Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance, with the main contributor and commercial marketer being Google.
Android Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, in October 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. Rubin described the Android project as "tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences".
Interface
Android's default user interface is mainly 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, along with a virtual keyboard.
Android devices boot to the homescreen, the primary navigation and information "hub" on Android devices, analogous to the desktop found on personal computers. Android homescreens are typically made up of app icons and widgets; app icons launch the associated app, whereas widgets display live, auto-updating content, such as a weather forecast, the user's email inbox, or a news ticker directly on the homescreen. A homescreen may be made up of several pages, between which the user can swipe back and forth. Third-party apps available on Google Play and other app stores can extensively re-theme the homescreen, and even mimic the look of other operating systems, such as Windows Phone. Most manufacturers customize the look and features of their Android devices to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Linux kernel
Android's kernel is based on the Linux kernel's long-term support (LTS) branches. As of 2018, Android targets versions 4.4, 4.9 or 4.14 of the Linux kernel. The actual kernel depends on the individual device.
Android's variant of the Linux kernel has further architectural changes that are implemented by Google outside the typical Linux kernel development cycle, such as the inclusion of components like device trees, ashmem, ION, and different out of memory (OOM) handling. Certain features that Google contributed back to the Linux kernel, notably a power management feature called "wakelocks", were initially rejected by mainline kernel developers partly because they felt that Google did not show any intent to maintain its own code.
Software stack
On top of the Linux kernel, there are the middleware, libraries and APIs written in C, and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries. Development of the Linux kernel continues independently of Android's other source code projects.
Open-source community
Android's source code is released by Google under an open source license, and its 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 deliver updates to older devices, add new features for advanced users or bring Android to devices originally shipped with other operating systems.
Platform information
Android Pie 9.0 is by far the most used Android, at over 39%, well over twice as popular as the next most popular single version (Oreo 8.1).[372][373] Over 62% of devices run on Android 8.0 and later (all supported versions). On tablets only, Android Lollipop 5.1 is the single most used version at 20.95% (and most Android tablets use unsupported Android versions). The most used versions of Android on tablets vary a lot by country, still Lollipop 5.1 is the most used single version in the United States (and e.g. India) at 39.83%, while a recent Oreo 8.1 is most used in e.g. China, Australia, all Nordic countries and many other European, and Egypt. In Australia, Android Pie 9.0 is most popular at 18.83%.
Version: 10
Code name: 10
Release date: September 3, 2019
API level: 28
Version: 9
Code name: Pie
Release date: August 6, 2018
API level: 28
Version: 8.1
Code name: Oreo
Release date: December 5, 2017
API level: 27
Version: 8.0
Code name: Oreo
Release date: August 21, 2017
API level: 26
Version: 7.1
Code name: Nougat
Release date: October 4, 2016
API level: 25
Version: 7.0
Code name: Nougat
Release date: August 22, 2016
API level: 24
Version: 6.0
Code name: Marshmallow
Release date: October 5, 2015
API level: 23
Version: 5.1
Code name: Lollipop
Release date: March 9, 2015
API level: 22
Version: 5.0
Code name: Lollipop
Release date: November 3, 2014
API level: 21
Version: 4.4
Code name: KitKat
Release date: October 31, 2013
API level: 19
Version: 4.3
Code name: Jelly Bean
Release date: July 24, 2013
API level: 18
Version: 4.2
Code name: Jelly Bean
Release date: November 13, 2012
API level: 17
Version: 4.1
Code name: Jelly Bean
Release date: July 9, 2012
API level: 16
Version: 4.0
Code name: Ice Cream Sandwich
Release date: October 19, 2011
API level: 15
Version: 2.3
Code name: Gingerbread
Release date: February 9, 2011
API level: 10
Always pushing what's possible.
Android is open to everyone: developers, designers and device makers. That means more people can experiment, imagine and create things the world has never seen.
Powering your phone, tablet, watch, TV and car.
When a device goes from just working to actually making life easier, Android is behind it. It’s the reason your GPS avoids traffic, your watch can text and your Assistant can answer questions. It’s the operating system inside 2.5 billion active devices. Everything from 5G phones to stunning tablets, Android powers them all.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
https://www.android.com/what-is-android/
Android Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, in October 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. Rubin described the Android project as "tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences".
