Overview
Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.Bought by Google in 2005 then owned by Open Handset Alliance in 2007, the world thought a “gPhone” is about to come out, but Google’s CEO, Eric Schmidt, made it clear right away: “Android’s ambitions were much larger than a single phone”. Instead, they envisioned a platform that would enable many phones and other devices.In 2008, the first version of Android is released then the G1 phone, manufactured by HTC, the first device that supports Android.In 2009, new versions of the operating system are released. More than 20 devices run Android.In 2010, Android is second only to Blackberry as the best-selling smart phone platform and so are more than 60 devices that run it.
Android Versions
Platform Codename API Level
Android 1.5 Cupcake 3
Android 1.6 Donut 4
Android 2.0
Android 2.0.1
Android 2.1 Eclair 7
Android 2.2 Froyo 8
Android 2.3
Android 2.3.2 Gingerbread 9
Android 2.3.3
Android 2.3.7 10
Android 3.0 Honeycomb 11
Android 3.1 12
Android 3.2 13
Android 4.0
Android 4.0.2 Ice Cream Sandiwch 14
Android 4.0.3
Android 4.0.4 15
Android 4.1
Android 4.2 Jellybean 16
Multiple Screens Support
Android runs on a variety of devices that offer different screen sizes and densities. Although the system performs scaling and resizing to make all applications work on different screens, in doing so, Android maximized the user experience and users will believe that any application they download was actually designed for their device.
Android had a strong year in 2012, but there’s no denying that Apple did too with their iPhone 5 and new iPad. While we don’t know what the future holds for the iPhone 6 (or 5s) or the next Nexus, surely the battle will continue and grow tighter and tighter. At the same time is it fair to compare one phone to an entire Android platform with hundreds of devices?
Research firm IDC concluded that Android had 75% of the market share, compared to just 14.9% for Apple and even less for the rest. Not only did Android have 75% in Q3 of 2012, but in 2011 it only had 57.5%, which was still ahead of Apple. To put that in actual numbers, about 181 million smart phones were sold, and of those, 136 million were Android.
Google Play Store
Formerly known as the Android Market, developed and maintained by Google. The service allows users to browse and download music, magazines, books, movies, television programs, and applications that were published through Google.
Applications are available either for free or at a cost, and they can be downloaded directly to an Android or Google TV device through the Play Store or onto a personal computer via its website. These applications are generally targeted to users based on a particular hardware attribute of their device, such as a motion sensor (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling).
On March 6, 2012, with the merging of the Android Market and Google Music, the service was renamed Google Play to coincide with the rebranding of Google's digital distribution strategy.
Most Downloaded Applications
This is a list of the most downloaded Android applications on Google Play. Only limited information on the number of installs is public on Google Play. Statistics on historical data are collected on some external sites. More than 300 apps already passed the checkpoint of 10 million installs on Google Play. Google’s Director of Product Management for Android Hugo Barra, announced 500 million Android devices have been activated globally on Sep 12, 2012.
100 million installs or more
App Developer
Facebook Facebook
Maps Google
WhatsApp Messenger WhatsApp Inc.
Angry Birds Rovio Mobile Ltd.
YouTube Google
Skype Skype
Twitter Twitter
Adobe Flash Player 11 Adobe Systems
Facebook Messenger Facebook
Gmail Google
Street View on Google Maps Google
Voice Search Google
Google+ Google
Google Search Google
Google Play Books Google
