Android 3.0 - Google's powerful new Honeycomb is out now, and it's a stunner. It is released only for the Motorola Xoom tablet so far, the new operating system, which started life on Android smartphones but is now formatted for the larger touchscreen, will eventually make its way onto the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as well as other tablets from big manufacturers like Acer, HTC, Dell, Asus, LG, MSI and Toshiba. Google's improved operating system boasts a number of upgrades that could give the iPad 2's operating system, iOS 4.3, a run for its money.
Rising Popularity Of Android
According to a several report, Google’s Android OS has become the top mobile phone operating system used by smartphones in the United States while Samsung, LG and Motorola remained the top mobile phone original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). As per the report, Android finished at 31.2% for the month of January while RIM grabbed the second spot with a market share of 30.4%.
It is to be noted that popularity of Android has been rising slowly with several smartphone makers rolling out handsets using the Android platform.
It is no strange that Android handsets have witnessed increased popularity in the last couple of years. Not only in cell phones, but Android OS has made inroads in netbook and the tablet market too. Android phones rolled out by Motorola, HTC, Samsung etc are high in demand. But the question is what are the reasons behind the popularity of Android?
Factors Pushing Growth Of Android
There are several reasons accredited to the growth of Android OS. Some of the vital factors bolstering Android’s growth are
Cost Effective
Android boasts of simple user interface and a relatively low development cost as compared to other mobile OS gives Android an edge over its counterparts. At the same time it can be used for powering various cell phone models which tilts the favor in its balance.
Presence of Multiple Apps
One of the great advantages of Android is its capacity to run several applications simultaneously. Android gives users the freedom to listen to music, receive notifications etc without keeping application open. At the same times users can download their favorite apps from the Android market.
But fragmentation and vulnerability to malware attacks still remains the major roadblock for Android. To become number one mobile OS, Google needs to address these issues. With several mobile phone manufacturers focusing on the Android platform, the OS is expected to further blossom in coming days.
What is Android?
Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language.
Features
- Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
- Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
- Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
- Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
- SQLite for structured data storage
- Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
- GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
- Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
- Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
- Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE
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