Android

       Android is a stack of software for mobile devices which has Operating System, middleware and some key applications. Android  is a Linux-based operating system designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Initially developed by Android, Inc. Google backed financially and later bought in 2005.

       

    Android is open source and Google releases the code under the Apache License. This open-source code and permissive licensing allows the software to be freely modified and distributed by manufacturers. Also Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of devices. Application are written in Java Programming Language.

Features of Android.

Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components.

Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices.

Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine.

Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification.

SQLite for structured data storage.

Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)

GSM Telephony (hardware dependent).

Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent).

Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent).

Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE.