Android mobile devices are quite popular in the telephony market. The Android OS is ideal for phones and tablets. Thanks to the large memory capacity and high technical specifications working with this operating system becomes much easier.
OS "Android": description
Experts believe that popularity android systems increases due to constant release of various kinds devices on this platform, which have a large number of useful functions in their arsenal. As soon as the new one broke into the technology market, users had new opportunities.
In addition to the existing technology, in the future it is planned to release TVs based on "Android", which will undoubtedly become an integral part of modern life. Now, new applications are being actively developed that will help synchronize work between a mobile phone on the Android platform and car devicessuch as GPS navigators. At the same time, each system firmware update expands the functionality of the device, completely adjusting it to the user.
How to sync the system with Google?
The Android system opens up a sea of \u200b\u200bpossibilities: the use of Google Maps, email etc. To use all services through one Android device, you just need to sync the system with Google. To do this, you just need to enter your data (login and password), after which the OS will independently connect to all applications.
In addition to standard applications, not so long ago, completely new developments were published. So, for example, users of communicators google program Voice will allow you to exchange information without much effort. After syncing your device with Google users will also be able to work with the application Play Market, with which you can install a sea of \u200b\u200bdifferent games and programs (both paid and free) on your phone or tablet.
Secrets of "Android" for beginners
To make working with the device on this platform even easier, advanced users have found several useful features. Secrets of "Android" will help you optimize the system to the maximum and customize it for yourself.
The first pretty useful feature is speed dial. Everyone knows that the "Android" system has several desktops, which contain shortcuts to various applications. So, to simplify the set of contacts, just click on free space screen, select the "Shortcut" and "Contacts" menu, and then mark the most popular number and place it on the desktop. Now the dialing of this contact will be carried out with one click on the shortcut.
Few people know that there are special characters on the Android keyboard. To open them, you just need to long press on a period or comma. The set of numbers opens in the same way.
There are situations when it is completely inconvenient to type large text manually. For this, there is such a function as voice search. Not all novice users know the secrets of "Android", but notice a small icon in the form of a microphone on the line google search not so easy. Therefore, few people use such a useful function. But you just need to click on this icon and say the question, which immediately becomes text.
If, after accidentally pressing the wrong button, the open application disappeared somewhere, then most likely it just collapsed. To return the minimized application to the screen, just hold down the button with the image of a small house and select the one you need from the list.
And these are just a few tips. In fact, there are many more hidden opportunities. Small secrets of "Android" will help to adjust the operation of the operating system and customize it to the maximum for the user.
How can I find out more about the installed system?
Often, users need to find out detailed information about a mobile device. For example, Android OS version, processor type, and more. Such data is sometimes required in order to install an application or program. In fact, there is nothing difficult about it.
Option 1. You can find out some system data using standard settings... It is enough to open the setup menu, then you need to select the "About phone" item. On some devices, a list of system information is then displayed. If not all the information appears on the screen, you need to click on the "Software version" item. Here you can find basic information about the operating system of the device.
Option 2. This method is suitable for those who require extended OS data. To get this information, you need to download a special program from the Play Market and then open it. All system information appears on the screen.
Flashing the "Android" system
Many users are interested in how to install an operating system with a newer version on their mobile device. However, before setting up the OS, you should think about whether you can reflash Android yourself. But this question is very controversial.
First of all, you should pay attention to the device. Not all mobile gadgets lend themselves to flashing. Moreover, on Chinese devices this action not provided at all. Self-intervention in the operating system will only disable the device. So thinking about how to install an operating system, you should, first of all, decide which priority in this situation is a newer version or a normally working gadget.
The best programs to sync your device with a PC
Sometimes it is necessary to control a mobile device from a computer. For this there are special programsto help users sync Android to PC.
Android PC Suite makes it possible to make calls and send messages via a computer. In addition, with this application you can do backup all data on the device.
Tasks, notes and calendar, and also installs drivers for the mobile gadget.
