The Origins of Android
Android Inc. was a small startup company that developed its own open source operating system for mobile phones. It was bought by Google in August, 2005.
In November 2007, shortly after Apple introduced the iPhone, Google began working on its contribution to the mobile phone business. It announced the start of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which is a consortium of companies such as HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile, and other big names in the telecommunications industry. On the very same day, OHA unveiled the mobile operating system that we know today as Android.
Android got off to a slow start with the HTC Dream (also known as the T-Mobile G1) in October 2008. Since then, Android has been gaining popularity with the release of every new version. It is important that you know about them when you begin developing Android applications, as newer versions contain more features than their predecessors. In terms of programming, these versions have a definite numerical designation. I will discuss that when we get into downloading Android development tools like the Android SDK (Software Development Kit) and Eclipse.
For now, you should know that in addition to a specific number, Android versions also have an informal name, which is always named after some sweet treat. This is partly due to tradition and Google’s sense of humor. This naming convention is also alphabetical, having begun with Cupcake, followed by Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and most recently Ice Cream Sandwich.
Here is a very basic summary of the features of the latest versions of Android:
- Version 1.5 (Cupcake):
- Ability for videos to be recorded through camcorder
- Bluetooth enabling
- Widgets on home screen
- Animated screen capabilities
- Uploading of videos to YouTube and pictures to Picasa on the fly
- Version 1.6 (Donut):
- Camcorder, camera, and integrated gallery
- Voice search
- Voice dial
- Bookmark
- History
- Contacts search
- WVGA screen resolution
- Google turn-by-turn navigation
- Version 2.0/2.1 (Éclair):
- HTML5 and Exchange Active Sync 2.5 support
- Improved speed
- Google Maps 3.1.2
- MS Exchange Server integration
- Flash for the camera
- Bluetooth 2.1 integration
- Option of virtual keyboard
- Version 2.2 (Froyo):
- Version 2.3 (Gingerbread):
- Improved gaming graphics and audio effects
- SIP VoIP support
- WXGA (extra-large screen size and resolution)
- Near field communication
- Copy/paste feature
- Download manager for large downloads
- Better control of applications
- Support for multiple cameras
- Version 3.0 (Honeycomb):
- The first tablet-only release
- 3D desktop with newer widgets
- Tabbed web browsing
- Gtalk video chat
- Hardware acceleration
- Multicore processor
- Multipane navigation
- Version X (Ice Cream Sandwich):
- Streamlined user interface fit for both tablets and smartphones
- Advanced app framework
You will discover that specific Android devices start out as one particular version of Android, and upgrades tend to come out slowly. It depends on the carriers, and often subscribers don’t hear when the new updates come out. For example, I updated my Droid X from Froyo to Gingerbread, but Verizon didn’t inform that an update was readily available. I only heard about the update because of my work in tech blogging, and someone else figured out how to give me the update. If you are curious about discovering whether you have the most current version on your Android device, click its Settings icon, select About Phone, and then select System Updates.
You will also discover that knowing about these versions of Android will be helpful when programming new applications. Later versions of Android devices are reverse (backward) compatible, which means that an Android 2.2 device will play an Android 1.6 program. However, Android apps designed for latter versions may not play on devices on former versions. For example, a version 1.6 Android device will not be able to use an app programmed for Android 2.2. In fact, if you have a device that runs 1.6 and do a search on the Android Market for an application designed for versions 2.2 or above, it will not even show up in the results.
By the way, a lot of low-priced Android phones still run very early versions of Android; for this reason, it might be wise to create a program that can run on Android 1.5 or 1.6 rather than only version 2.0 or above. Unless you have specific tablet-based application in mind, do not program with Android 3.0. Version 3.0 is optimized for tablets, not for smartphones. Right now, the Honeycomb market is limited to a few models, and until more models are made (which could be soon) it could take a while before a developer can make money off of it.