What is Android ?

Android is a mobile operating system that is based on a modified version of Linux. It was originally developed by a startup of the same name, Android, Inc. In 2005, as part of its strategy to enter the mobile space, Google purchased Android, Inc. and took over its development work (as well as its development team).

 Google wanted the Android OS to be open and free, so most of the Android code was released under the open-source Apache License. That means anyone who wants to use Android can do so by downloading the full Android source code. Moreover, vendors (typically hardware manufacturers) can add their own proprietary extensions to Android and customize Android to differentiate their products from others. This development model makes Android very attractive to vendors, especially those companies affected by the phenomenon of Apple's iPhone, which was a hugely successful product that revolutionized the smartphone industry. When the iPhone was launched, many smart-phone manufacturers had to scramble to find new ways of revitalizing their products. These manufacturers saw Android as a solution, meaning they will continue to design their own hardware and use Android as the operating system that powers it. Some companies that have taken advantage of Android's open-source policy include Motorola and Sony Ericsson, which have been developing their own mobile operating systems for many years. The main advantage of adopting Android is that it offers a unified approach to application development.

 Developers need only develop for Android in general, and their applications should be able to run on numerous different devices, as long as the devices are powered using Android. In the world of smartphones, applications are the most important part of the success chain.

One important thing to keep in mind as you are looking at Android versions is that each version has its own features and APIs (application programming interfaces). Therefore, if your application is written for the newest version of Android, and it uses an API that was not present in an older version of Android, then only devices running that newer version of Android will be able to use your application.

Features of Android Because Android is open source and freely available to manufacturers for customization, there are no fixed hardware or software configurations. However, the base Android OS supports many features, including

Storage—SQLite, a lightweight relational database, for data storage.

Connectivity—GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth (includes A2DP and AVRCP), Wi-Fi, LTE, and WiMAX. 

Messaging—Both SMS and MMS. 

Media support H.263, H.264 (in 3GP or MP4 container), MPEG4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB (in 3GP container), AAC, HE-AAC (in MP4 or 3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP.

Hardware support—Accelerometer sensor, camera, digital compass, proximity sensor, and GPS. ›- Multi-touch—Multi-touch screens. Multi-tasking—Multi-tasking applications.

Tethering—Sharing of Internet connections as a wired/wireless hotspot. Android's web browser is based on the open-source WebKit and Chrome's VS JavaScript engine.

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Comments
Farhad Studio - Oct 27, 2019, 8:21 PM - Add Reply

NICE

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Md Abdullah Hannan - Oct 28, 2019, 10:58 AM - Add Reply

Thanks a lot

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MOSHAREF HOSSEN - Oct 27, 2019, 9:25 PM - Add Reply

ভাই আপনার ফেসবুক লিংক টা দিন একটু কথা বলার ছিল।

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Md Abdullah Hannan - Oct 28, 2019, 10:21 AM - Add Reply

Hi Thanks for getting me back. You can ping me at [email protected]

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