My Phone Explorer manages files, phonebook, and other information through your computer, and lets you find out detailed information about your Android device.
Android Is one of the most popular and most promising operating systems for various mobile devices... The system offers very convenient tools and maximum flexibility of settings, which allows each user of a smartphone or tablet on Android to customize it completely to their needs. The development of this operating system started back in 2003, but it became truly famous only 2 years later - after being acquired by Google. The turning point in the history of Android occurred in the fall of 2008. Then Google showed off the T-Mobile G1, which became the first smartphone running Android. It was at that moment that many world manufacturers drew attention to a promising operating system.
(very first version)
Key features of the Android operating system
The OS in question has always been positioned by its developers as a system with open source... This allows anyone to create their own applications, games and other add-ons to expand the capabilities of Android gadgets. The developers initially thought of everything so that operating system worked as quickly as possible even on the most "budgetary" hardware. This is an undoubted advantage, since now even people with the most modest financial means can enjoy all the main advantages of modern smartphones.
(Android 5.0)
Manufacturers of mobile electronics are also willingly using the openness of the system, releasing their own user interfaces, for example, Sense from HTC. This makes Android gadgets from different manufacturers different from each other. Fans of classic and "pure" Android should turn their attention to Nexus devices. They are traditionally the first to receive updates.
The timing of updating other devices is usually delayed due to the need to finalize the branded shells in accordance with the features of new OS versions.
The main source of games and applications is the Play Store. In the catalogs of this store, a huge selection of free and paid content is available, the range of which is actively expanding. The quality of "android" games and applications is constantly growing. From time to time, various applications are released by Google itself.
In general, Android devices have all the functions that modern smartphones and tablets should have, according to unspoken requirements. In addition, the functionality can be easily expanded using applications, widgets or third-party firmware.
Those wishing to purchase an Android smartphone should remember that many functions and programs are focused on working with the Internet. If you do not have access to Wi-Fi, it is recommended to connect favorable tariff for Internet users or disable some functions that require access to the network.
Also, one cannot fail to note the limited autonomy of devices on Android, especially representatives of previous generations. With active use, the smartphone or tablet will have to be charged daily, and in some cases, 2 times a day. Manufacturers are actively working on correcting this shortcoming, and recently interesting devices with noticeably increased autonomy began to appear on the market. Developers also do not stand aside. With each new version, the operating system "eats" less and less charge.
Based on the information provided, we can highlight the key advantages and disadvantages of the operating system in question. So, the undoubted advantages of Android are:
1. Openness program code, which makes it possible to develop almost any application and game.
2. Undemandingness to the "hardware" of the device.
3. A huge range of applications and exciting games for every taste.
4. Full compliance with modern ideas about the functionality of a smartphone.
5. Freedom of action for the user. If desired, the system and its interface can be easily customized to the needs of the owner.
6. The popularity of the operating system among the vast majority of modern manufacturers. This allows a user with almost any budget to buy a functional and modern smartphone.
There are also disadvantages. The key ones are:
1. Openness of the program code. Yes, it can be simultaneously attributed to both advantages and disadvantages. This is disadvantageous because mobile device manufacturers generally prefer to create their own skins. Because of this, there are significant time delays between the official release of the OS update and its receipt on various devices.2. Relatively low autonomy. Recently, a huge step forward has been made in this direction, so very soon there will be jokes that “Smartphones on Android are the most athletic, because they have 2 exercises a day ”will become nothing more than a funny story.
The platform is constantly being improved and developed. Already today, it feels confidently in the top three leaders in the operating system market. Numerous experts have repeatedly noted that the future belongs to Android and they were not mistaken.
(Russian - Android) - a portable (network) operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) for communicators, tablet computers, e-books, TVs, digital players, wristwatches, netbooks and smartbooks, as well as many other devices based on the Linux kernel ... Developed by Android Inc., it was later (in 2005) acquired by Google along with all its developers. Later (in September 2007) Google became the founder of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which is currently engaged in the support and further development of the platform. Android OS allows you to create Java applications that control the device through libraries developed by Google. Android Native Development Kit creates applications written in C and other languages. Android OS is currently one of the most widely used OS in the world. The share of mobile devices running on Android OS as of November 2012 is about 70% and continues to grow.
