Greetings to one and all. Many of
you, who may have been reading
articles on this site may
understand all the terms and
references made about
Smartphones. Well as the title
states quite obviously, this article
is for both average consumers as
well as advanced users. So sit
back, relax and read away.
What is Android?
It is basically
an operating system based on
Linux and made by Google to be
used on Smartphones and Tablets.
Android is to mobiles, what
Windows is to computers. Android
was actually a separate software
company until it was bought by
Google in 2005 . Under Google’s
guidance, the mobile operating
system, Android was created. The
Android operating system was
announced publicly by late 2007
and was officially launched on
October 2008 . The first
smartphone to run Android was
the HTC Dream also known as the
T-Mobile G1 . Read below for more
info
Android is an open-source
operating system. This means that
anyone with basic programming
language can modify and release
the operating system. Google sells
the Android license for free to any
OEM (Original Equipment
Manufacturer) such as Samsung,
HTC, Motorola, LG , Sony , ZTE,
Huawei, Pantech, etc. These OEMs
form, along with Telecom
Providers, the Open Handset
Alliance. Each manufacturer is
given the source code for
developing Android after Google
launches a new Android version
update along with the launch of
their Nexus devices. These OEMs
then proceed to take the source
code and make their own
modifications to it. These
modifications come in the form of
Overlays or “Skins ” such as
Samsung Touchwiz, HTC Sense,
Motorola Applications Platform
(MAP ), LG Optimus UI , Sony
Timescape UI, etc.
Although these different
interfaces offer more customization
and differentiation to the Android
platform, they do create a
drawback. Depending on the
amount of changes made to the
Stock Android Interface, the time
taken to release new updates
increases considerably. Hence,
consumers are made to wait for a
minimum of 4 months for an
update. Sometimes, capable
devices that have the minimum
requirements to run the next
Android update are abandoned by
the OEMs themselves. This is
because, OEMs might have
launched new devices in the time
being and hence, feel that
upgrading old handsets would be
more time-consuming and a waste
of money.
To tackle this problem, Google
has set a new rule for OEMs who
are part of the Open Handset
Alliance. This rule states that any
device launched by any OEM
should be eligible for updates upto
18 months since launch. How
many OEMs follow this rule is as of
yet uncertain but these problems
have been reduced to quite an
extent.
One of the advantages of
Android being open-source is that
many devices which do not get the
latest updates, are sometimes
supported by Third-Party
Developers. These developers
provide the latest updates or make
improvements to the Stock
Firmware provided by OEMs and
thus, make consumers satisfied for
an even longer period of time.
These developers provide updates
and modifications in the form of
Custom ROMs which are quite
easy to install, if the user has
done some patience and has done
the required steps thoroughly.
Some of the famous Custom ROMs
are Cyanogenmod , AOSP(Android
Open Source Project) , AOKP
(Android Open Kang Project) and
Parandroid.
Well these are the bare facts of
Android so far. I hope you all
enjoyed this article as well gained
some knowledge about Android. If
you all are interested for more
articles regarding Android or any
other smartphone-related content,
show us your support by leaving a
comment below or liking us and
sharing on Facebook, Twitter,
Google Plus etc.
you, who may have been reading
articles on this site may
understand all the terms and
references made about
Smartphones. Well as the title
states quite obviously, this article
is for both average consumers as
well as advanced users. So sit
back, relax and read away.
What is Android?
It is basically
an operating system based on
Linux and made by Google to be
used on Smartphones and Tablets.
Android is to mobiles, what
Windows is to computers. Android
was actually a separate software
company until it was bought by
Google in 2005 . Under Google’s
guidance, the mobile operating
system, Android was created. The
Android operating system was
announced publicly by late 2007
and was officially launched on
October 2008 . The first
smartphone to run Android was
the HTC Dream also known as the
T-Mobile G1 . Read below for more
info
Android is an open-source
operating system. This means that
anyone with basic programming
language can modify and release
the operating system. Google sells
the Android license for free to any
OEM (Original Equipment
Manufacturer) such as Samsung,
HTC, Motorola, LG , Sony , ZTE,
Huawei, Pantech, etc. These OEMs
form, along with Telecom
Providers, the Open Handset
Alliance. Each manufacturer is
given the source code for
developing Android after Google
launches a new Android version
update along with the launch of
their Nexus devices. These OEMs
then proceed to take the source
code and make their own
modifications to it. These
modifications come in the form of
Overlays or “Skins ” such as
Samsung Touchwiz, HTC Sense,
Motorola Applications Platform
(MAP ), LG Optimus UI , Sony
Timescape UI, etc.
Although these different
interfaces offer more customization
and differentiation to the Android
platform, they do create a
drawback. Depending on the
amount of changes made to the
Stock Android Interface, the time
taken to release new updates
increases considerably. Hence,
consumers are made to wait for a
minimum of 4 months for an
update. Sometimes, capable
devices that have the minimum
requirements to run the next
Android update are abandoned by
the OEMs themselves. This is
because, OEMs might have
launched new devices in the time
being and hence, feel that
upgrading old handsets would be
more time-consuming and a waste
of money.
To tackle this problem, Google
has set a new rule for OEMs who
are part of the Open Handset
Alliance. This rule states that any
device launched by any OEM
should be eligible for updates upto
18 months since launch. How
many OEMs follow this rule is as of
yet uncertain but these problems
have been reduced to quite an
extent.
One of the advantages of
Android being open-source is that
many devices which do not get the
latest updates, are sometimes
supported by Third-Party
Developers. These developers
provide the latest updates or make
improvements to the Stock
Firmware provided by OEMs and
thus, make consumers satisfied for
an even longer period of time.
These developers provide updates
and modifications in the form of
Custom ROMs which are quite
easy to install, if the user has
done some patience and has done
the required steps thoroughly.
Some of the famous Custom ROMs
are Cyanogenmod , AOSP(Android
Open Source Project) , AOKP
(Android Open Kang Project) and
Parandroid.
Well these are the bare facts of
Android so far. I hope you all
enjoyed this article as well gained
some knowledge about Android. If
you all are interested for more
articles regarding Android or any
other smartphone-related content,
show us your support by leaving a
comment below or liking us and
sharing on Facebook, Twitter,
Google Plus etc.
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