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What is the Android operating system. Google Android. History of creation Who is the creator of android

As of today, the latest version of Android has the serial number 5 and the code name Lollipop. The system has received significant updates in design, functionality, in general, it is practically a newly created product. Now Google Nexus 5 smartphones have already begun to be updated to this version of the OS, and soon all modern smartphones will receive the latest update. However, we will tell you about the new 5.0 separately, but I still want to start from those times when the Android project did not even belong to Google...

Android: Beginning

Many people believe that the history of Android began in 2008 when the first version of Android 1.0 was released. But in fact, everything started 5 years earlier, in 2003, when Andy Rubin and his friends (Nick Sears, Chris White and Rich Miner) decided to create a mobile operating system and registered the company Android Inc. The developers first focused on devices that could be constantly with users, determine location using GPS and automatically adapt to a person’s needs.

Andy Rubin, creator of Android Source: technobuffalo.com

For investors of that time, it was unlikely that anything was clear at all. Well, who wants to invest money in an incomprehensible startup that doesn’t bring in any money yet... And so it happened that by 2005 Andy and friends spent all their funds, but by a lucky coincidence Google took a closer look at them and on August 17, 2005 the corporation became a full-fledged corporation owner of small Android Inc. It is worth noting that Google at that time did not have any special plans for gadgets, but was more focused on improving its own software and search algorithms. It’s scary to say, but at that time Google did not have any Adsense or even YouTube (it was acquired only in 2007).

Google logo in 2005

In the same year, against the backdrop of legal proceedings between Oracle and Google, it was decided that Android would be a free operating system and, of course, primarily focus on the implementation of Google services. Since Andy Rubin was initially involved in a project related to GPS, and the corporation already had Maps, it was planned to introduce maps into phones. Moreover, there were no smartphones at that time, so the cards could appear on a regular folding phone with buttons. The first images also indicate that Google was looking to RIM's experience with their Blackberry, so if not for a coincidence, touch phones might not have appeared. But, unfortunately or fortunately, the iPhone came out in 2007 and Google sharply revised its strategy. However, the first build of Android 1.0 is being prepared for release in 2008. However, at the beginning of 2007, Google does not have a partner that would release a phone on the new OS. Nokia - too much big company, with which there will be a conflict of interest, Motorola has not yet recovered from the rise in sales of Razr models. Google is choosing between LG and HTC. Korean LG is interested in the US market, but it is afraid of cooperation with an unknown partner and uses agreements with Google only to conclude contracts with Microsoft to create smartphones with Windows Mobile. But HTC was ready for working together, and besides, the Taiwanese company could quickly create working samples. The first known prototype was Google Sooner. Here, however, we had to abandon the touch screen; this model was created according to the original specifications, when Google relied on the experience of Blackberry.

Possibly the first Android phone prototype - Google Sooner

Sources report that the first working version dates back to May 15, 2007 and was then called M3. The operating system is very similar to the Blackberry interface, the main position is occupied by search string Google. In general, if it weren’t for the advent of the iPhone and the trend towards touch screens, perhaps we would now see Android like this.

Screenshot of Android M3, possibly the first working version of the OS Source: 9to5google.com

Android: official start

Google clearly understood that with the release of the Apple iPhone, a touch screen was simply a necessity, and therefore early development had to be postponed. This was facilitated by communication with operators; in the summer of 2007, their opinion about the future of Android was pessimistic. In August 2007, an article appears in the WSJ talking about Google's efforts with its phone and platform. This material mentions that the company has two prototypes - one is similar to the Palm Treo with a QWERTY keyboard under the screen, and the second is somewhat reminiscent of the Nokia version. Within the Android team there is a race against time, since all previous plans are no good and they decided to abandon them. The team changes the timing, and the M3 is released in the second half of 2007. In version M5, it appears at the beginning of 2008, a status bar appears in it, although experiments with the UI are noticeable to the naked eye. Watch the video to understand the differences between these versions.

It wasn't until August 2008 that Google developed version 0.9 to introduce OS version 1.0 in September 2008. On October 22, 2008, the US operator T-Mobile begins selling the HTC Dream (T-Mobile G1), the first Android smartphone to feature a touch screen and an OS fully integrated for its use. But Google was able to rework the OS only to version 1.6, getting rid of the old ideas that were originally laid down when it was created. Perhaps it is from this moment that the rise of Android begins. Interest in the HTC Dream in the United States was enormous; the operator had sold 1 million devices by April 23, 2009. Such a demand for such an ordinary and simple device once again proved that ideas win, in this aspect it was the idea of touch phones that captured the minds of consumers.

