Android+Operating+System

[|Android (operating system)][|From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia] Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005.[7home] 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.[8home] Google releases the Android code as open-source, under the Apache License.[9home] The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.[10home] 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.[11home] 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,[12home] and the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Android Market as of December 2011 exceeded 10 billion.[13home] Android was listed as the best-selling smartphone platform worldwide in Q4 2010 by Canalys[14home][15home] with over 300 million Android devices in use by February 2012.[16home] According to Google's Andy Rubin, as of December 2011, there were over 700,000 Android devices activated every day
 * ~ Company / developer || Google Inc, Open Handset Alliance, Android Open Source Project ||
 * ~ Programmed in || C (core),[1home] Java (UI), C++ ||
 * ~ OS family || Linux ||
 * ~ Working state || Current ||
 * ~ Source model || Open Source[2home] ||
 * ~ Initial release || September 20, 2008 ( 2008-09-20 ) ||
 * ~ Latest stable release || 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)[3home] / March 28, 2012 ; 51 days ago ( 2012-03-28 ) ||
 * ~ Package manager || Google Play / APK ||
 * ~ Supported platforms || ARM, MIPS,[4home] x86[5home] ||
 * ~ Kernel type || Monolithic (modified Linux kernel) ||
 * ~ Default user interface || Graphical ||
 * ~ License || Apache License 2.0 Linux kernel patches under GNU GPL v2[6home] ||
 * ~ Official website || [|www.android.com] ||
 * 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.[2home]

[|There are a number of books available in print about the Android Operating System.]

[|Android Open Source Project] The [|Android Open Source Project (AOSP)] is led by Google, and is tasked with the maintenance and development of Android.[30home] According to the project "The goal of the Android Open Source Project is to create a successful real-world product that improves the mobile experience for end users."[31home] AOSP also maintains the //Android Compatibility Program//, defining an "Android compatible" device "as one that can run any application written by third-party developers using the Android SDK and NDK", to prevent incompatible Android implementations.[31home] The compatibility program is also optional and free of charge, with the //Compatibility Test Suite// also free and open-source

[|Android OS Design] Architecture diagram

Android consists of a kernel based on the Linux kernel, with middleware, libraries and APIs written in C and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries based on Apache Harmony. Android uses the Dalvik virtual machine with just-in-time compilation to run Dalvik dex-code (Dalvik Executable), which is usually translated from Java bytecode.[46home] The main hardware platform for Android is the ARM architecture. There is support for x86 from the Android x86 project,[5home] and Google TV uses a special x86 version of Android.

[|Linux in Android]
Android's kernel is based on the Linux kernel and has further architecture changes by Google outside the typical Linux kernel development cycle.[47home] Android does not have a native X Window System nor does it support the full set of standard GNU libraries, and this makes it difficult to port existing Linux applications or libraries to Android.[48home] Certain features that Google contributed back to the Linux kernel, notably a power management feature called wakelocks, were rejected by mainline kernel developers, partly because kernel maintainers felt that Google did not show any intent to maintain their own code.[49home][50home][51home] Even though Google announced in April 2010 that they would hire two employees to work with the Linux kernel community,[52home] Greg Kroah-Hartman, the current Linux kernel maintainer for the -stable branch, said in December 2010 that he was concerned that Google was no longer trying to get their code changes included in mainstream Linux.[50home] Some Google Android developers hinted that "the Android team was getting fed up with the process", because they were a small team and had more urgent work to do on Android.[53home] However, in September 2010, Linux kernel developer Rafael J. Wysocki added a patch that improved the mainline Linux wakeup events framework. He said that Android device drivers that use wakelocks can now be easily merged into mainline Linux, but that Android's opportunistic suspend features should not be included in the mainline kernel.[54home][55home] In August 2011, Linus Torvalds said that "eventually Android and Linux would come back to a common kernel, but it will probably not be for four to five years".[56home] In December 2011, Greg Kroah-Hartman announced the start of the Android Mainlining Project, which aims to put some Android drivers, patches and features back into the Linux kernel, starting in Linux 3.3.[57home] further integration being expected for Linux Kernel 3.4.[58home]

Features
Current features and specifications:[59home][60home][61home] Handset layoutsThe platform is adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications, and traditional smartphone layouts.StorageSQLite, a lightweight relational database, is used for data storage purposes.ConnectivityAndroid supports connectivity technologies including GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, NFC and WiMAX.MessagingSMS 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 supportAndroid supports multiple languages.[34home]Web browserThe 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 supportWhile 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 supportAndroid 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, HE-AAC (in MP4 or 3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP.[61home]Streaming media supportRTP/RTSP streaming (3GPP PSS, ISMA), HTML progressive download (HTML5 tag). Adobe Flash Streaming (RTMP) and HTTP Dynamic Streaming are supported by the Flash plugin.[62home] Apple HTTP Live Streaming is supported by RealPlayer for Android,[63home] and by the operating system in Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).[37home]Additional hardware supportAndroid 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-touchAndroid has native support for multi-touch which was initially made available in handsets such as the HTC Hero. The feature was originally disabled at the kernel level (possibly to avoid infringing Apple's patents on touch-screen technology at the time).[64home] Google has since released an update for the Nexus One and the Motorola Droid which enables multi-touch natively.[65home]BluetoothSupports A2DP, AVRCP, sending files (OPP), accessing the phone book (PBAP), voice dialing and sending contacts between phones. Keyboard, mouse and joystick (HID) support is available in Android 3.1+, and in earlier versions through manufacturer customizations and third-party applications.[66home]Video callingAndroid 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 (like the Samsung Galaxy S) 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.MultitaskingMultitasking of applications, with unique handling of memory allocation, is available.[67home]Voice based featuresGoogle search through voice has been available since initial release.[68home] Voice actions for calling, texting, navigation, etc. are supported on Android 2.2 onwards.[69home]TetheringAndroid 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.[70home]Screen captureAndroid supports capturing a screenshot by pressing the power and volume-down buttons at the same time.[71home] 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 storageMost 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.== ==

[|Source Code Available for Android 4.0]
The source code for the Android 4.0 platform and software stack has been released! This release allows OEMs to begin preparing Android 4.0 for installation on new and existing devices, and allows hobbyists, enthusiasts, and researchers to develop custom builds. For information on how to obtain the software, visit our Getting the Source page.