Interface
Android's default user interface is mainly 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, along with a virtual keyboard.
Android devices boot to the homescreen, the primary navigation and information "hub" on Android devices, analogous to the desktop found on personal computers. Android homescreens are typically made up of app icons and widgets; app icons launch the associated app, whereas widgets display live, auto-updating content, such as a weather forecast, the user's email inbox, or a news ticker directly on the homescreen. A homescreen may be made up of several pages, between which the user can swipe back and forth. Third-party apps available on Google Play and other app stores can extensively re-theme the homescreen, and even mimic the look of other operating systems, such as Windows Phone. Most manufacturers customize the look and features of their Android devices to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Linux kernel
Android's kernel is based on the Linux kernel's long-term support (LTS) branches. As of 2018, Android targets versions 4.4, 4.9 or 4.14 of the Linux kernel. The actual kernel depends on the individual device.
Android's variant of the Linux kernel has further architectural changes that are implemented by Google outside the typical Linux kernel development cycle, such as the inclusion of components like device trees, ashmem, ION, and different out of memory (OOM) handling. Certain features that Google contributed back to the Linux kernel, notably a power management feature called "wakelocks", were initially rejected by mainline kernel developers partly because they felt that Google did not show any intent to maintain its own code.
Software stack
On top of the Linux kernel, there are the middleware, libraries and APIs written in C, and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries. Development of the Linux kernel continues independently of Android's other source code projects.
Open-source community
Android's source code is released by Google under an open source license, and its 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 deliver updates to older devices, add new features for advanced users or bring Android to devices originally shipped with other operating systems.
Platform information
Android Pie 9.0 is by far the most used Android, at over 39%, well over twice as popular as the next most popular single version (Oreo 8.1).[372][373] Over 62% of devices run on Android 8.0 and later (all supported versions). On tablets only, Android Lollipop 5.1 is the single most used version at 20.95% (and most Android tablets use unsupported Android versions). The most used versions of Android on tablets vary a lot by country, still Lollipop 5.1 is the most used single version in the United States (and e.g. India) at 39.83%, while a recent Oreo 8.1 is most used in e.g. China, Australia, all Nordic countries and many other European, and Egypt. In Australia, Android Pie 9.0 is most popular at 18.83%.
Version: 10
Code name: 10
Release date: September 3, 2019
API level: 28
Version: 9
Code name: Pie
Release date: August 6, 2018
API level: 28
Version: 8.1
Code name: Oreo
Release date: December 5, 2017
API level: 27
Version: 8.0
Code name: Oreo
Release date: August 21, 2017
API level: 26
Version: 7.1
Code name: Nougat
Release date: October 4, 2016
API level: 25
Version: 7.0
Code name: Nougat
Release date: August 22, 2016
API level: 24
Version: 6.0
Code name: Marshmallow
Release date: October 5, 2015
API level: 23
Version: 5.1
Code name: Lollipop
Release date: March 9, 2015
API level: 22
Version: 5.0
Code name: Lollipop
Release date: November 3, 2014
API level: 21
Version: 4.4
Code name: KitKat
Release date: October 31, 2013
API level: 19
Version: 4.3
Code name: Jelly Bean
Release date: July 24, 2013
API level: 18
Version: 4.2
Code name: Jelly Bean
Release date: November 13, 2012
API level: 17
Version: 4.1
Code name: Jelly Bean
Release date: July 9, 2012
API level: 16
Version: 4.0
Code name: Ice Cream Sandwich
Release date: October 19, 2011
API level: 15
Version: 2.3
Code name: Gingerbread
Release date: February 9, 2011
API level: 10
Always pushing what's possible.
Android is open to everyone: developers, designers and device makers. That means more people can experiment, imagine and create things the world has never seen.
Powering your phone, tablet, watch, TV and car.
When a device goes from just working to actually making life easier, Android is behind it. It’s the reason your GPS avoids traffic, your watch can text and your Assistant can answer questions. It’s the operating system inside 2.5 billion active devices. Everything from 5G phones to stunning tablets, Android powers them all.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
https://www.android.com/what-is-android/
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