Google's mobile operating system gets better with each revision
Google's move into mobile started back in 2005, when the internet search giant acquired a small startup company called Android, Inc. Rumours immediately began to surface that Google was planning to develop its own challenger to Apple's iPhone.
As things turned out, it wasn't just about one phone - and Google wasn't the only company working on the project. In November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 47 hardware, software and telecoms companies, unveiled Android, a brand new mobile platform based on the open-source Linux operating system.
OPEN SEASON
Because Android is open-source, the platform has many advantages for consumers and developers. Makers of smartphones and other mobile devices have more freedom to tweak the software to meet their needs, opening up a wider range of options.
A few makers have created custom user interfaces that run on top of the Android operating system (OS), morphing its aesthetics and usability. Android also allows vendors to create their own widgets. Perhaps the best-known example is HTC's Sense user interface. Among other innovations, this has a Friends Stream widget which aggregates and displays activity from your various social networks. Similarly, Motorola's MotoBlur interface features a widget called Happenings, which displays your social networking activity directly on your Android homescreen. Other bespoke interfaces include Sony Ericsson's UX and Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 and S Life (coming to Samsung phones in summer 2011).
Another advantage of open-source is that Android isn't tied to any single device, whether it be a phone, a netbook or a tablet. As we'll see later in this guide, hardware makers are squaring up to the challenge posed by Apple's incredibly successful iPad by building Android-based 'slates'. As well as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which we contrast with the iPad starting on page 8, there are contenders from ViewSonic, Archos and Advent, plus a forthcoming Android-based portable entertainment device from Philips.
Android version 2.3 'Gingerbread' will be available on the next generation of handsets, such as the Google Nexus S.
NEW VIEWS
Hardware iterations for Android phones, meanwhile, vary a lot. The first models, such as the HTC-designed G1, were almost all purely touchscreen-based handsets featuring an admirably simple interface. The screens had limited resolution, however, and weren't especially responsive. But interest in the Android idea carried the day, and better hardware and new designs soon followed.
The next significant release, the Motorola Droid (known in the UK as the Milestone), was a hefty capacitive touchscreen model with a slide-out Qwerty keyboard, faster processor and responsive GPS module. 2010's big hits were HTC's Desire - at £20 to £25 a month, the first mainstream Android device - and the iPhone-rivalling Samsung Galaxy S, with its slim design and incredibly bright superAMOLED display.
In fact, whether you want a built-in keypad or a large touchscreen (or both), you can now probably find an Android phone to match your preferences.
BAKING GINGERBREAD
As this book went to press, Google unveiled version 2.3 of the Android OS, nicknamed 'Gingerbread', offering faster processing, better battery and application management and the intriguing idea of NFC (near field communications), bringing the prospect of using Android phones for contactless micropayments.
Our first impressions of Gingerbread on the Google Nexus S - an even faster version of the nippy Samsung Galaxy S phone that we like so much - were rather good. A 1GHz Hummingbird processor, a subtly curved screen that seems to cup the ear when you make a call, plus remarkably smooth navigation and onscreen scrolling made us drool.
Android benefits from its close ties with Google. Services such as Gmail, Google Calendar and Google search with voice (letting you speak what you want to find) are tightly integrated, and Android users get first dibs on Google apps such as Google Voice, Google Latitude, Maps Editor and Skymaps.
Users can also choose from thousands of third-party apps in the Android Market. Though this hasn't yet quite matched Apple's App Store in the number and quality of apps on offer, it's getting there. The Android Market stocks both paid and free apps that you can download directly to your device.
Only connect
Besides being able to choose between numerous Android devices from different manufacturers, you also have considerable freedom in selecting a mobile network. Android phones are available for every major mobile phone carrier, while a slew of lower-cost, unlocked Android models have become available on a pay-as-you-go basis. Some Android-based devices, meanwhile, rely on Wi-Fi connections and have no cellphone function, thus requiring no contract.
MARKET VALUE
Unlike Apple, Google doesn't have a stringent approval process for apps, so developers can get their software into the Android Market faster and more easily. And, unlike the iPhone's App Store, the Android Market isn't the only place where Android users can get apps to run on their devices. Other sources include web-based third-party Android app libraries (such as AndroLib.com) and individual developers' websites. The choice is yours.
Research firm Gartner predicts that Android phones will become the second-largest smartphone platform by 2012, right behind long-time industry leader Nokia. As Android software grows more refined, and as the variety of devices on the market increases, this prediction doesn't sound at all far-fetched.
Since its inception, Android has shaken up the mobile world - and that in itself is worth paying attention to.
Know your version
Before buying an Android device, check which operating system version it has. Each new flavour - named after a tasty treat - adds a different set of features.
Android 1.5 (Cupcake) April 2009
Video capture and playback • YouTube and Picasa direct upload • Bluetooth A2DP support • Desktop folders and widgets
• Copy/paste expanded to web pages
• Updated software keyboard
Android 1.6 (Donut) September 2009
Gallery allows deletion of multiple photos
• Enhanced Android Market • Faster Voice Search with more integration • Combined camera/camcorder gallery • Search from home screen via widget • Text-to-speech
Android 2.0/2.1 (Eclair) October 2009
Spruced-up interface • Animated wallpapers
• New browser interface with HTML5
• Microsoft Exchange • New contact lists • Bluetooth 2.1 • Enhanced software keyboard
• Flash and digital zoom for camera
Android 2.2 (Froyo) May 2010
New homescreen widget • Unified messaging • Assisted GPS • Support for microSD Card • Application sideloading, storage and access • USB tethering • Flash 10.1 support
• Over-the-air updates
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) December 2010
NFC (Near Field Communications)
• Automatic app shutoffs if they overload the device • Better battery management
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