Naturally, the very first tests on real users revealed many flaws in the platform, and already in the first year of Android’s existence, Google released the following updates: 1.1. Banana Bread, 1.5 Cupcake (video and photo uploading to YouTube and Picasa, automatic display orientation, predictive input, etc.), and 1.6 Donut (speech-to-text conversion with multilingual pronunciation, WVGA support, optimized work with gestures, etc.) .d.)

Android: second try

Android 2.0

After improving the 1st version, Android received expanded functionality and a good appearance in version 2.0, and then in 2.1 with the same code name Eclair. It became possible to use several Google accounts, and the standard web browser now supports HTML5. At the same time, new models of Android smartphones went on sale: NTS Magic and Hero, Motorola Droid and Samsung Galaxy.

At the same time, in 2010, the production of mobile processors with a clock frequency of 1 GHz began. And the first branded one appears Google smartphone Nexus One with 1 GHz processor. Of course, HTC becomes Google's partner. And HTC Desire, Motorola Droid 2 and Samsung Galaxy S received processors with a similar frequency. By the way, HTC will no longer make Google devices until 2014, when the Nexus 9 comes out. In the same 2010, Google released another version of Android, the new 2.2 Froyo , in which the performance of applications using JIT compilation has increased and support has appeared Adobe Flash. Well, all the above-mentioned smartphones with a 1 GHz processor received an update to Froyo. In addition, the assembly received updates such as the Chrome V8 JS engine for the web browser, contact transfer and support for BlueTooth docking stations, cloud synchronization, etc.

Google Nexus One and Android 2.2 Froyo

By the way, in Russia many saw Android for the first time in this edition, since this year in our country the demand for touchscreen smartphones begins, Android is gradually becoming fashionable. Until 2010, the “green robot” was seen only by geeks, and even then, more likely on the Internet or magazines than in their own hands.

Android Gingerbread and Honeycomb

It was the third year of Android's existence on the market. It was already a popular OS, but there were still many problems. And now, update 2.3 Gingerbread appears, which until 2013 was installed on a huge number of devices. Indeed, in this version of the OS, many functions were implemented that outlined the prospects for the development of the platform as such - support for SIP telephony, Near Field Communication and Google Talk, work with screens more high resolution, a new download manager and much more.

Together with Gingerbread Google company releases its second branded smartphone - Nexus S. This time the manufacturer is Samsung, and the Nexus S was, in fact, a slightly modified Galaxy S. However, Google Nexus S was clearly released too late: on the day its sales began, LG announced the first dual-core smartphone Optimus 2X. Now manufacturers are measured not by gigahertz, but by multi-core. As a result, not only LG Optimus 2X, but also Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation and Motorola Droid X2 received dual-core chips.

And Samsung, meanwhile, releases after Galaxy smartphone S another device is the Galaxy Tab. The compact and lightweight seven-inch “tablet” became a good alternative for those who did not like the bulky Apple iPad. But the problem is that Android currently only exists for smartphones. Not a problem, Google thought, and at the beginning of 2011, the first version of Android designed specifically for tablet PCs appeared - 3.0 Honeycomb. It really looked better on Honeycomb tablets than the stretched out Gingerbread smartphone interface. Thus, both smartphones and tablets are already operational based on the Android OS. The business began to expand, and rapidly. Almost all Android tablets are becoming Honeycomb carriers - Motorola Xoom, Acer Iconia Tab, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, etc.

In the same 2011, at the IFA 2011 technology exhibition in Berlin, Samsung presented its first 5-inch Glaxy Note phablet, which became a very popular device, despite the opinions of skeptics. Then it was, in fact, the first device of this class, and even on Android. It took Apple another 3 years before this; in 2014, the company released the iPhone 6 Plus phablet.

Android 4: from Ice Cream Sandwich to KitKat

Google understands that having two separate systems for smartphones and tablets is not very profitable. More time is spent on development and support. And in the fall of 2011, Google releases Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which becomes the first cross-platform version for smartphones and tablets. The build also includes access to applications directly from the lockscreen, and AndroidMarket is renamed to Google Play. According to many experts, it was with version 4.0 that Android began to acquire its usual shape and normal functionality. Now the devices on the “green robot” could also be simply used; they ceased to be gadgets for geeks.

