When people hear this word, they have a lot of questions: “Why a green robot?”, “How difficult is it to handle?”, “How to install programs or make a backup copy?”, “Should I give it preference when choosing new mobile phone? other.
But what is Android in principle? Let's try to figure this out.
Description
android (eng. Android) is the name of a software platform for devices (most of which are mobile devices) based on the Linux kernel. It was originally created by Android Inc., which was acquired by Google. Android provides the ability to develop Java applications that control the device using libraries developed by Google. Distributed under the Apache 2.0 license.
Used in a wide range of devices:
- Smartphones
- TVs
- Google glasses
- media players
- EBooks
- photo frames
- Notebooks/Netbooks/Smartbooks
- etc
It is planned to install the Android system on the automotive computerized part and robotic machines (military and domestic). It is now the most widely used operating system for mobile devices(for example, in 2014, more than 80% of smartphones sold had the Android operating system).
In the fall of 2012, L. Page (executive director of Google) published statistics on the activation of over 500 million Android-based mobile devices. To compare the spread rate of this OS, in the fall of 2013, it became known that more than 1 billion Android devices were activated on our planet.
The main competitor in the mobile segment on this moment is Apple with an expensive proprietary operating system called iOS. Like Apple, Google has its own Internet market, but it has not only paid, but also many free products, unlike its competitor, which sells its full-fledged programs most often for more than $0.
Software store (applications) "Google Play"
In the fall of 2008, Google presented an online store of programs (applications) for its OS - Android Market. As for payment, developers receive about 70% of the profits, and the remaining 30% is received by operators providing access to the cellular network. As of January 2012, more than 10 billion applications have been downloaded since the launch of the Android Market.
In the spring of 2012, the company combined its multimedia services, such as Books, Android Market, Music, etc. Google Play appeared. Google Play is used in over 180 countries and has over half a million apps with over 25 billion downloads.
Advantages of Android
Unlike iOS, Android is a free platform, which allows it to implement more various functions and make itself more versatile with the help of firmware and patches from third-party programmers.
- by default, it has a restriction on installing programs from “unverified sources”, but this prohibition can be easily deactivated in the device settings, which allows installation without an Internet connection, and also provides the ability to test personally written applications;
- available for MIPS, ARM, x86;
- multiplayer mode since Android 4.3
Criticism from
- some devices have Google services that allow you to transfer confidential information to the company;
- the platform has excessive fragmentation that prevents programmers from creating applications without any problems;
- due to the use of Java code, there is often a decrease in overall performance and increased power consumption of Android devices
- According to Lookout Security Mobile, in 2011 more than 1 million US dollars were stolen from Android smartphone owners (frequent methods: sending instant messages without the participation of the owner of the phone or calling a paid number).
It is interesting
- the name of each version of Android 1.5+ is a dessert, or rather its name. In this case, the first letters of the names are relative to the letters of the Latin alphabet, following in order:
- individual font sets were created for Android Droid and Roboto;
- In versions of Android 4.2+ initially developer tools are off, to activate it, you need to click on the release number seven times.
- on official websites from the moment they were launched to the present moment no minimum specifications required to run the OS;
- in versions 2.3+ there is easter egg, to launch it, you should go to "Settings - About device - Android version" and quickly press this function 4 times, after which an animation will be displayed, and then the "Flappy Bird" mini-game will open.
(Russian - Android) - a portable (network) operating system (hereinafter - OS) for communicators, tablet computers, e-books, TVs, digital players, wrist watch, netbooks and smartbooks, as well as many other devices based on the Linux kernel. Developed by Android Inc., it was later (in 2005) bought out by Google along with all its developers. Later (September 2007), Google became the founder of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which is currently supporting and further development platforms. The Android OS allows you to create Java applications that control the device through libraries developed by Google. The Android Native Development Kit builds applications written in C and other languages. Android OS is currently one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. The share of mobile devices running on the Android OS for November 2012 is about 70% and continues to grow.
The history of the development of the Android OS
The Android OS was released in September 2008, it was assigned the serial number 1.0. The first device running Android control 1.0, became developed by HTC HTC smartphone Dream (it was a branded model of the mobile operator T-Mobile under the name T-Mobile G1). A little later, others released their models of devices based on the Android OS. major manufacturers mobile electronics. But the real popularity of Android came only with version 2.0 released at the end of 2009. Google Corporation is very kind to its offspring, and even versions of the Android OS have their own names, named after sweet desserts. Each of the Android version numbers (1.0, 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, etc.) is assigned a letter of the Latin alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, etc.). The version letter is the first letter of the dessert that Google developers call each new version of the Android OS. The first two versions were named famous robots: 1.0 Astro ("Astro Boy") and 1.1 Bender ("Futurama"), but they had to be changed due to copyright disputes.
