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ANDROID

Android ()

Android is an operating system for mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers. It is developed by the led by .

Google purchased the initial developer of the , 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 the , a free . The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.

Android consists of a kernel based on the kernel, with middleware, libraries and written in and running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries based on . Android uses the 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 520,000 apps available for Android.Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Android Market, the app store run by Google.

Android was listed as the best-selling smart phone platform worldwide in Q4 2010 by Canalys.

History

Foundation

Android, Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, in October, 2003 by Andy Rubin (co-founder of Danger), (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.),Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile), and Chris White (headed design and interface development at WebTV) to develop, in Rubin's words "...smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences".Despite the obvious past accomplishments of the founders and early employees, Android Inc. operated secretly, revealing only that it was working on software for mobile phones.

That same year, Rubin ran out of cash. Steve Perlman brought him $10,000 in cash in an envelope and refused a stake in the company.

Acquisition by Google

Google acquired Android Inc. in August 2005, making Android Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Google Inc. Key employees of Android Inc., including Andy Rubin, Rich Miner and Chris White, stayed at the company after the acquisition. Not much was known about Android Inc. at the time of the acquisition, but many assumed that Google was planning to enter the market with this move.

Post-acquisition development

At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the . Google marketed the platform to handset makers and carriers on the premise of providing a flexible, upgradable system. Google had lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part.

Speculation about Google's intention to enter the mobile communications market continued to build through December 2006. Reports from the BBC andThe Wall Street Journal noted that Google wanted its search and applications on mobile phones and it was working hard to deliver that. Print and online media outlets soon reported rumors that Google was developing a Google-branded handset. Some speculated that as Google was defining technical specifications, it was showing prototypes to cell phone manufacturers and network operators.

In September 2007, InformationWeek covered an Evalue serve study reporting that Google had filed several patent applications in the area of .

Open Handset Alliance

The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) is a business alliance of 84 firms to develop open standards for mobile devices. Member firms include Google, HTC, Sony, , , Motorola, , , , LG, T- Mobile, Nvdia, and .

History

The OHA was established on 5 November 2007, led by Google with 34 members including mobile handset makers, application developers, some mobile carriers and chip makers. Android, the flagship software of the alliance, is based on an open source license and competes against mobile platforms from Apple, Microsoft, , Sony Ericsson,(), HP (formerly Palm), Research In Motion, and (bada).

Product

At the same time as the announcement of the formation of the Open Handset Alliance on 5 November 2007, the OHA also unveiled Android, an open source mobile phone platform based on the Linux kernel.An early look at the SDK was released to developers on 12 November 2007.

The first commercially available phone running Android was the T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream). It was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on 18 August 2008,and became available on 22 October.

On November 5, 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of several companies which include , Google, HTC, Intel, LG,Marvell Group, Motorola, , Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel, T- Mobile and Texas Instruments unveiled itself. The goal of the Open Handset Alliance is to develop open standards for mobile devices.[12] On the same day, the Open Handset Alliance also unveiled their first product, Android, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel version 2.6. On December 9, 2008, 14 new members joined, including ARM Holdings, Atheros Communications, Asustek Computer Inc, Garmin Ltd, , PacketVideo, Softbank, Sony Ericsson, Corp, and Group Plc.

Licensing With the exception of brief update periods, Android has been available under a free and open source software license since October 21, 2008 until March 2011.[Google published the entire (including network and telephony stacks)under an Apache License.Google also 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 unless Google certifies that the device complies with their Compatibility Definition Document (CDD). Devices must also meet this definition to be eligible to license Google's closed-source applications, including the Android Market. In September 2010, Skyhook Wireless filed a lawsuit against Google in which they alleged that Google had used the compatibility document to block Skyhook's mobile positioning service (XPS) from Motorola's Android mobile devices In December 2010 a judge denied Skyhook's motion for preliminary injunction, saying that Google had not closed off the possibility of accepting a revised version of Skyhook's XPS service, and that Motorola had terminated their contract with Skyhook because Skyhook wanted to disable Google's location data collection functions on Motorola's devices, which would have violated Motorola's obligations to Google and its carriers.

In early 2011, Google chose to withhold the Android source code to the tablet-only Honeycomb release, creating a controversy over Google's commitment to open source with Android.The reason, according to Andy Rubin in an official Android blog post, was because Honeycomb was rushed for production of the Motorola Xoom, and they did not want third parties creating a "really bad user experience" by attempting to put onto a version of Android intended for tablets. Google later confirmed that the Honeycomb source code would not be released until after it was merged with the Gingerbread release in Ice Cream Sandwich.