Following the new operating system, Google presented a new smartphone - the Galaxy Nexus, which, apparently, was also developed in collaboration with Samsung. And again, after the release of a smartphone, component manufacturers begin to fight for hardware. Qualcomm introduces powerful Krait processors, and Nvidia announces 4-core Tegra 3 chips. Well, the undisputed leader of Android smartphones in 2012 is the Samsung Galaxy S III, which joins the budget bestseller ASUS Nexus 7 based on the new Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

In 2012-2013, nothing special happened with Android after global changes with the unification of the tablet and smartphone versions. However, in 2012, Google makes 2 more branded devices - the LG Nexus 4 smartphone and the Samsung Nexus 10 tablet. In parallel with the new products, an updated build of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean was presented, which complemented the previous version. Now users can fully experience the benefits of using GoogleNow, Cloud Messaging, Android Beam, triple buffering, multi-channel USB audio, etc. Then the Google Moto X smartphone and the 2nd generation Google Nexus 7 tablet are presented, which were not particularly popular in our country due to the fact that Motorola left the Russian market back in 2010.

In 2013, Nexus 5 appeared on the market, again as a result of cooperation with LG. And for him and other devices it comes out a new version Android 4.4 KitKat. Yes, this is the first time that the version indicator is the name of a commercial product, but let’s not talk about that. The changes affected not only the interface of individual system applications and elements. The promised transparency of the top notification bar has appeared in KitKat, along with a new sophisticated font and support for a full-screen interface from individual applications. With the release of KitKat, access to the Google Now service has become easier. Now its call is unified - you just need to swipe your finger across the screen from left to right. Previously, methods to access Google Now varied depending on the smartphone model (pressing the Home button, shaking, etc.). Additionally, the service is activated by the phrase “OK Google” when the start screen is open. The developers also paid attention to the Hangouts program. Now it allows you to send not only chat messages, but also SMS/MMS. Finally, we note the built-in pedometer in KitKat, which works even in the background, as well as expanded compatibility with printers through Google Print cloud technology. The latter allows you to send documents for printing without any wires, first changing the paper size and specifying the required number of pages.

The Android operating system has come a long way to become the most popular mobile platform in the world. Many versions have changed and a huge number of new functions have been introduced. However, few remember exactly how it all began. We have prepared a series of articles with a complete history of development operating system Android.
Read also → Read also →

Where did Android start?

The Android operating system was first announced as a product only in 2007. This happened two years after the takeover of Android by Google. Yes, Android is another startup that Google acquired and turned into candy. It was in 2007, after the announcement, that Google released the first public version of Android along with an emulator, and also demonstrated the system on a BlackBerry-style push-button all-in-one. The device was created by HTC.

Around the same time, Apple introduced its first iPhone. Google, seeing a new revolution, turned Android development into a “touch direction”, abandoning the concept of BlackBerry-style devices.

The public version, called Milestone 3, was already focused on touchscreen use only. Later, test versions 0.5, 0.9 were released, and only then the first stable release took place.

Android 1.0 Apple Pie (2008)

By the time Apple Pie was released, quite a long time had passed since the acquisition of Android Inc by Google - about three years.

T-Mobile G1

The era of the Android operating system officially starts on October 22, 2008, when sales began in the United States T-Mobile smartphone G1 under Android control 1.0. This device is also known as HTC Dream. The device incorporated all the features of smart phones of that time: touch screen, horizontal QWERTY keyboard, GPS. If the iPhone at the same time had a minimum of physical buttons, then the HTC Dream was the complete opposite - almost all the controls known at that time were located on its body. In less than two years, 1 million smartphones were sold.

Even then, some of the fundamental features of Android were laid down: a notification system with a top “curtain”, widgets for the desktop, integration with Gmail, the Android Market application store. It is noteworthy that the Android interface was developed in collaboration with the Swedish company The Astonishing Tribe, which was later acquired by BlackBerry.

Then the operating system was codenamed Astroboy, but then the name was replaced by Apple Pie. The decision was made due to possible litigation. It was from that time that the tradition began to call Android versions various delicacies.

