Do Android Or Windows Devices Ever Register As A Linux Device

Android Os is a Linux-based mobile operating organization that primarily runs on smartphones and tablets.

The Android platform includes an operating system based upon the Linux kernel, a GUI, a web browser and end-user applications that can be downloaded. Although the initial demonstrations of Android featured a generic QWERTY smartphone and large VGA screen, the operating arrangement was written to run on relatively inexpensive handsets with conventional numeric keypads.

Android was released nether the Apache v2 open source license; this allows for many variations of the OS to exist developed for other devices, such equally gaming consoles and digital cameras. Android is based on open up source software, but most Android devices come up preinstalled with a suite of proprietary software, such as Google Maps, YouTube, Google Chrome and Gmail.

History and development

Android began its life every bit a Palo Alto-based startup company called Android Inc., in 2003. Originally, the company gear up out to develop an operating system for digital cameras, but it abandoned those efforts in lieu of reaching a broader market.

Google acquired Android Inc. and its fundamental employees in 2005 for at to the lowest degree $fifty million. Google marketed the early on mobile platform to handset manufacturers and mobile carriers with its major benefits as flexibility and upgradability.

Google was discreetly developing Android Bone when Apple released the iPhone in 2007. Previous prototypes of an Android phone closely resembled a BlackBerry, with a physical keyboard and no touchscreen. The launch of the iPhone, however, inverse the mobile calculating market place significantly and forced Android creators to support touchscreens more heavily. Nevertheless, the HTC Dream, which was the kickoff commercially available smartphone to run Android Os, featured a QWERTY keyboard and was met with some critical reception during its 2008 release.

In late 2007, the Open up Handset Alliance (OHA) appear its formation. The OHA was a coalition of more than xxx hardware, software and telecommunication companies, including Google, Qualcomm, Broadcom, HTC, Intel, Samsung, Motorola, Dart, Texas Instruments and Japanese wireless carriers KDDI and NTT DoCoMo. The alliance'south goal was to contribute to the evolution of the first open source platform for mobile devices.

Google released the public beta version of Android 1.0 for developers around the same time of the alliance's announcement, in November 2007. It wasn't until Google released Android one.5 in Apr 2009 that Google introduced Android'due south signature dessert-themed naming scheme; the name of Android 1.5 was "Cupcake." Effectually the time of the release of Android iv.4 KitKat, Google released an official statement to explicate the naming: "Since these devices make our lives and then sweet, each Android version is named later on a dessert." In 2019, however, Google abandoned the dessert names in a rebranding of Android; Android ten is simply known equally Android Q.

Android OS features

The default UI of Android relies on directly manipulation inputs such as borer, swiping and pinching to initiate deportment. The device provides haptic feedback to the user via alerts such as vibrations to reply to actions. If a user presses a navigation push button, for case, the device vibrates.

When a user boots a device, Android OS displays the home screen, which is the master navigation hub for Android devices and is comprised of widgets and app icons. Widgets are advisory displays that automatically update content such as weather or news. The dwelling screen display can differ based on the device manufacturer that is running the Os. Users can also choose different themes for the abode screen via third-party apps on Google Play.

A status bar at the top of the dwelling house screen displays data virtually the device and its connectivity, such equally the Wi-Fi network that the device is connected to or signal forcefulness. Users tin pull down the status bar with a swipe of a finger to view a notification screen.

Android Bone also includes features to salvage battery usage. The Os suspends applications that aren't in utilize to conserve battery power and CPU usage. Android includes retentivity management features that automatically shut inactive processes stored in its memory.

Android runs on both of the most widely deployed cellular standards, GSM/HSDPA and CDMA/EV-Practise. Android also supports:

Bluetooth
Edge
3G communication protocols, like EV-DO and HSDPA
Wi-Fi
Autocorrect
SMS and MMS messaging
video/still digital cameras
GPS
compasses
accelerometers
accelerated 3D graphics
multitasking applications

Android Bone versions

Google makes incremental changes to the Os with each release. This often includes security patches and performance improvements.

