Android is a mobile operating
system (Linux-based) designed for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet
computers developed by Android, Inc. Android is open source and Google releases
the code under the Apache License and allows the software to be freely modified
and distributed by device manufacturers or
enthusiast developers. Android has a large community of developers building
applications and the apps written primarily in Java programming language. There
were approximately 700,000 apps available for Android on Google Play.
This operating system has customizable,
lightweight for high tech devices without developing one from scratch and it designed
for phones and tablets. Android has a large community of developers and enthusiasts
to use the open source code as a foundation for community-driven projects,
which add new features for advanced users.
User
Interface
Android's user interface is using
touch inputs that loosely correspond, like swiping, tapping and pinching to
manipulate on screen objects. The user input is designed to be immediate and
provides a fluid touch interface, often using the vibration capabilities of the
device to provide haptic feedback to the user. Internal hardware includes
accelerometers and proximity sensors both
used by some applications to respond to additional user actions, like adjusting
the screen from portrait to landscape depending on how the device is oriented, adjusting
the screen brightness etc.
Android Play
store
Android has market applications,
which can be acquired by users either through an app store such as Google Play.
There are about 800,000 apps and 20 billion totals installs. The Play Store or
google plays application allows users to browse, download and update apps
published by Google and third-party developers on devices that comply with
Google's compatibility requirements. The app sorted the list of available
applications to those that are compatible with the user's device and developers
may restrict their applications to particular carriers or countries for
business reasons.