To date, the names of the following versions of the Android OS are known:
- - Android 1.0 "Apple Pie" (Apple pie) (early name "Astroboy");
- - Android 1.1 "Banana Bread" (Banana cake) (earlier name "Bender");
- - Android 1.5 "Cupcake" (Cupcake);
- - Android 1.6 "Donut" (Donut);
- - Android 2.0 / 2.1 "Eclair" (Custard) ( website translation);
- - Android 2.2 "Froyo" (Frozen yogurt);
- - Android 2.3.x "Gingerbread" (Gingerbread);
- - Android 3.x "Honeycomb" (Honeycombs);
- - Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" (Ice cream bar);
- - Android 4.1 / 4.1.1 / 4.1.2 / 4.2 / 4.2.1 / 4.2.2 / 4.3 / 4.3.1 "Jelly Bean" (Lollipop with chewing gum);
- - Android 4.4 / 4.4.1 / 4.4.2 / 4.4.3 / 4.4.4 "KitKat" (after the chocolate bar of the same name) - current version;
- - Android 5.0 L. - future release.
Widespread popularity for the Android OS came with the advent of version 2.0 (Eclair). Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread) has become the most widespread on smartphones, which still has a significant share of devices built on its basis. Version Android 2.3 also has the largest number of patches among all existing versions of this operating system. These so-called "patches" were released by Google as minor versions 2.3.1, 2.3.2 ... 2.3.7 and added only one feature or fixed bugs.
The tablet PC era begins with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). It was this OS that was optimized to run on tablet computers and supports large screen resolutions. But tablet PCs based on Android 3.0 did not enjoy great popularity, largely due to the lack of a sufficient number of compatible applications for this OS.
The situation has changed radically with the advent of the new version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which combines support for all mobile devices, whether smartphones or tablets. Android 4.0 supports all previously released Android 2.x and 3.x apps. Thus, by the release of Android 4.0, there were already many compatible mobile applications. This was the decisive factor in the growing popularity of mobile devices on Android 4.0.
The updated version of Android 4.2 at the end of 2012 brought such a useful feature to mobile devices as support for multiple user accounts, the OS's work with media data was improved, as well as the smoothness of the interface and increased battery life. The smoothness of the Android 4.2 interface was achieved by accelerating the screen refresh to 60 frames / s.
Since version 4.3, Android began to support Bluetooth 4.0 LowEnergy (Smart), OpenGL ES 3.0, and also became available new camera and gallery.
Thanks to the open source code, any developer can release their own version of the Android OS. For example, recently Russian media giant Yandex announced its plans to release its own version of Android for mobile devices. However, not only large corporations are engaged in the development of their own versions of the Android OS. There is a community of enthusiasts developing completely open android firmware versions (such as CyanogenMod, MIUI, Virtuous Quattro, VillainROM, Open Kang Project, Replicant and others). Anyone can install firmware from a third-party developer on their device. To do this, you need to get root rights on the Android device. However, this will void the manufacturer's warranty.
Since 2009, a group of enthusiasts calling themselves the Android-x86 Project have been developing their own developments for porting the Android OS to personal computers. The project is very advanced in its work, and currently offers a download of Android 4.4, which can be installed on a regular x86 computer or laptop. Of course, it is unlikely that anyone will use such a system as the main one on their computer, because the current assemblies are far from ideal and do not work stably, but you can still try the capabilities of the Android OS on a PC.
Google Play App Store (formerly Android Market)
One of the most attractive factors influencing the popularity of a mobile operating system is the variety, quality and availability of programs. On October 22, 2008, Google announced the opening of an online application store for the Android OS - Android Market. In the Android Market, you can download any program, game application or various widgets, pictures, ringtones, etc. to your mobile device without using a personal computer. Applications in the Android Market are arranged in the form of a catalog with a convenient search and are downloaded to a mobile device directly from the network. At the same time, most applications and games in the Android Market are offered absolutely free.
In March 2012, Google renamed Android Market to Google Play. The Google Play online catalog operates in 190 countries and has more than a million applications. Google app Play is available on both Android smartphones and tablets.
The format of installation files for applications for the Android OS has the extension .apk. Applications can be installed without using Google Play. To do this, you need to download the installation file of the application to your mobile device and run it. However, Google does not recommend installing apps from unknown sources and encourages the use of Google Play.
