Android (operating system)

Android is a mobile operating system initially developed by Android Inc., a firm purchased by Google in 2005. Android is based upon a modified version of the Linux kernel. Google and other members of the Open Handset Alliance collaborated to develop and release Android to the world.

  ^{The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android Unit sales for Android OS smartphones ranked first among all smartphone OS handsets sold in the U.S. in the second and third quarters of 2010 with a third quarter market share of 43.6%.}

Android has a large community of developers writing application programs ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. There are currently over 100,000 apps available for Android. Android Market is the online app store run by Google, though apps can be downloaded from third party sites (except on AT&T, which disallows this). Developers write in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.

The unveiling of the Android distribution on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 78 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google released most of the Android code under the Apache License, a free software and open source license.

The Android operating system software stack consists of Java applications running on a Java based object oriented application framework on top of Java core libraries running on a Dalvik virtual machine featuring JIT compilation. Libraries written in C include the surface manager, OpenCore SQLite relational database management system, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics API, WebKit layout engine, SGL graphics engine,SSL, and Bionic libc. The Android operating system consists of 12 million lines of code including 3 million lines of XML, 2.8 million lines of C, 2.1 million lines of Java, and 1.75  million lines of C++.

Android 3.0 to Arrive in January 2011

Android 3.0 the latest software update for the popular mobile operating system owned by Google, is reportedly set to launch in January 2011. Phone and tablets running the operating system have experienced an enormous boom within the past years, leaving consumers and developers’ alike hungry for a new release of the Android operating system.

The newest version of the platform, which is code-named “Gingerbread,” is set to upgrade the existing OS in multiple ways, including new video capabilities and rumored features that incorporate Google TV.

The popular operating system is currently being run by mobile phones built by a variety of different companies, including Samsung, Acer, Motorola, and HTC. Furthermore, Android is now one of the most popular operating systems for new tablet devices. Presently, Google has yet to comment on its upcoming Gingerbread release, though the company has confirmed that the release will be occurring within the next few months. Many have speculated that such a release could be announced at the CES 2011 conference, at the beginning of January.

In spite of all the speculation, some of the features of the new version are widely known. One such addition is video chat, which will support the protocols used by Google Talk. Furthermore, the OS will have the ability to receive Google Talk calls over a Wi-Fi connection. Such features directly challenge similar features in the Apple iPhone 4.0, which was released this past summer.

Additional video capabilities in the new generation of devices include the capability to link the mobile phone with Google TV products. The new operating system will reportedly allow users to control such products with their phone, which essentially operates as a remote control. These rich video and chat features are expected to continue the accelerating market share of Android devices.

Beyond the popular features recognized by casual users of Smartphones and tablets running Google’s operating system, the new Android release is expected to incorporate several features that translate into a faster end-user experience. For example, the new software is reported to have enhanced CPU performance, meaning shorter response times for users. In general, the OS is expected to experience a boost in overall speed, and should offer more power in the hardware department.

Regardless of which details of the new operating system ultimately prove to be speculative or true, one thing is certain: Google has effectively built an operating system that is consistently finding new adopters and fans. In fact, since its initial release in 2008, the operating system has found its way into the hands of users across the globe. According to current estimates, Android could potentially be in second place in the race for market share, as early as 2014. Current figures show market share to be constant at just over 16%, though analysts expect that figure to skyrocket more than 50% to 24.6% in the next four years. This surge in market share is attributed to many factors, including the lower price points of devices running on Android, and the presence of the Open Handset Alliance.

iPhone 4. In so many ways it's a faster

I-PHONES

While everyone else was busy trying to keep up with iPhone, we were busy creating amazing new features that make iPhone more powerful, easier to use, and more indispensable than ever. The result is iPhone 4. The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone.

Face Time

People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With just a tap, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. And it works right out of the box. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.

Retina Eye Display

The Retina display on iPhone 4 is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Which makes text amazingly crisp and images stunningly sharp.

Multitasking 

iPhone 4 introduces a whole new way of multitasking. Now you can run your favorite third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.1 This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.

HD Video Recording & Editing:

Shoot your own movies in high definition. Capture impressive video even in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor and built-in LED light. Then edit and create your own mini-masterpiece right on iPhone 4 using the new iMovie app — with Apple-designed themes, titles, and transitions. It’s available on the App Store for $4.99.

5 MP With LED Flash

Take beautiful, detailed photos with the new 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. The advanced backside illumination sensor captures great pictures even in low light. And the new front-facing camera makes it easy to take self-portraits.

Software and applications

The most commonly used data application on mobile phones is SMS text messaging. The first SMS text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in the UK, while the first person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993.

Other non-SMS data services used on mobile phones include mobile music, downloadable logos and pictures, gaming, gambling, adult entertainment and advertising. The first downloadable mobile content was sold to a mobile phone in Finland in 1998, when Radiolinja (now Elisa) introduced the downloadable ring tone service. In 1999 Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo introduced its mobile internet service, i-Mode, which today is the world's largest mobile internet service.

The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000. Mobile news services are expanding with many organisations providing "on-demand" news services by SMS. Some also provide "instant" news pushed out by SMS.

Mobile payments were first trialled in Finland in 1998 when two Coca-Cola vending machines in Espoo were enabled to work with SMS payments. Eventually the idea spread and in 1999 the Philippines launched the first commercial mobile payments systems, on the mobile operators Globe and Smart. Today mobile payments ranging from mobile banking to mobile credit cards to mobile commerce are very widely used in Asia and Africa, and in selected European markets.

Mobile phone

A mobile phone (also called mobile, cellular phone, cell phone or handphone) is an electronic device used for full duplex two-way radio telecommunications over a cellular network of base stations known as cell sites. Mobile phones differ from cordless telephones, which only offer telephone service within limited range through a single base station attached to a fixed land line, for example within a home or an office. Low-end mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones, whereas high-end mobile phones that offer more advanced computing ability are referred to as smartphones.

A mobile phone allows its user to make and receive telephone calls to and from the public telephone network which includes other mobiles and fixed line phones across the world. It does this by connecting to a cellular network owned by a mobile network operator. A key feature of the cellular network is that it enables seamless telephone calls even when the user is moving around wide areas via a process known as handoff or handover.

In addition to being a telephone, modern mobile phones also support many additional services, and accessories, such as SMS (or text) messages, email, Internet access, gaming, Bluetooth, infrared, camera, MMS messaging, MP3 player, radio and GPS.

The first hand held phone was demonstrated by Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing in at two kilos.In the year 1990, 12.4 million people worldwide had cellular subscriptions. By the end of 2009, only 20 years later, the number of mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide reached approximately 4.6 billion, 300 times the 1990 number, penetrating the developing economies and reaching the bottom of the economic pyramid