One of the criticisms often levied against Android is that it is not as open as Google claims. A mid-2009 Google strategy briefing included phrases such as ³Do not develop in the open. Instead, make source code available after innovation is complete´. The documents also seem to suggest that preferential treatment should be given specifically to and Verizon Wireless for being the first to develop Android phones to Google specifications. In an internal email, dated Aug. 6, 2010, Dan Morrill, a manager in the Android group, noted in passing that it was obvious to the phone makers that ³we are using compatibility as a club to make them do things we want.´

In a July 2011 research into open source projects, Android was found to be the most µclosed¶ platform scoring significantly lower in an µopenness¶ index. The other projects examined were Qt,Symbian, MeeGo, Mozilla, WebKit, Linux and .

Version history

Android has seen a number of updates since its original release, each fixing bugs and adding new features. Each version is named, in alphabetical order, after a dessert.

Recent releases

 2.3 Gingerbread refined the , improved the soft keyboard and copy/paste features, improved gaming

performance, SIP support (VoIP calls), and added support for Near Field Communication. Android 2.3 Gingerbread is the latest

Android version that is available to phones.  3.0 Honeycomb was a tablet-oriented release which supports larger screen devices and introduces many new user interface

features, and supports multicore processors and hardware acceleration for graphics. The Honeycomb SDK has been released

and the first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, went on sale in February 2011.

 3.1 Honeycomb was announced at the 2011 Google I/O on 10 May 2011. One feature focuses on allowing

Honeycomb devices to directly transfer content from USB devices.

 3.2 Honeycomb released at July 15 2011, is "an incremental release that adds several new capabilities for users and

developers". Highlights include optimization for a broader range of screen sizes; new "zoom-to-fill" screen compatibility

mode; capability to load media directly from the SD card; and an extended screen support API, providing

developers with more precise control over the UI. Android 3.2 Honeycomb is the latest Android version that is available

to tablets.

Future releases

 Ice Cream Sandwich is said to be a combination of Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a "cohesive whole". In

September 2011, stated that Ice Cream Sandwich "is being released in October/November."

Android version history

The version history of the Android operating system began with the release of version 1.0 in September 2008. Android is a mobile operating systemdeveloped by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. Android has seen a number of updates since its original release. These updates to the base operating system typically fix bugs and add new features. Generally, each version is developed under a code name based on a dessert item. The code names were released in alphabetic order: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Beta

Released 5 November 2007 Conference Call transcript SDK Released 12 November 2007

1.0

Released 23 September 2008. The first Android device, the HTC Dream (G1), had these Android 1.0 features:

 Android Market application download and updates through the Market app  to show, zoom and pan full HTML and XHTML web pages ± multiple pages show as windows ("cards")Video  Camera support, but no way to change resolution, white balance, quality, etc.  Folders allow the grouping of a number of app icons into a single folder icon on the Home screen.  Email provides to email servers commonly found on the Internet and supports POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP.  synchronization with the Gmail app  synchronization with the People app  synchronization with the Calendar app  with Latitude and Street View to view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business and get driving directions using GPS  allows management of over-the-air synchronization of Gmail, People, and Calendar  of the internet and phone apps, contacts, calendar, etc  instant messaging  Instant messaging, , and MMS  Media Player enables managing, importing, and playing back but lacked video and stereo Bluetooth support  Notifications appear in the Status bar ± drag down to see details, also ringtone, LEDs and vibration options.  Voice Dialer allows dialing and placing of phone calls without typing a name or number  Wallpaper allows the user to set the background image or photo behind the Home screen icons and widgets.  YouTube video player  Other apps include: Alarm Clock, Calculator, Dialer (Phone), Home screen (launcher), Pictures (Gallery), and Settings.  Other supported features include: WiFi, and Bluetooth.

1.1 On 9 February 2009, Android 1.1 update for Android was released for T-Mobile G1 only. Included in the update were resolved issues, API changes and:  Maps: Adds details and reviews when a user does a search on Maps and clicks on a business to view its details.  Dialer: In-call screen timeout default is now longer when using the speakerphone, Show/Hide Dialpad  Messaging: Saving attachments  System: Adds support for marquee in layouts.