Android OS development history
Android OS was released in September 2008, it was assigned serial number 1.0. The first device to operate under android 1.0, became the HTC Dream smartphone developed by HTC (it was a brand model cellular operator T-Mobile as T-Mobile G1). A little later, other major manufacturers of mobile electronics released their own models of devices based on the Android OS. But the real popularity came to Android only with version 2.0 released at the end of 2009. Google Corporation is very sensitive to its brainchild and even versions of the Android OS bear their names, named after sweet desserts. Each of the Android version numbers (1.0, 1.1, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, etc.) is assigned a letter of the Latin alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, etc.). The version letter is the first letter of the dessert that Google developers call each new version of the Android OS. The first two versions were named after famous robots: 1.0 Astro ("Astro Boy") and 1.1 Bender ("Futurama"), but they had to be changed due to disputes over copyright.
To date, the names of the following versions of the Android OS are known:
- - Android 1.0 "Apple Pie" (Apple Pie) (formerly called "Astroboy");
- - Android 1.1 "Banana Bread" (formerly called "Bender");
- - Android 1.5 "Cupcake" (Cupcake);
- - Android 1.6 "Donut" (Donut);
- - Android 2.0 / 2.1 "Eclair" (Choux pastry) ( website translation);
- - Android 2.2 "Froyo" (Frozen yogurt);
- - Android 2.3.x "Gingerbread" (Gingerbread);
- - Android 3.x "Honeycomb" (Honeycomb);
- - Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" (Ice cream briquette);
- - Android 4.1 / 4.1.1 / 4.1.2 / 4.2 / 4.2.1 / 4.2.2 / 4.3 / 4.3.1 "Jelly Bean" (Lollipop with chewing gum);
- - Android 4.4 / 4.4.1 / 4.4.2 / 4.4.3 / 4.4.4 "KitKat" (in honor of the chocolate of the same name) - current version;
- - Android 5.0 L. - future release.
The widespread popularity of the Android OS came with the advent of version 2.0 (Eclair). The most widespread on smartphones is Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread), which still has a significant share of devices based on it. The version of Android 2.3 also has the largest number of patches among all existing versions of this operating system. These so-called "patches" were released by Google in the form of minor versions 2.3.1, 2.3.2 ... 2.3.7 and added only one function or fixed bugs.
The era of tablet PCs begins with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). This OS has been optimized to run on tablet computers and supported large screen resolutions. But tablet PCs based on the Android 3.0 OS were not very popular, largely due to the lack of a sufficient number of compatible applications for this OS.
The situation changed radically with the arrival of new version Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), which has combined support for all mobile devices, be it smartphones or tablets. Android 4.0 supports all previously released applications for Android 2.x and 3.x OS. Thus, before the release of Android 4.0, there were already many compatible mobile applications... This has become a decisive factor in the growing popularity of mobile devices on Android 4.0.
The updated version of Android 4.2 at the end of 2012 brought such useful function as support for multiple user accounts, the operation of the OS with media data has been improved, as well as the smoothness of the interface has been increased and the battery life of devices has been increased. The smoothness of the Android 4.2 interface was achieved by accelerating the screen refresh to 60 frames / s.
From version 4.3 Android began to support Bluetooth 4.0 LowEnergy (Smart), OpenGL ES 3.0, and also became available new camera and gallery.
Thanks to open source code, any developer can release their own version of the Android OS. For example, the Russian media giant Yandex recently announced its plans to release its own version of Android for mobile devices. However, not only large corporations are engaged in the development of their own versions of the Android OS. There is a community of enthusiasts developing fully open source versions of android firmware (such as CyanogenMod, MIUI, Virtuous Quattro, VillainROM, Open Kang Project, Replicant, and others). Anyone can install firmware from a third-party developer on their device. To do this, you need to root your Android device. However, in this case the manufacturer's warranty is lost.
