Android

Overview

Android Logo

Android is open-source software that is used for mobile phones, in which there is an operating system (OS), middleware, and key applications. Android was developed by a developer company called Android Inc. which in 2005 was bought by Google Inc. According to a survey conducted by Canalys in 2010, Android is the world’s best-selling platform. With the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), then Android will continue to grow and provide the best service to consumers.

History


Founder/Inventor/Main Programmer
Android Inc. is the creator of the Android OS; the company was founded in 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, et al. In 2005, Android Inc. was acquired by Google Inc. However, since 2007, the Android development is not only handled by Google, but also by the Open Handset Alliance.

Version

• Android 1.0 is the first Android released on 23 September 2008. Not too many things that can be extracted about this Android.
• 1.1 is the second-generation of Android; this Android can only be used for T-Mobile G1 phone only. Android was released on 9 February 2009. Some features can be found in Android 1.1, among others: Multiple issues resolved, the API (Application Programming Interface) changes, maps adds details and reviews, etc.
• Android 1.5 (Cupcake), Android is an update from previous versions, and released on 30 April 2009. Android 1.5 has several new features, including: uploading videos to YouTube, support for Bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP, animated screen transitions, etc.
• Android 1.6 (donut) was equipped with a SDK (Software Development Kit), and was released on 15 September 2009. As with previous versions, in this Android also have new features, among others: WVGA screen Resolutions support, improved the Android Market, Google’s free turn-by-turn navigation, etc.
• Android 2.0/2.1 (Eclair) released 3 times, on 26 0ktober 2009, 3 December 2009 (Android 2.0.1), and 12 January 2010 (Android 2.1). In Android Eclair there are some changes, namely: new browser UI and HTML5 support, digital zoom, improved virtual keyboard, etc.
• Andoid 2.2 (Frozen Yogurt / Froyo) is the sixth generation of the Android OS, and was released on 20 May 2010. The changes contained in the Android Froyo, among others: USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality, support for Adobe Flash, voice dialing and contact sharing over Bluetooth, etc.
• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) was released on 6 December 2010. At Gingerbread Android, new features change very revolutionary, among others: support for Near Field Communication, Switched from YAFFS to the ext4 file system, support for extra-large screen sizes and Resolutions (WXGA and higher), etc.
• Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) was released on 22 February 2011 specifically for the tablet only. Changes in Android 3.0, among others: support for multi-core processors, refined multi-tasking, hardware acceleration, etc.

Feature and specifications


Supported platforms
Some of the platforms that can run on the Android OS, among others:
• ARM. ARM is a processor developed by ARM Holdings with a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) 32-bit instruction set architecture (ISA). ARM is widely used by mobile phones and other electronic goods on the market because it is cheap, and is small.
• MIPS (Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages). MIPS is a RISC ISA 62-bit processor, developed by MIPS Technologies.
• Power Architecture. Power Architecture is a RISC microprocessor with that developed by many companies including: IBM, Freescale, Tundra, etc.
• X86. X86 is the processor to the ISA, designed by Intel and AMD. X86 was first introduced in 1978, and is now the ninth generation.

Kernel type
Android OS using a Monolithic Kernel, which is an OS architecture that will define all the performance of the OS. Monolithic kernels are high-level OS architecture because it can perform process management, concurrency, and memory management by itself, while other devices simply as modules.