1.5 Cupcake Based on Linux kernel 2.6.27. On 30 April 2009, the official 1.5 (Cupcake) update for Android was released.There were several new features and UI updates included in the 1.5 update:

 Virtual keyboard: Support for 3rd party keyboards with text prediction & user dictionary for custom words  Widgets: Are miniature application views that can be embedded in other applications (such as the Home screen) and receive periodic updates  Camera: Video recording  Gallery: Video playback (MPEG-4 & 3GP formats)  Bluetooth: Stereo support added (A2DP and AVRCP profiles), Auto-pairing  Browser: Copy and paste features added  Contacts: Shows user picture for Favorites  Dialer: Specific date/time stamp for events in call log and one-touch access to a contact card from call log event  System: Animated screen transitions  Upload videos to YouTube  Upload photos on

1.6 Donut Based on Linux kernel 2.6.2 On 15 September 2009, the 1.6 (Donut) SDK was released. Included in the update were.

 Search: Voice Search & text entry search enhanced to include bookmarks & history, contacts, the web, and more  Search: Developers can now include their content in search results  Text to speech: Features a multi-lingual engine to allow any Android application to "speak" a string of text  Android Market: Allows easier searching, app screenshots, etc.  Camera, camcorder, and Gallery: Updated integrated with faster camera access  Gallery: Now enables users to select multiple photos for deletion  System: Updated technology support for CDMA/EVDO, 802.1x, VPNs, and a text-to- speech engine  Display: Support for WVGA screen resolutions  Speed improvements in searching and camera applications  Expanded Gesture framework and new GestureBuilder development tool  Google free turn-by-turn navigation

2.x Eclair

2.0

Based on Linux kernel 2.6.29 On 26 October 2009, the 2.0 (Eclair) SDK was released. Changes included:

 Sync: Expanded Account sync. Multiple accounts can be added to a device for email and contact synchronization  Email: Exchange support, Combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page.  Bluetooth: 2.1 support  Contacts: Tap a contact photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person.  Messaging: Search all saved SMS and MMS . Auto delete oldest messages in a conversation when a defined limit is reached.  Camera: Flash support, Digital zoom, Scene mode, White balance, Color effect, Macro focus  Virtual keyboard: Improved typing speed, smarter dictionary learns from word usage and includes contact names as suggestions.  Browser: Refreshed UI, Bookmark thumbnails, Double-tap zoom, Support for HTML5  Calendar: Agenda view enhanced, Attending status for each invitee, Invite new guests to events.  System: Optimized hardware speed, Revamped UI  Display: Support for more screen sizes and resolutions, Better contrast ratio  Maps: Improved Google Maps 3.1.2 .  MotionEvent class enhanced to track multi-touch events  Live Wallpapers: Home screen background images can be animated to show movement

2.0.1

The 2.0.1 SDK was released on 3 December 2009.

 Android 2.0.1 is a minor platform release deployable to Android-powered handsets starting in December 2009. This release includes minor API changes, bug fixes and framework behavioral changes.

2.1

The 2.1 SDK was released on 12 January 2010.

 Android 2.1 is a minor platform release deployable to Android-powered handsets starting in January 2010. This release includes new API changes and bug fixes.

2.2 Froyo

2.2.2 latest release. Based on Linux kernel 2.6.32. On 20 May 2010, the 2.2 (Froyo) SDK was released. Changes included:

 System: Speed, memory, and performance optimizations.  Additional application speed improvements courtesy of JIT implementation.  Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine into the Browser application  Improved Microsoft Exchange support (security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendar synchronization, remote wipe)  Improved application launcher with shortcuts to Phone and Browser applications  USB and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality  Added an option to disable data access over mobile network  Updated Market application with batch and automatic update features.  Quick switching between multiple keyboard languages and their dictionaries  Voice dialing and contact sharing over Bluetooth  Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords .  Support for file upload fields in the Browser application  Support for installing applications to the expandable memory .  Adobe Flash support .  Display: Support for extra high DPI screens (320 dpi), such as 4" 720p

2.3.x Gingerbread

2.3

Based on Linux kernel 2.6.35. On 6 December 2010, the 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released. Changes included:

 System: Updated user interface design for simplicity and speed  Display: Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)  Internet calling: Native support for SIP VoIP telephony  Virtual Keyboard: Faster, more intuitive text input, improved accuracy, better suggested text. Voice input mode  Copy/Paste: Enhanced. Select a word by press-hold, copy, and paste  Near Field Communication lets the user read an NFC tag embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement  New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone , and bass boost  New Download Manager giving users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application  Camera: Access multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available  Media: Support for Web M/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding  System: Improved power management with a more active role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long  System: Enhanced support for native code development  System: Switched from YAFFS to ext4 on newer devices  Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers  Concurrent garbage collection for increased performance  Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscopes and barometers)

2.3.3

 Android 2.3.3 is a small feature release that adds several improvements and APIs to the Android 2.3 platform.