Since 2009, a group of enthusiasts calling themselves the Android-x86 Project has been conducting their own development for porting the Android OS to personal computers... The project is very advanced in its work, and currently offers a download of Android 4.4, which can be installed on a regular x86 computer or laptop. Of course, hardly anyone will use such a system as the main one on their computer, because the current assemblies are far from ideal and do not work stably, but you can still try the capabilities of the Android OS on a PC.
Google Play App Store (formerly Android Market)
One of the most attractive factors affecting the popularity of a mobile operating system is the variety, quality and availability of programs. On October 22, 2008 Google announced the opening of an online store for Android OS applications - Android Market. In the Android Market, it is possible to download any program, game application or various widgets, pictures, ringtones, etc. to your mobile device without using a personal computer. Applications in the Android Market are located in the form of a directory with a convenient search and are downloaded to a mobile device directly from the network. At the same time, most applications and games in the Android Market are offered absolutely free.
In March 2012, Google renamed Android Market to Google Play. The Google Play online directory operates in 190 countries around the world and has over a million applications. Google app Play exists both on smartphones with Android OS and on tablets.
The format of installation files for Android OS applications has the .apk extension. You can install applications without using Google Play. To do this, you need to download the application installation file to your mobile device and launch it. However, Google does not recommend installing apps from unknown sources and encourages the use of Google Play.
Pros and cons of Android OS
The Android OS has many advantages, for which it has earned worldwide popularity. Android shows itself better than one of its competitors, Apple iOS, in a number of features, such as: web surfing and integration with Google Inc. services, besides, Android, unlike iOS, is an open platform, which allows you to implement more on it functions. Unlike competing operating systems, Android has a full-fledged implementation of the Bluetooth stack, which, among other things, allows transferring and receiving files. Implementation of FTP server, network access point mode (PAN services) and group peer-to-peer network over Bluetooth (GN services) is present. The undoubted advantage of the Android OS is the support for a MicroSD card reader, which allows you to expand internal memory device, use it as a flash drive or upload data to the device without resorting to a USB cable. Also, the pluses include the ability to install third-party unsigned programs. This feature will come in handy for app developers who can test their products without buying a paid developer account (as is necessary in iOS and Windows Phone 7/8) and ordinary users who want to install applications without using Google Play. Android OS is available for various hardware platforms like ARM, MIPS, x86.
The disadvantages of the Android OS itself can be attributed only to a large consumption random access memory applications, but it would have been relevant about 5 years ago, and now the volumes of RAM installed in mobile devices are no different from those installed in personal computers. So the problem of gluttony is practically irrelevant today. There is also a security problem when installing third-party unsigned applications, since there is a possibility of infecting the device with a Trojan horse.
Android competitors a couple of years ago made statements about the fragmentation of the OS from Google and the resulting difficulties for application developers, but this statement was denied by the corporation. But, despite its rebuttal, Google still released a tool to fix the fragmentation problem. Fragmentation is not a problem for end users, since any developer takes care of his application to work on all possible devices.
When people hear this word, they have many questions: "Why a green robot?", "How difficult is it to handle?", "How to install programs or make a backup copy?", "Should I give it preference when choosing new mobile phone? " other.
But what is Android in general? Let's try to figure it out.
Description
Android (eng. "Android") Is the name of a software platform for devices (most of which: mobile devices) based on the Linux kernel. It was originally created by Android Inc., which was acquired by Google. Android provides the ability to develop Java applications that control the device using libraries developed by Google. Distributed under the Apache 2.0 license.
Used in a wide range of devices:
- Smartphones
- TV sets
- Google glasses
- Media players
- E-books
- Photo frames
- Laptops / Netbooks / Smartbooks
- and so on
It is planned to install the Android system on the automotive computerized part and robotic vehicles (military and household). Now it is the most common operating system for mobile devices (for example, in 2014 more than 80% of smartphones sold had the Android operating system).
