About android

Android is an operating system based on the
Linux kernel , [12] and designed primarily for
touchscreen mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablet computers . Initially
developed by Android, Inc., which Google
backed financially and later bought in 2005,
[13] Android was unveiled in 2007 along with
the founding of the Open Handset Alliance : a
consortium of hardware, software, and
telecommunication companies devoted to
advancing open standards for mobile devices.
[14] The first Android phone (HTC Dream ) was
sold in October 2008. [15]
The user interface of Android is 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.
Internal hardware such as accelerometers ,
gyroscopes and proximity sensors are used by
some applications to respond to additional
user actions, for example adjusting the screen
from portrait to landscape depending on how
the device is oriented. Android allows users
to customize their home screens with
shortcuts to applications and widgets , which
allow users to display live content, such as
emails and weather information, directly on
the home screen. Applications can further
send notifications to the user to inform them
of relevant information, such as new emails
and text messages.
Android is open source and Google releases
the source code under the Apache License.
[12] This open-source code and permissive
licensing allows the software to be freely
modified and distributed by device
manufacturers, wireless carriers and
enthusiast developers. However, most
Android devices ship with additional
proprietary software. [2] Additionally, Android
has a large community of developers writing
applications ("apps ") that extend the
functionality of devices, written primarily in
the Java programming language. [16] In
October 2012, there were approximately
700,000 apps available for Android, and the
estimated number of applications
downloaded from Google Play , Android's
primary app store, was 25 billion. [17][18] A
developer survey conducted in April–May
2013 found that Android is the most popular
platform for developers, used by 71% of the
mobile developer population. [19]
Android is the world's most widely used
smartphone platform, [20] overtaking Symbian
in the fourth quarter of 2010. [21] Android is
popular with technology companies who
require a ready-made, low-cost, customizable
and lightweight operating system for high
tech devices.[22] Despite being primarily
designed for phones and tablets, it also has
been used in televisions, games consoles ,
digital cameras and other electronics.
Android's 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 add new features for advanced users
[23] or bring Android to devices which were
officially released running other operating
systems.
As of November 2013, Android's share of the
global smartphone market, led by Samsung
products, has reached 80%. [24][25] The
operating system's success has made it a
target for patent litigation as part of the so-
called "smartphone wars " between
technology companies. [26][27] As of May
2013, 48 billion apps have been installed
from the Google Play store, [28][29] and as of
September 3, 2013, 1 billion Android devices
have been activated. [30]