Android (operating system)

Android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones andtablet computers. It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google, and other companies.^[2]

Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005.^[7] The unveiling of the Android distribution in 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 86 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.^[8] Google releases the Android code as open-source, under the Apache License.^[9] The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.^[10]

Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. Developers write primarily in a customized version of Java.^[11] Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Google Play(formerly Android Market), the app store run by Google. In October 2011, there were more than 500,000 apps available for Android,^[12] and the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Android Market as of December 2011 exceeded 10 billion.^[13]

Android was listed as the best-selling smartphone platform worldwide in Q4 2010 by Canalys^[14][15] with over 300 million Android devices in use by February 2012.^[16] According to Google's Andy Rubin, as of December 2011, there were over 700,000 Android devices activated every day.^[17]

Contents   [hide]  1 History 1.1 Foundation 1.2 Acquisition by Google 1.3 Post-acquisition development 1.4 Open Handset Alliance 1.5 Android Open Source Project 1.6 Version history 2 Design 2.1 Linux 2.2 Features 3 Uses 4 Applications 4.1 Google Play (Android Market) 4.2 Security 4.3 Privacy 5 Marketing 5.1 Market share 5.2 Usage share 5.3 Retail stores 6 Intellectual property 6.1 Trademarks 6.2 Licensing 6.3 Patents 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

History

Foundation

Android, Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, United States in October, 2003 by Andy Rubin (co-founder of Danger),^[18] Rich Miner (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.),^[19]Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile),^[20] and Chris White (headed design and interface development at WebTV)^[7] to develop, in Rubin's words "...smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences".^[7] Despite the obvious past accomplishments of the founders and early employees, Android Inc. operated secretly, revealing only that it was working on software for mobile phones.^[7] That same year, Rubin ran out of money. Steve Perlman, a close friend of Rubin, brought him $10,000 in cash in an envelope and refused a stake in the company.^[21]

Acquisition by Google

Google acquired Android Inc. on August 17, 2005, making Android Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Google Inc. Key employees of Android Inc., including Andy Rubin, Rich Miner and Chris White, stayed at the company after the acquisition.^[7] Not much was known about Android Inc. at the time of the acquisition, but many assumed that Google was planning to enter themobile phone market with this move.^[7]

Post-acquisition development

At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the Linux kernel. Google marketed the platform to handset makers and carriers on the promise of providing a flexible, upgradable system. Google had lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part.^[22][23][24]

Speculation about Google's intention to enter the mobile communications market continued to build through December 2006.^[25] Reports from the BBC and The Wall Street Journal noted that Google wanted its search and applications on mobile phones and it was working hard to deliver that. Print and online media outlets soon reported rumors that Google was developing a Google-branded handset. Some speculated that as Google was defining technical specifications, it was showing prototypes to cell phone manufacturers and network operators.

In September 2007, InformationWeek covered an Evalueserve study reporting that Google had filed several patent applications in the area of mobile telephony.^[26][27]

Open Handset Alliance

Main article: Open Handset Alliance

On November 5, 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of several companies which include Broadcom Corporation, Google, HTC,Intel, LG, Marvell Technology Group, Motorola, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and Texas Instrumentsunveiled itself. The goal of the Open Handset Alliance is to develop open standards for mobile devices.^[8] On the same day, the Open Handset Alliance also unveiled their first product, Android, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel version 2.6.^[8]

On December 9, 2008, 14 new members joined, including ARM Holdings, Atheros Communications, Asustek Computer Inc, Garmin Ltd,Huawei Technologies, PacketVideo, Softbank, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba Corp, and Vodafone Group Plc.^[28][29]

Android Open Source Project

The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is led by Google, and is tasked with the maintenance and development of Android.^[30] According to the project "The goal of the Android Open Source Project is to create a succ