Android Introduction

Android is a Unix/Linux based operating system for mobiles, tablets and smart phones,  released as a open source under Apache License 2.0. It has been written in C, C++, Java  and  supports multiple  platforms/ architecture such as ARM, MIPS and x86 systems. Android developer’s community extending the functionality of android devices using  customized  java version  which is a primary language for android application development. Android uses its own virtual machine called “Dalvik”. The application by the developer community can be downloaded through  an android market called Google Play or third party sites.

In October 2012, there were 7,00,000 apps available for download in Google Play and android had become the world’s most selling and leading smartphones, tablets  and mobiles. At end of 2012, It recorded 25 billion android application downloads in Google Play android market.  Currently, more than 500 millions devices activated and 1.3 million devices are activated per day.

Android History

Initially On October 2003, Android Inc, was founded in Palo Alto, California by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White.  On August 17 2005, Google acquired Android, Inc. and Andy Rubin, Rich Miner and Chris White stayed back in the project after the acquisition and made it as the Android Open Source Project(AOSP). On November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of technology companies including Google, device manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung, wireless carriers such as Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile, and chipset makers such as Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, unveiled itself, with a goal to develop open standards for mobile devices. That day, Android was unveiled as its first product, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel version 2.6. The first commercially available phone to run Android was the HTC Dream, released on October 22, 2008