2.3.4

 Added support for voice or video chat using Google Talk.

2.3.5

25 Jul 2011

 Brought improved network performance for the , among other fixes and improvements.  Fixed Bluetooth bug on S  Improved Gmail application

2.3.6

 Voice search bug fixed.

2.3.7

 Google Wallet support for Nexus S 4G

3.x Honeycomb

3.0

3.0.1 . Based on Linux kernel 2.6.36. On 22 February 2011, the 3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK was released, for tablet computers only. The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, was released on February 24, 2011.

Changes include:

 Optimized tablet support with a new virtual and ³holographic´ user interface

 System Bar: Quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation buttons available at the bottom of the screen

 Action Bar: Access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the top of the screen

 Multitasking: Tap Recent Apps in the System Bar, to see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one app to

another

 Redesigned keyboard: To make entering text fast and accurate on larger screen sizes with greater accuracy and efficiency

 Copy/Paste: Simplified, more intuitive

 Browser: Multiple tabs replace browser windows, form auto-fill, and a new ³incognito´ mode allows anonymous browsing

 Camera: Quick access to exposure, focus, flash, zoom, front-facing camera, time-lapse, and more

 Gallery: View albums and other collections in full-screen mode, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos  Contacts: New two-pane UI and Fast Scroll to let users easily organize and locate contacts

 Email: New two-pane UI to make viewing and organizing messages more efficient. The app lets users select one or more

messages

 Support for video chat using Google Talk

 Hardware acceleration

 Support for multi-core processors

3.1

The 3.1 SDK was released on 10 May 2011. Changes included:

 UI refinements

 Connectivity for USB accessories

 Expanded Recent Apps list

 Resizable Home screen widgets

 Support for external keyboards and pointing devices

 Support for joysticks and gamepads

 Media: Support for FLAC audio playback.

 High-performance Wi-Fi lock maintains high-performance Wi-Fi connections when device screen is off

 Support for HTTP proxy for each connected Wi-Fi access point 3.2

The 3.2 SDK was released on 15 July 2011. Changes included:

 Improved hardware support, including optimisations for a wider range of tablets

 Easier access for apps to files on the SD card, e.g. for synchronisation

 Compatibility display mode for apps that have not yet been optimized for tablet screen resolutions

 New display support functions that give developers more control over the look and feel on different Android devices.

4.x Ice Cream Sandwich

As officially announced during the 2011 Google I/O, the upcoming version of Android is called Ice Cream Sandwich, a combination of

Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a "cohesive whole". It will be released in October or November 2011. Android Head of Engineering,

Mike Claren called it the company¶s ³most ambitious release to date.´ Features include facial recognition and new API sto reduce development fragmentation. To date, there is evidence of :

1. the unification of phone and tablet UIs and

2. several reports of devices claiming to be Android 4.0 devices popping up suggesting that Ice Cream Sandwich will be a

major Android version increase. Design

Linux

Android's kernel is a fork of the Linux kernel but has further architecture changes by Google outside the typical Linux kernel development cycle. For example Android does not have a native X Window System nor does it support the full set of standard GNU libraries, and this makes it difficult to port existing Linux applications or libraries to Android.

Certain features Google contributed back to the kernel, notably a power management feature called wakelocks, were rejected by mainline kernel developers, partly because kernel maintainers felt that Google did not show any intent to maintain their own code. Even if Google announced in April 2010 that they would hire two employees to work with the Linux kernel community, Greg Kroah-Hartman, the current Linux kernel maintainer for the -stable branch, said in December 2010 that he was concerned that Google was no longer trying to get their code changes included in mainstream Linux. Some Google Android developers hinted that "the Android team was getting fed up with the process", because they were a small team and had more urgent work to do on Android.

However, in September 2010 Linux kernel developer Rafael J. Wysocki added a patch that improved the mainline Linux wakeup events framework. He said that Android device drivers that use wakelocks can now be easily merged into mainline Linux, but that Android's opportunistic suspend features should not be included in the mainline kernel. In 2011 said that "eventually Android and

Linux would come back to a common kernel, but it will probably not be for four to five years."

Features

Current features and specifications:

Handset layouts

The platform is adaptable to larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0 specifications, and traditional smart phone layouts.

Storage

SQ Lite, a lightweight relational , is used for data storage purposes.

Connectivity

Android supports connectivity technologies including GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth,

Wi-Fi, LTE, NFC and Wi MAX.

