Android is an open source operating system developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. It was initially developed by Android Inc which was later acquired by Google in 2005. The first Android smartphones were sold in 2009 and it has since become the biggest smartphone operating system, with over 600,000 apps available by 2012 and 20 billion apps downloaded from the Google Play store.

1. ANDROIDS

2. Android, Inc. was founded in Palo
Alto, California, United States in
October 2003 by Andy Rubin (co-
founder of Danger), Rich Miner (co-
founder of Wildfire
Communications, Inc.), Nick Sears
(once VP at T-Mobile), and Chris White
(headed design and interface
development at WebTV)

3. Android is a LINUX-based
OPERATING SYSTEM for mobile
devices such as SMARTPHONES
and TABLET
COMPIUTERS, developed by
GOOGLE in conjunction with
the OPEN HANDSET ALLIANCE

4. The first Android-powered
smartphones were sold in Q1
2009, and has since grown to
become the biggest
smartphone operating
system

5. Android was initially
developed by Android
Inc, whom Google financially
backed and later purchased
in 2005

6. 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.[

7. Google releases the Android
code as open source, under
the Apache License.

8. The ANDROID OPEN SOURCE
PROJECT (AOSP) is tasked with
the maintenance and further
development of Android

9. 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

10. 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

11. In June 2012, there were more
than 600,000 apps available
for Android

12. and the estimated number of
applications
downloaded from Google
Play was 20 billion.

13. Android 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. As of third quarter 2012,
there were 480 million
devices activated and 1.3
million activations per day.