Android 1.0. Released Sept. 23, 2008. Included a suite of Google apps, including Gmail, Maps, Calendar and YouTube.
Android 1.5 (Cupcake). Released April 27, 2009. Introduced an onscreen virtual keyboard and the framework for third-political party app widgets.
Android 1.6 (Donut). Released Sept. fifteen, 2009. Introduced the ability for the Os to run on different screen sizes and resolutions; added support for CDMA networks.
Android two.0 (Eclair). Released October. 26, 2009. Added turn-by-plough voice navigation, real-time traffic information, pinch-to-zoom adequacy.
Android 2.2 (Froyo). Released May 20, 2010. Added dock at the bottom of the dwelling house screen and voice actions, which allows users to tap an icon and speak a control. Also introduced support for Flash to the spider web browser.
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Released Dec. six, 2010. Introduced black and greenish into the UI.
Android 3.0 to 3.2 (Honeycomb). Released Feb. 22, 2011. This release was exclusive to tablets and introduced a blue, space-themed holographic design.
Android iv.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Released Oct. xviii, 2011. Introduced a unified UI to both tablets and smartphones; emphasized swiping as a navigational method.
Android four.1 to 4.3 (Jelly Edible bean). Released July ix, 2012, Nov. 13, 2012, and July 24, 2013, respectively. Introduced Google Now, a day planner service. Added interactive notifications and improved vocalism search arrangement.
Android four.iv (KitKat). Released Oct. 31, 2013. Introduced lighter colors into the UI, along with a transparent status bar and white icons.
Android 5.0 (Lollipop). Released Nov. 12, 2014. Incorporated a card-based appearance in the design with elements such every bit notifications and Recent Apps list. Introduced hands-free vocalisation control with the spoken "OK, Google" command.
Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). Released Oct. five, 2015. This release marked Google'south adoption of an annual release schedule. Introduced more granular app permissions and support for USB-C and fingerprint readers.
Android vii.0 and vii.i (Nougat). Released Aug. 22, 2016 and Oct. iv, 2016, respectively. Introduced a native separate-screen mode and the power to parcel notifications by app.
Android viii.0 and viii.one (Oreo). Released Aug. 21, 2017 and Dec. 5, 2017, respectively. These versions introduced a native picture-in-motion-picture show (PIP) manner and the ability to snooze notifications. Oreo was the beginning version to incorporate Project Treble, an try past OEMs to provide more standardized software updates.
Android 9.0 (Pie). Released Aug. 6, 2018. This version replaced Back, Home and Overview buttons for a multifunctional Dwelling house push button and a smaller Back push. Introduced productivity features, including suggested replies for messages and brightness management capabilities.
Android x (Android Q). Released Sept. 3, 2019. Abandoned the Back button in favor of a swipe-based approach to navigation. Introduced a dark theme and Focus Manner, which enables users to limit distractions from certain apps.

Hardware

Android uses ARM for its hardware platform; later versions of Android OS support x86 and x86-64 architectures. Starting in 2012, device manufacturers released Android smartphones and tablets with Intel processors.

The minimum hardware requirements of Android depend on the device'south screen size and CPU blazon and density. Originally, Google required a 200 MHz processor, 32 MB of storage and 32 MB of RAM.

Google releases documentation with hardware requirements that original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) must run across for a device to be "Google Canonical," which ways that it volition ship with official Google apps. The open source nature of Android, nevertheless, means that it can as well run on lesser hardware, and vice versa.

Comparisons with other mobile OSes

Initially, Android's creators believed that the Os would compete with other mobile operating systems such as Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile.

Symbian was a closed OS with a microkernel and a UI that provided the graphical beat. Many mobile manufacturers used Symbian OS, including Nokia, Samsung and Motorola. Symbian was a pop OS worldwide, simply it did not gain major popularity in N America. Symbian's design was not equally uncomplicated as Android and iOS, all the same, and the OS was difficult to program. Symbian OS development was discontinued in 2014.

Windows Mobile originated from Windows CE, an embedded Bone, and first appeared on a Pocket PC 2000. Microsoft marketed the mobile OS toward businesses. Competition from Android and iOS forced Microsoft to brand changes; the company replaced Windows Mobile with Windows Phone in 2010, aimed at the consumer market. Microsoft phased out Windows Phone in favor of Windows 10 Mobile, but that Os was also discontinued; Microsoft declared its cease of life for Jan. 14, 2020.

Android's chief competitor is Apple tree iOS. Both iOS and Android Os offer comparative features. Apple tree iOS is a proprietary Bone with a fixed interface, whereas Android is an open source Bone that offers more flexibility and customization.

Android has been the best-selling smartphone OS since 2011. Android'southward global market share from 2018 to 2019 was 74.45%, according to Statcounter. Apple iOS' global market share was 22.85%. In the U.S., nevertheless, Apple tree dominates the marketplace share at 57.22%; Samsung claims 24.27%, followed past LG (5.49%) and Motorola (3.66%).

Criticism

The nearly significant criticism of Android is that the Os is fragmented. The flexible, open source nature of Android results in many variations of hardware and software. Many devices run older versions of Android; every bit of May 2019, merely x.4% of Android devices were running Android Pie, the latest version at that time. In contrast, 26 days afterward the launch of iOS 13, more than one-half of all iPhones were running it.

Device fragmentation creates challenges for developers because information technology'south difficult to develop apps that work across all device types and versions. Fragmentation is as well a problem for businesses; Information technology staff cannot easily secure and manage devices that run on a variety of hardware and software. Google launched Project Treble as a potential solution to this problem. The initiative separates the Android Bone from OEM modifications and enables software updates to be deployed faster.

Some other criticism of Android OS is that Android applications tin can exist easily pirated. With the release of Android Jelly Edible bean, however, Google offered the ability for developers to encrypt paid applications.

This was last updated in April 2020

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