latest stable

4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich/ March 28,

release

2012; 2 months ago

Package

Google Play / APK

manager

Supported

ARM, MIPS x86

platforms

Kernel type

Monolithic (modified Linux kernel)

Default user

Graphical

interface

License

Apache License 2.0

Linux kernel patches under GNU GPL
v2

Official website

www.android.com

What is Android?
Android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices such as Smartphone 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 became the worlds leading Smartphone platform at the end of 2010. For the first
quarter of 2012, Android had a 59% Smartphone market share worldwide, with a 331 million
devices installed base and 85 million activations or 934,000 per day. Analysts point to the
advantage for Android to be a multi-channel, multi-carrier OS.

Features
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, EVDO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, NFC and Wi-MAX.
Messaging
SMS and MMS are available forms of messaging, including threaded text messaging and
now Android Cloud To Device Messaging (C2DM) is also a part of Android Push
Messaging service.
Multiple language support
Android supports multiple languages.
Web browser
The web browser available in Android is based on the open-source WebKit layout
engine, coupled with Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. The browser scores 100/100 on the
Acid3 test on Android 4.0.
Java support
While most Android applications are written in Java, 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 Dalvik, a specialized virtual machine designed specifically for
Android and optimized for battery-powered mobile devices with limited memory and
CPU. J2ME support can be provided via third-party applications.
Media support
Android supports the following audio/video/still media formats: WebM, H.263, H.264 (in
3GP or MP4 container), MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB (in 3GP container), AAC, HEAAC (in MP4 or 3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG,
GIF, BMP, WebP.

Streaming media support

RTP/RTSP streaming (3GPP PSS, ISMA), HTML progressive download (HTML5
<video> tag). Adobe Flash Streaming (RTMP) and HTTP Dynamic Streaming are
supported by the Flash plug in. Apple HTTP Live Streaming is supported by RealPlayer
for Android, and by the operating system in Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).
Additional hardware support
Android can use video/still cameras, touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes,
barometers, magnetometers, dedicated gaming controls, proximity and pressure sensors,
thermometers, accelerated 2D bit blits (with hardware orientation, scaling, pixel format
conversion) and accelerated 3D graphics.
Multi-touch
Android has native support for multi-touch which was initially made available in
handsets. The feature was originally disabled at the kernel level (possibly to avoid
infringing Apple's patents on touch-screen technology at the time).
Bluetooth
Supports A2DP, AVRCP, sending files (OPP), accessing the phone book (PBAP), voice
dialing and sending contacts between phones. Keyboard, mouse a nd joystick (HID)
support is available in Android 3.1+, and in earlier versions through manufacturer
customizations and third-party applications.
Video calling
Android does not support native video calling, but some handsets have a customized
version of the operating system that supports it, either via the UMTS network or over IP.
Video calling through Google Talk is available in Android 2.3.4 and later. Gingerbread
allows Nexus S to place Internet calls with a SIP account. This allows for enhanced VoIP
dialing to other SIP accounts and even phone numbers. Skype 2.1 offers video calling in
Android 2.3, including front camera support.
Multitasking
Multitasking of applications, with unique handling of memory allocation, is available.
Voice based features
Google search through voice has been available since initial release. Voice actions for
calling, texting, navigation, etc. are supported on Android 2.2 onwards.
Tethering
Android supports tethering, which allows a phone to be used as a wireless/wired Wi-Fi
hotspot. Before Android 2.2 this was supported by third-party applications or
manufacturer customizations.

Screen capture
Android supports capturing a screenshot by pressing the power and volume-down buttons
at the same time. Prior to Android 4.0, the only methods of capturing a screenshot were
through manufacturer and third-party customizations or otherwise by using a PC
connection (DDMS developer's tool). These alternative methods are still available with
the latest Android.

External storage
Most Android devices include MicroSD slot and can read MicroSD cards formatted with
FAT32, Ext3 or Ext4 file system. To allow use of high-capacity storage media such as
USB flash drives and USB HDDs, many Android tablets also include USB 'A' receptacle.
Storage formatted with FAT32 is handled by Linux Kernel VFAT driver, while 3rd party
solutions are required to handle other popular file systems such as NTFS, HFS Plus and
exFAT.

Google Play

Google Play is an online software store developed by Google for Android devices. An
application program ("app") called "Play Store" is preinstalled on most Android devices and
allows users to browse and download apps published by third-party developers, hosted on
Google Play. As of October 2011, there were more than 500,000 apps available for Android, and
the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Play Store as of December 2011
exceeded 10 billion. The operating system itself is installed on 130 million total devices.
Only devices that comply with Google's compatibility requirements are allowed to preinstall and
access the Play Store. The app filters the list of available applications to those that are

compatible with the user's device, and developers may restrict their applications to particular
carriers or countries for business reasons.
Google has participated in the Play Store by offering many free applications themselves,
including Google Voice, Google Goggles, Gesture Search, Google Translate, Google Shopper,
Listen and My Tracks. In August 2010, Google launched "Voice Actions for Android", which
allows users to search, write messages, and initiate calls by voice.

Security

Android applications run in a sandbox, an isolated area of the operating system that does not
have access to the rest of the system's resources, unless access permissions are granted by the
user when the application is installed. Before installing an application, the Play Store displays all
required permissions. A game may need to enable vibration, for example, but should not need to
read messages or access the phonebook. After reviewing these permissions, the user can decide
whether to install the application.The sandboxing and permissions system weakens the impact of
vulnerabilities and bugs in applications, but developer confusion and limited documentation has
resulted in applications routinely requesting unnecessary permissions, reducing its effectiveness.
The complexity of inter-application communication implies Android has a large attack surface.

Several security firms have released antivirus software for Android devices, in particular, AVG
Technologies, Avast!, F-Secure, Kaspersky, McAfee and Symantec. This software is ineffective
as sandboxing also applies to such applications, limiting their ability to scan the deeper system
for threats.

Privacy
Android Smartphone have the ability to report the location of Wi-Fi access points, encountered
as phone users move around, to build databases containing the physical locatio ns of hundreds of
millions of such access points. These databases form electronic maps to locate Smartphone,
allowing them to run apps like Foursquare, Latitude, Places, and to deliver location-based ads.
Third party monitoring software such as TaintDroid, an academic research- funded project, can,
in some cases, detect when personal information is being sent from applications to remote
servers.
In March 2012 it was revealed that Android Apps can copy photos without explicit user
permission, Google responded they "originally designed the Android photos file system similar
to those of other computing platforms like Windows and Mac OS. [...] we're taking another look
at this and considering adding permission for apps to access images. We've always had policies
in place to remove any apps [on Google Play] that improperly access your data."

Usage share

Usage share of the different versions as of June 1, 2012

Usage share of the different versions as of June 1, 2012. Most Android devices to date run the
older OS version 2.3.x Gingerbread that was released on December 6, 2010, even though the
newest OS version, 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich has been released for over 6 months.
Version
Release date
API level Distribution
4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich October 19, 2011
14-15
7.1%
3.x.x Honeycomb
February 22, 2011
11-13
2.7%
2.3.x Gingerbread
December 6, 2010
9-10
65%
2.2 Froyo
May 20, 2010
8
19.1%
2.0, 2.1 clair
October 26, 2009
7
5.2%
1.6 Donut
September 15, 2009
4
0.6%
1.5 Cupcake
April 30, 2009
3
0.3%