In the fall of 2012, L. Page (executive director of Google) published statistics on the activation of more than 500 million mobile devices based on Android. To compare the speed of distribution of this OS - in the fall of 2013 it became known that more than 1 billion Android devices were activated on our planet.
The main competitor in the mobile segment is this moment is an Apple company with an expensive proprietary operating system called iOS. Like Apple, Google has its own Internet market, but it has not only paid, but also many free products, unlike its competitor, which sells its full-fledged programs most often for more than $ 0.
Store of programs (applications) "Google Play"
In the fall of 2008, Google presented an online store of programs (applications) for its OS - Andrоid Market. In terms of payment, developers receive about 70% of the profits, and the remaining 30% goes to operators providing access to the cellular network. As of January 2012, more than 10 billion applications have been downloaded since the launch of Android Market.
In the spring of 2012, the company combined its multimedia services, such as "Books", "Android Market", "Music" and others. "Google Play" appeared. The Google Play online store is used in more than 180 countries and has over half a million applications downloaded over 25 billion times.
Adroid advantages
Unlike iОS, Android is a free platform, which gives it the opportunity to implement more different functions and make itself more versatile, using firmware and patches from third-party programmers.
- by default it has a restriction on installing programs from "unverified sources", but this restriction is easily deactivated in the device settings, which allows installation without an Internet connection, and also provides the ability to test personally written applications;
- available for MIPS, ARM, x86;
- multiplayer mode starting from Android 4.3
Criticism from the outside
- some devices have Google services that allow you to transfer confidential information to the company;
- the platform has excessive fragmentation, preventing programmers from creating applications without any problems;
- due to the use of Java code, there is often a decrease in overall performance and increased power consumption of devices on Android
- According to Lоkоut Security Mobile, in 2011, over 1 million US dollars were stolen from owners of Android smartphones (frequent methods: sending instant messaging without the participation of the phone owner or a call to a paid number).
It is interesting
- the name of each version of Android 1.5+, represents a dessert, or rather its name. In this case, the first letters of the names are relative to the letters of the Latin alphabet, following in order:
- individual font sets were created for Android Drоid and Roboto;
- In versions Android 4.2+ initially developer tools are disabled, to activate, you must press the release number seven times.
- on the official sites from the moment of their launch to the present moment minimum specifications are not specifiedrequired to start the OS;
- versions 2.3+ have easter eggto start it, go to "Settings - About device - Android version" and quickly click on this function 4 times, after which the animation will be displayed, and then the Flаppy Bird mini-game will open.
Which is now engaged in the support and further development of the platform. Android allows you to create Java applications that control the device through libraries developed by Google. It is also possible to write applications in C and other programming languages \u200b\u200bwith using Android Native Development Kit: The first device to run Android was HTC's T-Mobile G1 smartphone, which was unveiled on September 23, 2008. Other manufacturers soon announced their intention to release Android devices. In addition, enthusiasts have ported Android to a number of well-known devices, including: Nokia N810, HTC Touch smartphones, HTC TyTN II. There are also known cases of successful porting to computers with x86 architecture. A separate mention is worthy of the initiative of Koolu, which has started not only porting Android to Neo FreeRunner, but also builds its business on the sale these smartphones with Google mobile platform preinstalled.
Alternative firmware developed by the open community
There is a community of enthusiasts developing completely open-source versions of Android firmware. CyanogenMod and VillainROM are known examples of these firmwares.
- removing Google services from the Android device (for example, such as data synchronization) - to ensure the localization of user data only on the Android device - excluding the possibility of transferring identification information (IMEI, phone number, GPS coordinates, etc.) to google servers;
- faster and more frequent (in comparison with the manufacturers of the devices themselves) provision of new versions of Android OS;
- additions to Android firmware with new settings and functions. Ability to store downloaded applications on MicroSD card (for Android versions up to 2.2), etc.
