Android is a Linux-based
operating system basically designed for touchscreen mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablet computers. It is currently being developed by Google
Inc. in joint venture of the Open Handset Alliance. It was Initially
developed by Android Inc(Founded by Andy Rubin, Chris White, Rich Miner, and
Nick Sears), whom Google financially backed and later purchased in 2005,
Android was unveiled in 2007 along 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
Android has a long journey of it's success with improving these enlisted features.
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| Image Courtesy Android Developers (developer.android.com) |
Android Basis features
Handset layouts
The platform is adaptable to
larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0
specifications, and traditional smartphone layouts.
Storage
Uses SQLite
Connectivity
GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO,
UMTS, Bluetooth, WiFi, LTE, NFC and WiMAX.
Messaging
SMS and MMS are available
forms of messaging, including threaded text messaging and Android Cloud To
Device Messaging (C2DM) and now enhanced version of C2DM, Android Google Cloud
Messaging (GCM) is also a part of Android Push Messaging service.
Multiple language support
Android supports multiple
languages.
Web browser
The 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 (A kind of test for check web
browser's compliance) test on Android 4.0.
Java support
While 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 (It is the software that runs
the apps on Android devices) and run on Dalvik,
Media support
Android supports the
following audio/video/still media formats: WebM, H.263, H.264, AAC, HE-AAC (in 3GP or MP4 container), MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB (in 3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis,
FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP,
WebP.
Streaming media support
RTP/RTSP streaming (3GPP PSS, ISMA), HTML progressive download . Adobe
Flash Streaming (RTMP) and HTTP Dynamic streaming are supported by the Flash
plugin. Apple HTTP Live Streaming is supported by RealPlayer for Android
Additional hardware support
Android 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-touch
Android has native support
for multi-touch which was initially made available in handsets such as the HTC
Hero. Google has since released an
update for the Nexus One and the Motorola Droid which enables multi-touch again.
Bluetooth
Supports 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.
Video calling
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. Users with the Google+ android
app can video chat with other google+ users through hangouts.
Multitasking
Multitasking of applications,
with unique handling of memory allocation, is available.
Accessibility
Built in text to speech is
provided by Talk back for people with low or no vision. Enhancements for people
with hearing disabilities are available as is other aids.
Voice based features
Google search through voice
has been available since initial release. Voice actions for calling, texting,
navigation, etc. are supported on Android 2.2 onward.
As of Android 4.1, Google has
expanded Voice Actions with the ability to talk back and read answers from
Google's Knowledge Graph when queried with specific commands. The ability to
control hardware has not yet been implemented.
Tethering
Android supports tethering,
which allows a phone to be used as a wireless/wired Wi-Fi hotspot.
Screen capture
Android supports capturing a
screenshot by pressing the power and
volume-down buttons at the same time. Prior to Android 4.0, the only
methods of capturing a screenshot were through manufacturer and third-party customization or otherwise by using a PC connection (DDMS developer's tool).
These alternative methods are still available with the latest Android.
External storage
Android 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.
Stay tune for Part 2 of Android operating System A to Z, Where we are going to cover all the information about rooting a Android, its Pros & Cons along with Android Cheat Sheet which will make you learn lot.Comment are welcome to make this article more clear and updated.
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