3.  a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices
such as smartphones and tablet computers, developed
by Google in conjunction with the Open Handset
Alliance.[2] Android was initially developed by Android
Inc, whom Google financially backed and later
purchased in 2005.[8] 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.[9] Google releases the Android code as open-
source, under the Apache License.[10] The Android
Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the
maintenance and further development of Android.[11

4.  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,[12] and apps can be downloaded
from online stores such as Google
Play (formerly Android Market), the app
store run by Google, or third-party sites. In
June 2012, there were more than 600,000
apps available for Android, and the
estimated number of applications
downloaded from Google Play was 20
billion.[13]

5.  became the world’s leading smartphone
platform at the end of 2010.[14] For the first
quarter of 2012, Android had a 59%
smartphone market share worldwide.[15] At
the half of 2012, there were 400 million
devices activated and 1 million activations
per day.[16]

8.  Android is designed primarily for smartphones and
tablets, the open and customizable nature of the
operating system allows it to be used on other
electronics,including laptops and netbooks, smartbo
oks,[62] ebook readers,[63] and smart TVs (Google
TV). Further, the OS has seen niche applications
on wristwatches,[64] headphones,[65] car CD and
DVD players,[66] smart glasses (Project
Glass), refrigerators, vehicle satnav systems, home
automation systems, games
consoles, mirrors,[67] cameras,[68][69] portable media
players[70] landlines,[71] and treadmills.[72]

9.  The first commercially available phone to run
Android was the HTC Dream, released on
October 22, 2008.[73] In early 2010 Google
collaborated with HTC to launch its
flagship[74] Android device, the Nexus One. This
was followed later in 2010 with the Samsung-
made Nexus S and in 2011 with the Galaxy
Nexus.
 iOS and Android 2.3.3 'Gingerbread' may be set
up to dual boot on a jailbroken iPhone or iPod
Touch with the help of OpeniBoot and iDroid.[75][76]
 In December 2011 it was announced the
Pentagon has officially approved Android for use
by its personnel.[77][78][79]

11.  Android applications run in a sandbox, an isolated area
of the operating system that does not have access to the
rest of the system's resources, unless access
permissions are granted by the user when the
application is installed. Before installing an
application, the Play Store displays all required
permissions. A game may need to enable vibration, for
example, but should not need to read messages or
access the phonebook. After reviewing these
permissions, the user can decide whether to install the
application.[84] The sandboxing and permissions system
weakens the impact of vulnerabilities and bugs in
applications, but developer confusion and limited
documentation has resulted in applications routinely
requesting unnecessary permissions, reducing its
effectiveness.[85] The complexity of inter-application
communication implies Android may have opportunities
to run unauthorized code.[86]

12.  Several security firms have released antivirus
software for Android devices, in particular, Lookout
Mobile Security,[87] AVG
Technologies,[88] Avast!,[89] F-
Secure,[90] Kaspersky,[91] McAfee[92] and Symantec.[
93] This software is ineffective as sandboxing also
applies to such applications, limiting their ability to
scan the deeper system for threats.[94]

17.  HANDSET LAYOUTS
The platform is adaptable to
larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D
graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0
specifications, and traditional smartphone
layouts.

18.  STORAGE
SQLite, a lightweight relational database, is
used for data storage purposes.

19.  CONNECTIVITY
Android supports connectivity
technologies
including GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-
DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, Wi-
Fi, LTE, NFC and WiMAX.

20.  MESSAGING
SMS and MMS are available forms of
messaging, including threaded text
messaging and Android Cloud To Device
Messaging (C2DM) and now enhanced
version of C2DM, Android Google Cloud
Messaging (GCM) is also a part of Android
Push Messaging service.

21.  WEB BROWSER
The web browser available in Android is
based on the open-source WebKit layout
engine, coupled with Chrome's V8
JavaScript engine. The browser scores
100/100 on the Acid3 test on Android 4.0.

22.  SCREEN CAPTURE
Android supports capturing
a screenshot by pressing the power and
volume-down buttons at the same
time.[61] Prior to Android 4.0, the only
methods of capturing a screenshot were
through manufacturer and third-party
customizations or otherwise by using a PC
connection (DDMS developer's tool). These
alternative methods are still available with
the latest Android.

23.  MULTI-TOUCH
Android has native support for multi-
touch which was initially made available in
handsets such as the HTC Hero. The
feature was originally disabled at the kernel
level (possibly to avoid infringing Apple's
patents on touch-screen technology at the
time).[54] Google has since released an
update for the Nexus One and the Motorola
Droid which enables multi-touch natively.[55]

24.  BLUETOOTH
Supports A2DP, AVRCP, sending files
(OPP), accessing the phone book
(PBAP), voice dialing and sending contacts
between phones. Keyboard, mouse and
joystick (HID) support is available in Android
3.1+, and in earlier versions through
manufacturer customizations and third-party
applications.[56]

25.  ADDITIONAL HARDWARE SUPPORT
Android can use video/still
cameras, touchscreens, GPS, acceleromete
rs, gyroscopes, barometers, magnetometers
, dedicated gaming
controls, proximity and pressure
sensors,thermometers, accelerated 2D bit
blits (with hardware orientation, scaling,
pixel format conversion) and accelerated 3D
graphics.