Android V Ios Mobile Operating Systems
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Android v iOS Mobile Operating Systems Android Android is an open source operating system widely used on smartphones and tablets. Android has been available under a free and open source software license from October 21, 2008 and until March 2011. Google published the entire source code (including network and telephony stacks) under an Apache License, and keeps the reviewed issues list publicly open for anyone to see and comment. Even though the software is open source, device manufacturers cannot use Google's Android trademark until Google certifies that the device complies with their Compatibility Definition Document (CDD). Devices must also meet this requirement to be eligible to license Google's closed-source applications, including the Android Market. Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005. The unveiling of the Android distribution on November 5, 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 84 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google released most of the Android code under an Apache License, a free software license. The Android Open Source Project is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android. The Android Kernel is based on the Linux kernel, with middleware, libraries and APIs written in C, and application software running on an application framework, which includes Java-compatible libraries based on Apache Harmony. Android uses the Dalvik virtual machine with just-in-time compilation to run compiled Java code. 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. There are currently more than 200,000 apps available for Android. Apps can be downloaded from third- party sites or through online stores such as Android Market (available through a browser as well as on the phone). The Android OS was listed as the best-selling smartphone platform worldwide in Q4 2010 by Canalys with over 190 million Android devices in use by October 2011. OS Versions The Android platform releases software upgrades periodically and each substantial upgrade is named after a dessert. The December 2010 release of Gingerbread OS 2.3/2.4 has the highest percentage of market share, with 50.1% in December 2011. The key features of this update are the improved resolution for large screens, near-field communication, copy-paste feature, improved graphics for gaming and multiple camera. The last OS released on February 22, 2011 was Honeycomb OS 3.0 SDK. This is the first ever tablet only release of Android. The Motorola Xoom is the first tablet to run on this OS. The attractive features are the 3D desktop with redesigned widgets, Gtalk video chat and improved performance with hardware acceleration. The next update for Android will be Ice Cream Sandwich 3.0, which will include several software enhancements such as an improved copy and paste function, data logging and warnings, as well as the ability to be able to take screenshots by holding down on the power and volume buttons. There have been improvements with the UI, keyboard and dictionaries as well. Apple iOS Apple iOS was originally developed for the iPhone, it has since been extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV. Apple does not license iOS for installation on third-party hardware. As of December 2011, Apple is advertising more than 500,000 iOS applications, which have collectively been downloaded more than 18 billion times. The user interface of iOS is based on the concept of direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements consist of sliders, switches, and buttons. The response to user input is immediate and provides a fluid interface. Interaction with the OS includes gestures such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch, all of which have specific definitions within the context of the iOS operating system and its multi-touch interface. Internal accelerometers are used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it in three dimensions (one common result is switching from portrait to landscape mode). iOS is derived from Mac OS X, which shares the Darwin foundation, and is therefore a Unix-like operating system by nature. In iOS, there are four abstraction layers: the Core OS layer, the Core Services layer, the Media layer, and the Cocoa Touch layer. The current version of the operating system (iOS 5.0) uses roughly 774.4 megabytes of the device's storage, varying for each model. OS Versions The latest update was released at 6pm GMT on October 12, 2011. iOS 5 introduced the iCloud service and the Notification Center, as well as improvements to native apps such as Camera. The operating system also features new applications, such as the "Reminders" app and "Newsstand", an application that lets you buy newspapers and magazines. Unlike other applications, Newsstand is the first native application to actually run on the homescreen. "iMessage" is an application that allows iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad users to communicate, much like a chat service only used between these devices. The iMessage feature has been integrated into the "Messages" application on the iPhone. The iPod application on the iPhone and iPad has now been split into the Music and Video applications, just like on the iPod Touch. According to Apple, the new OS has over 200 new features. Application Distribution Android Android distributes applications through the Android Market. Google hosts the applications, and a little more than half are available free of cost and the rest require nominal fees. Android has a refund policy in which they will issue a full refund if a user uninstalls an app within the first 24 hours after installing it. Because Google does not regulate or approve of applications in its Market, there are more security vulnerabilities and issues associated with Android. Apple Applications are available through the App Store on all iOS devices. A little over a quarter of the applications Apple hosts are free, the rest require some form of payment. Applications hosted in Apples App Store are scrutinized prior to release. App writers must submit their apps to Apple, which has a process of deciding on whether they would like to host them or not. Additionally, Apple can also provide information about the range of the products available in their app store. Apple does not have a refund policy for their apps. Symantec recently conducted a lengthy analysis in regards to the vulnerability of Apple’s iOS and Android. It outlined how iOS is more resistant to traditional malware attacks, mostly due to Apple’s app approval process and their extensive process of investigating developers to identify and eliminate potential attackers. Number of Apps iOS vs. Android 400 350 300 Apple App Store 250 Android Market 200 150 100 No. of Apps, in 1,000's 50 0 8/1/10 9/1/10 10/1/10 11/1/10 12/1/10 1/1/11 2/1/11 Graph depicting the growth of apps in the Android Market compared to the Apple App Store as of February 2011. Free vs. Paid Apps iOS & Android Android (08-15-2010) iPhone (08-15-2010) Paid Android (02-14-2011) Free iPhone (02-14-2011) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Percentage of Apps Graph depicting the number of free versus paid apps in the Android Market and Apple App Store. Vulnerabilities Android It can be assumed that Android is a more vulnerable platform due to the fact that it is open-source and does not have as tight a leash on platform rules and features as Apple’s iOS. One of the recent vulnerabilities exposed in this platform was the “permission-escalation vulnerability”, which allows for an app to be installed without a user approving of the permissions typically required when installing an app. Another vulnerability is called the “Linux kernel privilege escalation” and it allows for an unprivileged application to escalate or gain privileges and full control over a device. The researcher that discovered the aforementioned vulnerabilities, Jon Oberheide, was able to upload an app disguised as “Angry Birds expansion pack” into the Android Market. Once downloaded, without any user knowledge, the application was able to install three additional apps that monitored the phone’s contacts, location information, and text messages. All of the extracted data could then be transmitted to a remote server. Apple Although Apple’s iOS platform is more tightly controlled in comparison to Android, there is still some vulnerability that exists within the platform. One such exposed vulnerability is to an updated version of a tool called sslsniff, which allows users to easily perform man-in-the-middle attacks against SSL/TLS connections. With this tool, hackers can identify vulnerable Apple devices and have the ability to snoop on secure communications. The vulnerability is present in many versions of iOS 4 as well as the newly released iOS 5, and it allows anyone to capture traffic from your iOS device with techniques to read and intercept any and all encrypted SSL traffic silently without notifying the user. Another vulnerability exposed within the iOS platform is in conjunction with the Skype iOS app. With this vulnerability, hackers can use a JavaScript exploit to extract address books from iOS devices. For example, if a user is to open a chat with a malicious person, they can get access to the user’s friend list and do whatever they would like with the information. Framework/SDK Differences Android Android is programmed primarily in Java on top of a custom VM (virtual machine).