Messaging

SMS and MMS are available forms of messaging, including threaded text messaging and now Android Cloud To Device Messaging

Framework (C2DM) is also a part of Android Push Messaging service.

Multiple language support

Android supports multiple human languages. The number of languages more than doubled for the platform 2.3 Gingerbread.

Web browser

The web browser available in Android is based on the open-source Web Kit layout engine, coupled with Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. The browser scores a 95/100 on the Acid3 Test. Java support

While most Android applications are written in Java, there is no Java Virtual Machine in the platform and Java byte code is not executed. Java classes are compiled into Dalvik executables and run on Dalvik, a specialized virtual machine designed specifically for

Android and optimized for battery-powered mobile devices with limited memory and CPU. J2ME support can be provided via third-party applications.

Media support

Android supports the following audio/video/still media formats: Web M, H.263, H.264 (in 3GP or MP4 container), MPEG-4

SP, AMR, AMR-WB (in 3GP container), AAC, HE-AAC (in MP4 or 3GP container), MP3, MIDI,

Ogg , FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP.

Streaming media support

RTP/RTSP streaming (3GPP PSS, ISMA), HTML progressive download (HTML5

HTTP Dynamic Streaming are supported by the Flash plugin. Apple HTTP Live Streaming is supported by RealPlayer for Mobile,and by the operating system in Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).

Additional hardware support

Android can use video/still cameras, touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, dedicated gaming controls, proximity and pressure sensors, thermometers, accelerated 2D bit blits (with hardware orientation, scaling, format conversion) and accelerated 3D graphics.

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). Google has since released an update for the and the which enables multi-touch natively.

Bluetooth

Supports A2DP, n 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.

Video calling

Android does not support native video calling, but some handsets have a customized version of the operating system that supports it, either via the UMTS network (like the ) or over IP. Video calling through Google Talk is available in Android 2.3.4 and later. Gingerbread allows Nexus S to place Internet calls with a SIP account. This allows for enhanced VoIP dialing to other SIP accounts and even phone numbers. Skype 2.1 offers video calling in Android 2.3, including front camera support.

Multitasking

Multitasking of applications is available.

Voice based features Google search through voice has been available since initial release. Voice actions for calling, texting, navigation, etc. are supported on Android 2.2 onwards.

Tethering

Android supports tethering, which allows a phone to be used as a wireless/wired Wi-Fi hotspot. Before Android 2.2 this was supported by third-party applications or manufacturer customizations.

Screen capture

Android does not support screenshot capture as of 2011. This is supported by manufacturer and third-party customizations. Screen

Capture is available through a PC connection using the DDMS developer's tool.

Uses

The Android operating system is used on smart phones, net books, tablet computers, Google TV, and other devices.

The main hardware platform for Android is the ARM architecture. There is support for x86 from the Android-x86 project, and Google TV uses a special x86 version of Android.

The first commercially available phone to run Android was the HTC Dream, released on 22 October 2008. In early 2010 Google collaborated with HTC to launch its flagship Android device, the Nexus One. This was followed later in 2010 with the Samsung- made Nexus S.

In September 2011, many companies which produce smartphones powered by Mee Go, B da, Web OS and Windows also produce smart phone powered by Android. There are also possibility that some BlackBerry smart phones will use Android. i OS and Android 2.3.3 'Gingerbread' may be set up to dual boot on a jail broken i Phone or i Pod Touch with the help of Open Boot and i Droid.

Comparison of Android devices

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. This page seeks to list and compare hardware devices that are shipped with either Google's Android operating system or its O Phone derivative from .

Officially released

The following are lists of devices that have been released with Google's Android operating system installed. Multiple names for the same device are entered in the same row where applicable.

Smart phones

² For an explanation of the columns, see Template Info box mobile phone/doc and/or Template :Info box information appliance/doc

Acer

This category contains a list of Android mobile phones released by Acer Inc.

Release Android Name date Connectivity CPU (MHz), GPU, Capacities Camera(s) Special features, Gyrosco version (country) Display Inputs Networks chipset notes

 GSM/GPRS/EDGE850/900/1800/1900

2.8 in (71 mm),  UMTS 850/1900 beTouch February Bluetooth 256 MB

1.5 240×320 QVGA, portrait A-GPS 416

E110 15, 2010 2.0 + EDR ROM ? mode  CSD

 HSDPA

 HSUPA

 Rear: 600 MHz beTouch 3.2 in (81 mm), HVGA, April 2010 2.1 Wifi Qualcomm 7227 3.2MP

