A Short Introduction to Google Android

Most of us may not be aware that some of our cellular phones, just like computers have an operating system. The more advanced the phone is, the more complex the operating system would become. Since cellular phones are becoming more and more advanced, we can be sure that their operating systems will continue to be more complex. One of the less complex cellular operating systems developed is called Android which was first developed by a small company by the same name. (As you read though, the firm is now owned by giant cooperation Google, which most of us associate with web searches).

Some of the key features and operational requirements of Android include an ability to work with VGA as well as both 2 and 3D graphics libraries. For storage, you have massive spaces. For connectivity, both GSM and EDGE will work nicely along with 3G and 3.5G. Of course, it will also connect with Bluetooth technology. With regards to sending and receiving messages, both the short messaging service as well as multimedia messaging service is supported. Other features include support for both video and audio calling, internet downloading and performing of multiple tasks simultaneously generally known as "Multitasking".

Since being acquired by Google in the Mid-2000s, Android has continued to grow its sales at a fairly fast rate. Indeed by mid-2010, it was commanding a 13 percent global market share among cellular platforms. This may sound low until you realize that only a year earlier, its sales were just below 3 percent of the global market. No doubt competitors such as iPhone and Symbian are getting a run for their money from this system. Of course, with the fast race of this very dynamic technology market, it is hard to predict how the future will look like.

As with any other good thing, Android also has its downsides. One of these is that it is not fully compatible with Linux despite the fact that it has roots from this system. The same challenge is also experienced with Java. Another area of concern is the lack of support when establishing Wi-Fi network connection.

You might also be interested to note that recently Google was taken to court by Java over intellectual property issues. It is not clear what the outcome of this case will be and what it might spell for the future of the system. Meanwhile, hopefully, we will continue to enjoy its services in our cellular phones for a while.

Chun Lin is a GPS geek focusing on cell phone, Google Earth, cell phone tracker apps and GPS tracking.

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