Pros and cons of Android OS
The Android OS has many advantages, for which it has earned worldwide popularity. Android outperforms one of its rivals, Apple iOS, in a number of ways, such as web surfing and integration with Google services Inc., in addition, Android, unlike iOS, is an open platform, which allows you to implement more functions on it. Unlike competing operating systems, Android has a full-fledged implementation of the Bluetooth stack, which allows, among other things, the transfer and reception of files. Implementation of FTP server, network access point mode (PAN services), and group peer-to-peer networking via Bluetooth (GN services) is present. The undoubted advantage of the Android OS is the support for a MicroSD card reader, which allows you to expand the internal memory of the device, use it as a flash drive, or upload data to the device without resorting to a USB cable. Also, the pluses include the ability to install third-party unsigned programs. This feature is useful as app developers who can test their products without buying a paid developer account (as is required in iOS and Windows phone 7/8), as well as ordinary users who want to install applications without using Google Play. Android OS is available for various hardware platforms such as ARM, MIPS, x86.
The disadvantages of the Android OS itself can only be attributed to the high consumption of RAM by applications, but this would have been relevant 5 years ago, and now the volumes of RAM installed in mobile devices are no different from those installed in personal computers. So the problem of gluttony today is practically not relevant. There is also a security issue when installing third-party unsigned applications, as it is possible to infect the device with a Trojan.
Android competitors a couple of years ago made claims about Google's OS fragmentation and the resulting difficulties for application developers, but this statement was refuted by the corporation. But, despite its rebuttal, Google still released a tool to fix the fragmentation problem. For end users, fragmentation is not a problem, since any developer himself takes care that his application works on all possible devices.
Android- This is one of the most popular and most promising operating systems for various mobile devices. The system offers a very convenient toolkit and maximum flexibility of settings, which allows each user of a smartphone or tablet on Android to customize it completely to fit their needs. The development of this operating system started back in 2003, but it became truly famous only 2 years later - after it was acquired by Google. The turning point in the history of Android occurred in the fall of 2008. Then Google showed T-Mobile G1, which became the first smartphone running Android. It was at that moment that many global manufacturers paid attention to a promising operating system.
(very first version)
The main features of the Android operating system
The OS in question has always been positioned by its developers as an open source system. This allows anyone to create their own applications, games and other add-ons to expand the capabilities of Android gadgets. The developers initially thought of everything so that the operating system worked as quickly as possible even on the most “budget” hardware. This is a definite plus, because. now even people with the most modest financial means can enjoy all the main advantages of modern smartphones.
(Android 5.0)
Mobile electronics manufacturers are also willing to take advantage of the system's openness by releasing their own user interfaces, for example, Sense from HTC. It makes gadgets on Android from different manufacturers dissimilar to each other. Fans of classic and "pure" Android should turn their attention to Nexus devices. They are traditionally the first to receive updates.
The timing of updating other devices is usually delayed due to the need to refine proprietary shells in accordance with the features of new versions of the OS.
The main source of games and applications is the Play Store. In the catalogs of this store, a huge selection of free and paid content is available, the range of which is actively expanding. The quality of "android" games and applications is constantly growing. From time to time, Google itself releases various applications.
In general, Android devices have all the features that modern smartphones and tablets should have according to unspoken requirements. In addition, the functionality can be easily expanded using applications, widgets or third-party firmware.
Those wishing to purchase an Android smartphone should remember that many functions and programs are focused on working with the Internet. If you do not have access to Wi-Fi, it is recommended to connect a favorable tariff for Internet users or disable some functions that require access to the network.
Also, one cannot fail to note the limited autonomy of Android devices, especially representatives of previous generations. With active use, a smartphone or tablet will have to be charged daily, and in some cases 2 times a day. Manufacturers are actively working to correct this shortcoming, and recently interesting devices with significantly increased autonomy have begun to appear on the market. Developers are not left out. With each new version, the operating system “eats” less and less charge.
Based on the information provided, it is possible to highlight the key advantages and disadvantages of the considered operating system. So, the undoubted advantages of Android are:
1. Openness of the program code, which makes it possible to develop almost any applications and games.
2. Undemanding to the hardware of the device.
3. Huge range of applications and exciting games for every taste.
4. Full compliance with modern ideas about the functionality of a smartphone.
5. Freedom of action for the user. If desired, the system and its interface can be easily customized to the needs of the owner.
6. The popularity of the operating system among the vast majority of modern manufacturers. This allows a user with almost any budget to buy a functional and modern smartphone.
There are also disadvantages. The key ones are:
1. Openness of the program code. Yes, it can be attributed to both advantages and disadvantages at the same time. This is a disadvantage for the reason that mobile device manufacturers for the most part prefer to create their own shells. Because of this, there are significant time delays between the official release of the OS update and its receipt on various devices.2. Relatively low autonomy. Recently, a huge step forward has been made in this direction, so very soon the jokes that “Smartphones on Android are the most sporty, because. they have 2 exercises a day” will be nothing more than a funny story.
The platform is constantly being improved and developed. Already today, she confidently feels in the top three in the market of operating systems. Numerous experts have repeatedly noted that the future belongs to Android and were not mistaken.