Android 1.1 (2009)

In February 2009, the first cumulative update of Android 1.1 was released. As you can understand from the version, this was a minor update that did not bring big changes, but added a couple of functions. For example, there appeared voice search Google Voice Search, paid applications could be sold in the Play Market, maps received support for Google Latitude. In addition, support for over-the-air firmware updates has appeared. It was then that the “About phone” item was introduced into the settings menu.

Android 1.5 Cupcake (2009)

Only in April 2009, the Android 1.5 Cupcake update was released, which brought an integral part of modern operating systems - an on-screen keyboard. This way, manufacturers could release new phones without physical input keys. The first Android smartphone with full touch controls was the HTC Magic.

HTC Magic

Otherwise, the changes were extremely minor: new icons, a fresh design of the search widget, the ability to create several widgets for one program, a full implementation of the clipboard, video recording and playback, many improvements in standard applications Google, setting wallpaper on the lock screen, improved zoom in the browser.

Android 1.6 Donut (2009)

Android has evolved quite quickly. In the same 2009, but already in September, the third update in a row was released under version 1.6. Donut was chosen as the name. One of the most important innovations was support for CDMA networks, which allowed Verizon and other operators to sell smartphones to their subscribers. Also an important change was support for screens with resolutions greater than 480x320 pixels. It was then that manufacturers gained freedom in terms of installing displays in their devices.

The Android Market application store has received a new design - now white and more pleasing to the eye. Also, screenshots finally appeared on program pages - the user could look at what he was downloading.

An item appeared in the settings menu that talked about battery usage. Then it was in the “About phone” section. At least users could find out what exactly “eats” the battery charge so quickly. And the proprietary search widget has learned to search on the device and show results.

Android 2.0 and 2.1 Eclair (2010)

The Android 2.0 Eclair update, introduced in November 2009, became truly epoch-making and significant in the history of the platform. It was the device with version 2.0 and subsequent updates that began to march around the world, capturing the market mobile devices.

Motorola Droid

The first gadget with Android 2.0 was the iconic Motorola Droid, which was one of the favorite devices for geeks. The smartphone offered powerful hardware and stock Android with a lot of features. Motorola Droid came with a 3.7-inch screen (854x480 pixels), a single-core TI OMAP Cortex A8 processor and 256 MB of RAM. There was still room for a classic horizontal keyboard.

Important changes and innovations in Android 2.0 Eclair:

Multiple account support Google posts and the ability to integrate accounts from other applications (synchronization).
Full turn-by-turn navigation Google maps Maps with 3D display.
New unlock screen with gesture.
Updated design of the standard desktop with new icons and widgets. The appearance has become more modern and neat. Almost all elements have been redrawn for higher screen resolutions.
On-screen buttons to control incoming calls with gestures. Now smartphones did not necessarily have to have hardware “Accept” and “Reject” buttons.
A heavily updated browser with support for modern web standards at that time. Even HTML5 support was implemented with video playback. However, there were no multi-touch gestures for zooming yet. A full-fledged address bar has appeared.
A more comfortable on-screen keyboard with a new design.
Text-to-speech translation.
Installing your own tracks for a call.

In January 2010, Google released a minor, but very important update for its subsequent strategy - Android 2.1 Eclair. The first smartphone from the Nexus line is being released based on this OS.

Nexus One

The device, called Nexus One, was created by HTC based on the then-new Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor with a frequency of 1 GHz. The device featured an AMOLED display. The main changes in Android 2.1 Eclair were external: animations, minor design changes, live wallpapers, etc. Later released for Nexus One Update 1, which brought support for a popular feature from the iPhone - multi-touch gesture for zooming out and zooming in.

Android 2.2 Froyo (2010)

In mid-2010, the Android 2.2 Froyo (frozen yogurt) update was released, which immediately highlighted one of the main advantages of the Nexus line - a smartphone One first updated to this version. In update 2.2, Google developers focused on increasing performance and optimization. One of the important innovations was the JIT compiler, which could convert Java code into native code for fast execution.

The browser has become faster thanks to the integration of the V8 engine to increase Javascript performance. The desktop screen became more convenient, as the bottom panel became less useless - it now had two additional buttons - a dialer and a browser. The dots on the sides called up a menu with additional functions. These Google features adopted from third-party shells - HTC Sense already existed then.