E400 resistive touch screen. processor camer

a

 GSM/GPRS/EDGE

850/900/1800/1900 Bluetooth December 3.5 in (89 mm), Liquid 2.0 + EDR,  U 7, 1.6 480×800 WVGA, A-GPS MTS 850/1900 A1(S100) Wi-Fi 2009(UK) portrait mode 802.11g  CSD

 HSDPA

 HSUPA

3.5 in (89 mm), [2]

Liquid E June 2010 2.1 480×800 WGA, portrait 768Snapdragon mode

 Rear: Customized 3.5 in (89 mm), Liquid E version of Liquid June 2010 2.1 480×800 WVGA, 768Snapdragon 5 Mpx

Ferrari E with Ferrari portrait mode visual styling  Front:

none

LCD 3.6 in (91 mm) Liquid 800 MHz October WVGA moultitouch WiFi and mt(Liquid 2.2 Qualcomm 2010 capacitive screen, 16 M Bluetooth Metal)  HSPA 14.4Mbit/s MSM7230 colors

 Rear:

Acer 2.1 with August 3.7 inch capacitive 5 Mpx Stream update wifi 1000Snapdragon HDMI output

2010 (9.4 cm)WVGA AMOLED touchscreen S110 to 2.2 with

720p

video recor

ding

 Front:

none

HTC

This category contains a list of Android mobile phones released by HTC Corporation

Release date Android CPU (MHz), GPU, Capacities Camera(s) Sp Name Display Inputs Networks Connectivity (country) version chipset

 Wi-Fi

(802.11b/

g)

 Bluetooth

2.1 with

A2DP  Rear: 2.1/2.2 3.2 in (81 mm),  GSM/GPRS/EDGE stereo H C T Aria June 20, 2010 withHTC 320×480 HVGA, A-GPS 600 MSM7227 5 Mpx rang Sense UI portrait mode 850/900/1800/1900 and EDR simil  Front:  HSDPA  FM tuner none  3.5 mm

stereo

audio

jack,

micro-

USB

 Wi-Fi

(802.11b/ Europe/Asia Pacific: Simil g); 576MB RAM but 2.1/2.2 3.7 in (94 mm), & 512MB UI, o Virtual 1000 ARMv7 H C H C T Desire March 26, 2010 with T 480×800WVGA,  ROM (about 5.0 Mpx har keyboard  HSPA/W-CDMA: 900/2100 or Bluetooth Snapdragon Sense UI portrait mode 140MB doe 850/2100 (Telstra Australia) 2.1 with usable) micr

 GSM 850/900/1800/1900 EDR

 Micro

USB

October 22, 1.0 through Wi-Fi 528 MHz Qualcomm Firs HTC Dream, 3.2 in (81 mm), A-GPS; slide- 192 MB 3.2 Mpx 2008 2.1 (802.11b/g), MSM7201A ARM11 ma T-Mobile G1, 320×480 HVGA, out QWERTY  Quad bandGSM/GPRS/EDGE RAM, 256 Bluetooth Era G1 portrait mode keyboard 2.0+EDR, ExtUSB, MB ROM plat 850/900/1800/1900[3] sta  HSDPA/HSUPA (US/Europe) (7.2/2 of

Mbit/s)

1. GSM version:

 quad band

GSM/GPRS/EDGE

850/900/1800/1900  dual The HTC Hero, July Wi-Fi desi HTC Droid 2009 (Europe, 3.2 in (81 mm), Virtual U 1.5, 2.1 with band MTS900/2100 (802.11b/g), orig Eris, Asia, Canada) 320×480 HVGA, keyboard; A- HTC Sense UI Bluetooth th T-Mobile G2 October portrait mode GPS; H SPA (Europe), or 2.0+EDR, ExtUSB desig Touch 2009 (US) dual band UMTS

850/1900 HSPA

(North America)

2. CDMA version: dual

band CDMA2000/EV-

DO Rev. A 800/1900

 Rear:

8.0 M Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) (n with 2.2 px 2.1-2.2 with 3.7 in (94 mm), update); 8 GB HTC Sense UI 480×800WVGA, Virtual Bluetooth 2.1 with Droid onboard Su April 29, 2010 (upgrade to portrait mode, keyboard; A- CDMA2000/EV-DO Rev. A with A2DP stereo

Incredible flash Android 2.3 AMOLED or GPS and EDR; FM dual memory in Q2 2011) SLCD tuner, Mobile Wi-Fi (with 2.2 flash update) LED

 Front:

none

 Rear:

8.0 M

px Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) (n with 2.2 with 1.1 GB 2.2 with HTC 4.0 in update); onboard Sense UI (100 mm), Virtual GSM/GPRS/EDGE850/900/1800/1900 MHz Bluetooth 2.1 dual February 26, 1000 Qualcomm flash Su

