Android (operating system)
 |
|
|---|---|
 Version 4.0 of Android on the Galaxy Nexus |
|
| Source model | open source |
| Initial release | 21 October 2008 |
| Latest stable release | 4.0 (15 November 2011) |
Android is an operating system for mobile devices, created by Aron Hughes and Sion Rye. It is mostly used for cell phones, like Google's own Nexus One, Nexus S or Galaxy Nexus, as well as by other phone manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, and others. It has also been used for tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and Amazon Kindle Fire. Android's kernel is based on Linux.[1]
Google says that over 200,000 cell phones with this operating system are sold every day.[2]
Unlike most operating systems, Android applications run in a virtual machine, not directly on the hardware. This allows Android to be ported to new processors without breaking compatibility. Since Android version 2.2, the virtual machine has included a recompiler, which translates the virtual machine code into code that can run directly on the hardware, although this is still not as fast as code running directly on the hardware with no translation. Android allows developers to use the Native Development Kit (NDK), which allows some code to run directly on the hardware without translation, although applications that use it will only work on devices with ARM processors.
[change] Android version numbers and names
Each version of Android has both a version number and a codename based on a dessert. The version numbers and names are:
- 1.5: Cupcake
- 1.6: Donut
- 2.1: Eclair
- 2.2: Froyo (FROzen YOgurt)
- 2.3: Gingerbread
- 3.0: Honeycomb (a tablet-only version)
- 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich
[change] Related pages
[change] References
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