The gallery has undergone major changes. For the first time, 3D animations and objects appeared. We can say that this program was ahead of all others and Android itself in development. And it was in Android 2.2 that exclusive support for Adobe Flash appeared, which was downloaded from the Android Market and worked in a standard browser. You could watch videos and even play some Flash games. However, the module worked very slowly and unstable, so even watching the video was a problem. Around the same time, Steve Jobs would call Adobe Flash an outdated and slow technology. Many will disagree with this, but in the end they abandoned Flash in favor of HTML5.

By the way, it was in Froyo that it became possible to distribute Wi-Fi, that is, turn the device into a portable access point to share the Internet with other devices. For those who love passwords, we have introduced an unlock code.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Six months later (December 2010) after the release of version 2.2, Google releases another major update - Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The first device with a “carrot” was the Nexus S from Samsung. The device at one time was quite breakthrough and interesting - all thanks to its powerful hardware and unique design with a curved screen. It is noteworthy that at the same time the hit iPhone 4 was released, and Microsoft finally released the not very successful Windows Phone.

Nexus S

The Nexus S was one of the first Android devices without a D-Pad trackpad for control. Of the hardware buttons, the smartphone only had power and volume keys, which was a breakthrough at that time.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread brought significant interface changes. Google continued to polish it and make it look nice. Animations have become even smoother, and icons are more beautiful. Some elements have been combed. For the first time since version 0.9, the top status bar received an updated appearance - it became black, and more indicator icons were added to it. In general, the entire Android 2.3 has become darker - apparently, the design was made specifically for the black Nexus S with a Super AMOLED screen.

Other innovations in Android 2.3:

Character-by-character text selection system. Previously, you could only select all the text in a field, not individual sets of characters.
New keyboard with a fresh, dark design and support for multi-touch combinations.
Android Market 2.0 with an updated interface and nice animations.
Front camera support. Although selfies were not yet popular in the days of Android 2.3, front cameras We already had them in smartphones.
Many improvements for game developers: use of sound, implementation of controls, normal access to the graphics subsystem and storage. This made it possible to release full-fledged games with 3D graphics.
Improved power and battery management.

Image used in Android 2.3 easter egg

Interestingly, it was from this version that an Easter egg appeared in Android, which can be activated in “Settings”. Gingerbread has become a pioneer in this field, bringing us a variety of gingerbread men on screen.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread has become one of the most successful and popular versions of the Google mobile platform. Many devices still run this OS. All thanks to low hardware requirements and a good set of functions.

After version 2.3, the Android operating system still has ups and downs, but more on that already in the following articles from this series.

Hello friends, I’m starting to develop a section related to smartphones, now it’s fully operational. Now on the site you will find a bunch of interesting articles about Android smartphones. I will try to convey to users in as much detail as possible about new smartphones, that is, there will be a lot of news. Of course, I will focus on creating materials on working with the OS. So to speak, instructions from A to Z. For now, I’ll start with the simplest thing and write an article about what it is and what its advantages and disadvantages are. Now let's get to the point.

What is Android OS

Android is an operating system based on the Linux kernel, which was purchased by Google in 2005. In 2008, the first version of the operating system was released. This OS is designed for smartphones, tablets and many other devices. On this moment it is built into watches, various navigators, set-top boxes and players.

Now a huge number of smartphones and other devices with this system are being created. It has gained tremendous popularity, so it has almost no competitors, except perhaps iOS.

I think it’s not worth listing the well-known brands of today’s phones, which are growing by leaps and bounds. So, they all use Android. If we talk about a pure system, we can say that it is very fast and productive. Many manufacturers, using this OS as a basis, create their own shell with additional functions, capabilities and design. Some people do this better, and the system flies, but in some devices it’s not so good. Using the operating system, you have the opportunity to control functions such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, and create points Wi-Fi access, that is, make a modem out of your phone and much more. Fingerprint and iris scanning sensors are built into modern smartphones, which allows for much improved protection - all this can be controlled from using Android. Naturally, Apple with its iOS is trying to keep up.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages:

Since it is developed on the open source Linux kernel, it mobile system also has an open source, which allows you to create whatever your heart desires for this system.
The clean OS is highly optimized and is not demanding on devices. It can work on the weakest phone that is currently available, although this is already rare.
The ability to customize the system for yourself.
A huge number of add-ons and applications that greatly expand the capabilities of the OS.
Speed of operation (not in all cases).
The system is available for the following hardware platforms: ARM, x86, MIPS.