Incredible S (upgradable 480×800WVGA, keyboard; A- HSPA/WCDMA with A2DP stereo 2011(UK) MSM8255 (Snapdragon) memory, 8 Dr to 2.3 Q2 portrait mode, GPS Europe/Asia900/AWS/2100 MHz and EDR; FM flash GB microSD 2011) SLCD tuner, Mobile supplied Wi-Fi (with 2.2 LED update)  Front:

1.3Mp

x

Fixed Focus

for

video

calling

Wi-Fi (802.11 3.2 in (81 mm), b/g), Bluetooth 320×480 HVGA, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSPA/W- QualcommMSM7227 @ H C T Legend March 31, 2010 2.1-2.2 GPS v2.1 + EDR with portrait mode, CDMA 900/2100 600 Enhanced Data AMOLED Rate

 Bluetooth

2.0 with

Enhanced

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and A2DP

for  Rear:

wireless 3.2

stereo mega HTC Magic, 512 MB HTC headsets pixel HTC April 27, 2009- ROM, 288 Sapphire, 3.2 in (81 mm), (32 July 28, QualcommMSM7200A@ MB RAM, T-Mobile 1.5-1.6 2.2.1 320×480 HVGA,  Wi-Fi: color of 2009(depending 528 microSD myTouch , portrait mode on country) card (SD 2.0 docomo HT- IEEE with inte compatible) 03A 802.11 autof

b/g ocus

 HTC  Front:

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(11-pin

mini-USB

2.0 and

audio jack

in one)

 Rear: A low 2.8 in (71 mm), 3.2 M ph October 19, Virtual H C T Tattoo 1.6 240×320QVGA, the 2009 keyboard portrait mode px simil

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none

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At launch: 5.0 AMOLED megapixel with 2X Memory: digital zoom, Later: 512 MB 2048x1536 max. SuperLCD 3.7 Storage: 512 in (94 mm) Autofocus 3.5mm TRRS MB (190 diagonal  GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 CPU: 1 GHz Qualcomm LED flash QSD 8250 Snapdragon MB PenTile 720×480  UMTS 850/1900/2100 Bluetooth v2.1 + ARM application GoogleNexus 480×800 px Virtual video at 20 Firs January 5, 2010 2.1-2.3.4  UMTS 900/AWS/2100 EDR with A2DP

One keyboard storage) G GPU: Adreno 200, 254 ppi (0.38 FPS or  H micro USB 2.0 SDPA 7.2 Mbit/s includes a OpenGL ES 2.0 with Megapixels) higher[2] Wi-Fi IEEE  HSUPA 2 Mbit/s 4GB glsl shader support 3:5 aspect ratio Note: the 802.11b/g/n  GPRS Class 10 MicroSDHC WVGA 24-bit phone cannot (Removable, color 100,000:1 do 720p supports up contrast ratio 1 video with to 32GB) ms response stock Google

rate ROM

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8 Mpx

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(720p)

 Front:

none

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8 Mpx

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Inspire 4G 480×800WVGA, Wi-Fi 802.11n HD 2011 upgrade keyboard portrait mode, available) 216.97 ppi video

(720p)

 Front:

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with

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Flash,

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(1080

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(720p)

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none

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none

 Rear:

5 Mpx 512 MB autof flash, 3.2 in (81 mm), 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 2.1/2.2 with 384 MB of H C T Wildfire June 14, 2010 240×320QVGA, GPS/AGPS Blueooth ocus, HTC Sense UI RAM, portrait mode 2.1+EDR microSD with expansion

LED

flash[8]

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8.0

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with

autof

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(720p

recor

ding)

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1.3

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Application

Applications are usually developed in the Java language using the Android Software Development Kit, but other development tools are available, including a Native Development Kit for applications or extensions in C or C++, and Google App Inventor, a visual environment for novice .

Android software development

Android software development is the process by which new applications are created for the Android operating system. Applications are usually developed in the Java using the Android Software Development Kit, but other development tools are available. As of April 2011 more than 200,000 applications have been developed for Android, with over 3 billion downloads.. The

Android platform has also grown to become a favorite among mobile developers. A June 2011 research indicated that over 67% of mobile developers used the platform, at the time of publication.