Some manufacturers of Android devices block flashing in hardware (for example, HTC), some do not block flashing in hardware (but nevertheless retain difficulties in flashing; for example, LG (for Android versions up to 2.2.1). And some manufacturers ( Sony ericsson in some models of devices) do everything so that an advanced user can not only install a different firmware, but also create his own (provided detailed instructions to replace firmware, software, documentation on the architecture of the software platform, the original firmware code, etc.). The risk associated with a possible breakdown of the phone during the unlocking process is transferred to the user, who, if the bootloader is unlocked, agrees to the terms indicating the early loss of the phone warranty (to restore the warranty, you must reinstall it with an official flasher official firmware).
Android architecture
Linux Kernel Level
As you know, Android is based on a slightly stripped-down Linux kernel, and therefore at this level we can see it (version 2.6.x). It provides system operation and is responsible for security, memory, power and process management, and provides a network stack and driver model.
Libraries level
A set of libraries (Libraries) designed to provide essential core functionality for applications. That is, it is this level that is responsible for providing the implemented algorithms for higher levels, supporting file formats, encoding and decoding information (for example, multimedia codecs), graphics rendering, and much more. The libraries are implemented in C / C ++ and compiled for a specific hardware devices, together with which they are supplied by the manufacturer in a pre-installed form.
- Surface Manager - Android uses a composite window manager. Instead of rendering graphics directly to the display buffer, the system sends incoming drawing commands to the offscreen buffer, where they are accumulated together with others, making up a kind of composition, and then displayed to the user on the screen. This allows the system to create interesting seamless effects, window transparency, and smooth transitions.
- Media Framework - libraries. With their help, the system can record and play audio and video content, as well as output static images. Many popular formats are supported, including MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG.
- SQLite is a lightweight and powerful relational database management system used in Android as the main engine for working with databases used by applications to store information.
- OpenGL ES (OpenGL for Embedded Systems) is a subset of the OpenGL graphical programming interface adapted to work on embedded systems.
- FreeType is a library for working with bitmaps. It is a high quality font and text rendering engine.
- WebKit - libraries of the browser engine also used in desktop google browsers Chrome and Apple Safari.
- SGL (Skia Graphics Engine) is an open source 2D graphics engine. The graphics library is a product of Google and is often used in other programs.
- SSL - libraries for supporting the cryptographic protocol of the same name.
- Libc is a standard C library, specifically its BSD implementation, configured to run on Linux devices. It is called Bionic.
At the same level is located Android Runtime - runtime environment.
Its key components are a set of kernel libraries and the Dalvik virtual machine. Libraries provide most of the low-level functionality available to core Java libraries.
Each Android application runs in its own instance virtual machine Dalvik. Thus, all running processes are isolated from the operating system and from each other. In general, the architecture of the Android Runtime is such that the work of programs is carried out strictly within the framework of the virtual machine environment. Thanks to this, the operating system kernel is protected from possible harm from its other components. Therefore, buggy code or malware will not be able to ruin Android and devices based on it when they work. This protective function, along with code execution, is one of the key to the Android Runtime add-on.
Application Framework layer
Android allows you to harness the full power of the API used in kernel applications. The architecture is built in such a way that any application can use the already implemented capabilities of another application, provided that the latter opens access to use its functionality. Thus, the architecture implements the principle of reusability of OS components and applications.
All applications are based on a set of systems and services:
- A rich and extensible set of Views that can be used to create visual components applications such as lists, text boxes, tables, buttons, or even an embedded web browser.
- Content Providers, which manage the data that some applications open for others to use for their work.
- Resource Manager, providing access to resources without functionality (not carrying code), for example, to string data, graphics, files, and others.
- Notification Manager, thanks to which all applications can display their own notifications to the user in the status bar.
- The Activity Manager, which manages the life cycles of applications, stores data about the history of working with activities, and also provides a navigation system for them.
- Location Manager, which allows applications to periodically receive updated information about the current geographic location of the device.