Android (operating system)
Android is an operating system based on the Linux kernel,
and designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and
tablet computers. Initially developed by Android, Inc., which Google backed
financially and later bought in 2005,Android was unveiled in 2007 along with
the founding of the Open Handset Alliance: a consortium of hardware, software,
and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile
devices. The first Android-powered phone was sold in October 2008.
The user interface of Android is based on direct
manipulation, using touch inputs that loosely correspond to real-world actions,
like swiping, tapping, pinching and reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen
objects. Internal hardware such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and proximity
sensors are used by some applications to respond to additional user actions,
for example adjusting the screen from portrait to landscape depending on how
the device is oriented. Android allows users to customize their home screens
with shortcuts to applications and widgets, which allow users to display live
content, such as emails and weather information, directly on the home screen.
Applications can further send notifications to the user to inform them of
relevant information, such as new emails and text messages.
Android is open source and Google releases the source code
under the Apache License. This open-source code and permissive licensing allows
the software to be freely modified and distributed by device manufacturers,
wireless carriers and enthusiast developers. However, most Android devices ship
with additional proprietary software. Additionally, Android has a large
community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the
functionality of devices, written primarily in the Java programming language.
In October 2012, there were approximately 700,000 apps available for Android,
and the estimated number of applications downloaded from Google Play, Android's
primary app store, was 25 billion. A developer survey conducted in April–May
2013 found that Android is the most popular platform for developers, used by
71% of the mobile developer population.
Android is the world's most widely used smartphone platform,
overtaking Symbian in the fourth quarter of 2010. Android is popular with
technology companies who require a ready-made, low-cost, customizable and
lightweight operating system for high tech devices. Despite being primarily
designed for phones and tablets, it also has been used in televisions, games
consoles, digital cameras and other electronics. Android's open nature has
encouraged a large community of developers and enthusiasts to use the
open-source code as a foundation for community-driven projects, which add new
features for advanced users or bring Android to devices which were officially,
released running other operating systems.
As of November 2013, Android's share of the global
smartphone market, led by Samsung products, has reached 80%. The operating
system's success has made it a target for patent litigation as part of the
so-called "smartphone wars" between technology companies. As of May
2013, 48 billion apps have been installed from the Google Play store, and as of
September 3, 2013, 1 billion Android devices have been activated.
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