Software development tools

Android SDK

The Android software development kit (SDK) includes a comprehensive set of development tools. These include a debugger, libraries, a handset emulator (based on QEMU), documentation, sample code, and tutorials. Currently supported development platforms include computers running Linux (any modern desktop ), Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later, Windows XP or later. The officially supported integrated development environment (IDE) is Eclipse (currently 3.5 or 3.6) using the Android Development Tools (ADT)

Plugin, though developers may use any text editor to edit Java and XML files then use command tools (Java Development

Kit and Apache Ant are required) to create, build and debug Android applications as well as control attached Android devices (e.g., triggering a reboot, installing software package(s) remotely).

Enhancements to Android's SDK go hand in hand with the overall Android platform development. The SDK also supports older versions of the Android platform in case developers wish to target their applications at older devices. Development tools are downloadable components, so after one has downloaded the latest version and platform, older platforms and tools can also be downloaded for compatibility testing.

Android applications are packaged in .apk format and stored under /data/app folder on the Android OS (the folder is accessible only to root user for security reasons). APK package contains .dex files (compiled byte code files called Dalvik executables), resource files, etc.

Native Development Kit

Libraries written in C and other languages can be compiled to ARM native code and installed using the Android Native Development Kit.

Native classes can be called from Java code running under the Dalvik VM using the System.loadLibrary call, which is part of the standard Android Java classes.

Complete applications can be compiled and installed using traditional development tools. The ADB debugger gives a root shell under the Android Emulator which allows native ARM code to be uploaded and executed. ARM code can be compiled using GCC on a standard PC. Running native code is complicated by the fact that Android uses a non-standard C library (libc, known as ). The underlying graphics device is available as a frame buffer at /dev/graphics/fb0. The graphics library that Android uses to arbitrate and control access to this device is called the Skia Graphics Library (SGL), and it has been released under an open source license. Skia has backends for both win32 and Unix, allowing the development of cross-platform applications, and it is the graphics engine underlying the web browser.

App Inventor for Android

On 12 July 2010 Google announced the availability of App Inventor for Android, a Web-based visual development environment for novice programmers, based on MIT's Open Blocks Java library and providing access to Android devices' GPS, accelerometer and orientation data, phone functions, text messaging, speech-to-text conversion, contact data, persistent storage, and Web services, initially including Amazon and

Twitter. "We could only have done this because Android¶s architecture is so open," said the project director, MIT's . Under development for over a year, the block-editing tool has been taught to non-majors in computer science at Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, and the University of San Francisco, where Professor David Wolber developed an introductory computer science course and tutorial book for non- computer science students based on App Inventor for Android.

Google App Inventor

Google App Inventor is an application provided by Google that allows anyone to create software applications for the Android operating system

(OS). It uses a graphical interface, very similar to Scratch and the StarLogo TNG user interface, that allows users to drag-and-drop visual objects to create an application that can run on the Android system, which runs on many mobile devices. The application was made available through request on July 12, 2010, and released publicly on December 15, 2010. It is made for people unfamiliar with . The reasoning is that if young people develop applications to fulfill their own needs and install them on their own phones, they will more likely use the phones more often, or switch to the Android OS if they are not already using a phone that runs the system.

History

In creating App Inventor for Android, Google drew upon significant prior research in educational computing, and work done within Google on online development environments.

The blocks editor uses the Open Blocks Java library for creating visual blocks programming languages. Open Blocks is distributed by theMassachusetts Institute of Technology's Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) and derives from master's thesis research by Ricarose Roque. Professor Eric Klopfer and Daniel Wendel of the Scheller Program supported the distribution of Open Blocks under the MIT License.Open Blocks visual programming is closely related to the StarLogo TNG, a project of the Klopfer's STEP, and Scratch, a project of the MIT Media Laboratory's Lifelong Kindergarten Group. These projects are themselves informed by constructionist learning theories, which emphasizes that programming can be a vehicle for engaging powerful ideas through active learning. As such, it is part of an ongoing movement in computers and education that began with the work of and the MIT Logo Group in the 1960s and has also manifested itself with Mitchel Res nick's work on and Star Logo. The App Inventor team was led by Hal Abelson and Mark Friedman.

The compiler that translates the visual blocks language for implementation on Android uses the Kawa language framework and Kawa's dialect of the Scheme programming language, developed by Per Bothner and distributed as part of the GNU operating system by the Free Software Foundation.

Google App Inventor is now available for use by anyone who has a .

In August 2011, Google announced that App Inventor was discontinued as a Google product, and that the code would become open sourced. It is now going to be part of MIT Center for Mobile Learning which is at the MIT Media Lab, run by App Inventor creator Hal Abelson, along with fellow MIT professors Eric Klopfer and (both of whom were also instrumental in the creation of the project).