These are the main positive characteristics that I noted for myself. Maybe there is something else. In addition to the advantages, there is also minuses:

OS with open source gives smartphone and tablet manufacturers an advantage to create shells that are not always as optimized and efficient as possible. In addition, the shell update may come much later than the latest version of the official system is released.
If the system is poorly optimized, then there is a possibility of high energy consumption. And atomicity is now highly valued. But it depends rather on the device manufacturers.
Because of its popularity, hackers and other bad people write viruses for the OS and look for vulnerabilities. Of course, this OS has certain protection, not like Windows. Therefore, the disadvantage is insignificant.
There have been cases where several million dollars in total have been stolen from users around the world. This was done by sending SMS without the user’s knowledge.

In addition to the pure system from Google, there are a number of enthusiasts developing their own firmware, which have their own functionality and capabilities. You will see a completely different design; it happens that the firmware of another manufacturer will work better than pure Android.

At the moment, there are companies that create firmware for smartphones and other devices: CyanogenMod, which is now LineageOS, AOKP, MIUI, Paranoid Android, AOSP, Replicant and others.

Enthusiastic developers try to release firmware versions on time, together with the release of a clean OS. But sometimes there is no need to flash the phone, since the manufacturers could take care of it.

Applications and Play Market

Everyone knows that every day we go to the store Google applications – Play Market Hundreds of programs and games are posted. You can find whatever your heart desires, these are various audio and video players, desktop wallpapers, file managers, of which there are probably thousands, a lot of software for communicating with people - social networks, instant messengers and others. You can also download movies, books and music from there. Of course, there is content there, both paid and free.

A little theory. The Android application code is written for the so-called Dalvic virtual machine. Applications have the format .apk, this is the only format. Until recently, applications themselves could be written in Java, but since 2009 Google added a special package of capabilities that allows you to create software in C and C++. Also, there are many development environments, such as Embarcadero RAD Studio.

As for the application store itself, it was opened in 2008. The agreement was that the software developers would give 30% of the profits to Google. By the standards of 2017, there are about more than 2.8 million applications in the Play Market database.

Of course, unscrupulous users sometimes posted applications with malicious code, which caused a scandal around 2011, but the problems were quickly hushed up and the vulnerabilities were closed.

No matter what anyone says, but the direct specific Play Market is App Store– an application store for iPhone, iPad, iPod and other devices. They have less software than the Play Market. Developers' income is the same as Google's. You create a paid application for which you will give 30% of the profits.

What's inside Android

And now, almost the penultimate point, in which I want to talk about internal components systems. Those who use this system should understand it at least a little. And compare it with Windows.

So, Linux differs from Windows in that the latter has information divided into disks and folders, of course, in Linux as well, but it is all displayed differently. Linux systems have a tree structure.

There are also differences in registers. If you create several folders with the same names, then on Windows there will be no difference, but on Linux these will be completely different folders. This also applies to files. These names will be different in Linux - Papka, papka, PAPKA.

The cache for the system and some application will always be saved in special section – cache.

Surely in file manager everyone saw the folder data. This directory has other folders related to installation files and application directories.

Configuration files and software libraries can be found in the folder app-lib.

For applications to work, they are written in Java for a special Dalvik virtual machine. So you may come across a catalog dalvic-cache. Sometimes it needs to be cleaned, for example, before flashing the phone. This is done using root rights or from, but I will definitely talk about all this in future articles.

You will definitely see the directory in the file manager system. From the name it is clear that system settings are stored there, changing which can ruin your system.

In the catalog etc you will find files that allow the system to start normally.

These are not all the folders that are in the Android system. It will take several additional articles to sort it all out.

Additional features

Many people know that each modification of the system has a key name, usually some kind of dessert. For example, Cupcake, which means cupcake. One of the popular versions 4.1-4.3 is called Jelly Bean(Jelly beans). But version 4.4 is named after the famous chocolate bar KitKat. The next modification 5.0 and 5.1 is called Lollipop- lollipop. Sixth option - Marshmallow and finally, the latest version 7.0-7.1.2 received the code Nougat.

