Android
is a mobile operating system (OS) currently developed by Google,
based on the Linux kernel and designed primarily for touchscreen
mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Android's
user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch
gestures that loosely correspond to real-world actions, such as
swiping, tapping and pinching, to manipulate on-screen objects, along
with a virtual keyboard for text input.
Features
of Android
The
response to 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, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and proximity sensors
are used by some applications to respond to additional user actions,
for example adjusting the screen from portrait to landscape depending
on how the device is oriented.
Android
devices boot to the homescreen, the primary navigation and
information "hub" on Android devices that is analogous to
the desktop found on personal computers.
Android
provides the ability to run applications that change the default
launcher, and hence the appearance and externally visible behaviour
of Android. These appearance changes include a multi-page dock or no
dock, and many more changes to fundamental features of the user
interface.
Applications
Android Application Development is demanding in market. Mostly people uses
Android platform.
Applications
("apps"), which extend the functionality of devices, are
written using the Android software development kit (SDK) and, often,
the Java programming language that has complete access to the Android
APIs. Java may be combined with C/C++, together with a choice of
non-default runtimes that allow better C++ support.
Due
to the open nature of Android, a number of third-party application
marketplaces also exist for Android, either to provide a substitute
for devices that are not allowed to ship with Google Play Store,
provide applications that cannot be offered on Google Play Store due
to policy violations, or for other reasons.
Development
Android
is developed in private by Google until the latest changes and
updates are ready to be released, at which point the source code is
made available publicly.
This
source code will only run without modification on select devices,
usually the Nexus series of devices. The source code is, in turn,
adapted by OEMs to run on their hardware.
Other
uses
The
open and customizable nature of Android allows it to be used on other
electronics aside from smartphones and tablets, including laptops and
netbooks, smartbooks, smart TVs (Android TV, Google TV) and cameras.
In addition, the Android operating system has seen applications on
smart glasses (Google Glass), smartwatches.