There is just a little time left before the release of version 8, or as it is called Android O. The beta version of the operating system is already installed on some flagships and works stably. The entire OS will be released at the end of 2017. And yes, the keyword will most likely be - Oreo. Below you will see a video of the presentation of the eighth version.

Well guys, I finished the article, now you know what Android is, where it is used, its features. In future articles I will tell you almost everything related to this operating system. Well, I wish you good luck!

As of today, the latest version of Android has the serial number 5 and the code name Lollipop. The system has received significant updates in design, functionality, in general, it is practically a newly created product. Google Nexus 5 smartphones have now begun to be updated to this version of the OS, and soon all modern smartphones will receive the latest update. However, we will tell you about the new 5.0 separately, but I still want to start from those times when the Android project did not even belong to Google...

Android: Beginning

Andy Rubin, creator of Android Source: technobuffalo.com

Google logo in 2005

In the same year, against the backdrop of legal proceedings between Oracle and Google, it was decided that Android would be a free operating system and, of course, primarily focus on the implementation of Google services. Since Andy Rubin was initially involved in a project related to GPS, and the corporation already had Maps, it was planned to introduce maps into phones. Moreover, there were no smartphones at that time, so the cards could appear on a regular folding phone with buttons. The first images also indicate that Google was looking to RIM's experience with their Blackberry, so if not for a coincidence, touch phones might not have appeared. But, unfortunately or fortunately, the iPhone came out in 2007 and Google sharply revised its strategy. However, the first build of Android 1.0 is being prepared for release in 2008. However, at the beginning of 2007, Google does not have a partner that would release a phone on the new OS. Nokia is too large a company with which there will be a conflict of interest; Motorola has not yet recovered from the rise in sales of Razr models. Google is choosing between LG and HTC. Korean LG is interested in the US market, but it is afraid of cooperation with an unknown partner and uses agreements with Google only to conclude contracts with Microsoft to create smartphones with Windows Mobile. But HTC was ready to work together, and besides, the Taiwanese company could quickly create working samples. The first known prototype was Google Sooner. Here, however, we had to abandon the touch screen; this model was created according to the original specifications, when Google relied on the experience of Blackberry.

Possibly the first Android phone prototype - Google Sooner

Sources report that the first working version dates back to May 15, 2007 and was then called M3. The operating system is very reminiscent of the Blackberry interface, with the Google search bar occupying the main position. In general, if it weren’t for the advent of the iPhone and the trend towards touch screens, perhaps we would now see Android like this.

Screenshot of Android M3, possibly the first working version of the OS Source: 9to5google.com

Android: official start

Android: second try

Android 2.0

After improving the 1st version, Android received expanded functionality and a good appearance in version 2.0, and then in 2.1 with the same code name Eclair. It became possible to use multiple Google accounts, and the standard web browser received HTML5 support. At the same time, new models of Android smartphones went on sale: NTS Magic and Hero, Motorola Droid and Samsung Galaxy.

At the same time, in 2010, the production of mobile processors with a clock frequency of 1 GHz began. And the first branded smartphone Google Nexus One with a 1 GHz processor appears. Of course, HTC becomes Google's partner. And HTC Desire, Motorola Droid 2 and Samsung Galaxy S received processors with a similar frequency. By the way, HTC will no longer make Google devices until 2014, when the Nexus 9 comes out. In the same 2010, Google released another version of Android, the new 2.2 Froyo , in which the performance of applications using JIT compilation has increased, and support for Adobe Flash has appeared. Well, all the above-mentioned smartphones with a 1 GHz processor received an update to Froyo. In addition, the assembly received updates such as the Chrome V8 JS engine for the web browser, contact transfer and support for BlueTooth docking stations, cloud synchronization, etc.

Google Nexus One and Android 2.2 Froyo

Android Gingerbread and Honeycomb

It was the third year of Android's existence on the market. It was already a popular OS, but there were still many problems. And now, update 2.3 Gingerbread appears, which until 2013 was installed on a huge number of devices. Indeed, this version of the OS implemented many functions that outlined the prospects for the development of the platform as such - support for SIP telephony, Near Field Communication and Google Talk, work with higher resolution screens, a new download manager and much more.

Together with Gingerbread, Google releases its second branded smartphone - Nexus S. This time the manufacturer is Samsung, and Nexus S was, in fact, a slightly modified Galaxy S. However, Google Nexus S was released clearly too late: on the day its sales began, the company LG announced the first dual-core smartphone Optimus 2X. Now manufacturers are measured not by gigahertz, but by multi-core. As a result, not only LG Optimus 2X, but also Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Sensation and Motorola Droid X2 received dual-core chips.

Meanwhile, Samsung is releasing another device after the Galaxy S smartphone - the Galaxy Tab tablet. The compact and lightweight seven-inch “tablet” became a good alternative for those who did not like the bulky Apple iPad. But the problem is that Android currently only exists for smartphones. Not a problem, Google thought, and at the beginning of 2011, the first version of Android designed specifically for tablet PCs appeared - 3.0 Honeycomb. It really looked better on Honeycomb tablets than the stretched out Gingerbread smartphone interface. Thus, both smartphones and tablets are already operational based on the Android OS. The business began to expand, and rapidly. Almost all Android tablets are becoming Honeycomb carriers - Motorola Xoom, Acer Iconia Tab, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, etc.

Android 4: from Ice Cream Sandwich to KitKat

Google understands that having two separate systems for smartphones and tablets is not very profitable. More time is spent on development and support. And in the fall of 2011, Google releases Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which becomes the first cross-platform version for smartphones and tablets. The build also includes access to applications directly from the lockscreen, and AndroidMarket is renamed Google Play. According to many experts, it was with version 4.0 that Android began to acquire its usual shape and normal functionality. Now the devices on the “green robot” could also be simply used; they ceased to be gadgets for geeks.

In 2013, Nexus 5 appeared on the market, again as a result of cooperation with LG. And a new version of Android 4.4 KitKat is coming out for it and other devices. Yes, this is the first time that the version indicator is the name of a commercial product, but let’s not talk about that. The changes affected not only the interface of individual system applications and elements. The promised transparency of the top notification bar has appeared in KitKat, along with a new sophisticated font and support for a full-screen interface from individual applications. With the release of KitKat, access to the Google Now service has become easier. Now its call is unified - you just need to swipe your finger across the screen from left to right. Previously, methods to access Google Now varied depending on the smartphone model (pressing the Home button, shaking, etc.). Additionally, the service is activated by the phrase “OK Google” when the start screen is open. The developers also paid attention to the Hangouts program. Now it allows you to send not only chat messages, but also SMS/MMS. Finally, we note the built-in pedometer in KitKat, which works even in the background, as well as expanded compatibility with printers through Google Print cloud technology. The latter allows you to send documents for printing without any wires, first changing the paper size and specifying the required number of pages.

Last week, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service took over Google. She began an antitrust investigation based on a complaint from Yandex. The reason is that Google prohibits the pre-installation of competitors' applications and services on devices running its Android mobile operating system. The price of the issue is quite high. Last year, a billion Android devices were sold worldwide. In Russia, the share of Android smartphones exceeds 80%.
The Village found out how the operating system came to be and why it became so popular.

Smartphone for geeks

Future Android creator Andy Rubin grew up in Chappaqua, New York.
At some point, his father retrained from a psychologist to an electronics salesman, and Andy's room was filled with the latest gadgets. While still in school, he was crazy about computers, and after college he went to work at Carl Zeiss, where he developed robotic equipment. Then Rubin moved to Switzerland and could have stayed there for the rest of his life if not for a vacation in the Cayman Islands in 1989. One early sunny morning he was walking along the beach and saw a man sleeping in a sun lounger. It turned out to be Apple developer Bill Caswell (the girl kicked him out of the bungalow after a quarrel). Rubin talked to him and offered to live in his cottage. Soon Caswell invited him to return to the USA and join Apple (at that time it had just released its famous Macintosh). At the corporation, Rubin was developing the Quadra computer model.

Photo: karitsu

In 1990, Apple spun off its computing device development into a separate company called General Magic, which Rubin joined two years later. Together with other developers, he built a kind of attic with beds above the working open space and began to spend all his time in the office, developing the operating system for Magic Cap mobile phones. But the idea was ahead of its time: telecommunications companies were not ready to accept it, and the company closed.

Then, together with other Apple veterans, Rubin developed WebTV - a kind of prototype of future Smart TVs. In 1997, their company was bought by Microsoft. One day, during a meeting with programmer friends that lasted until late at night, they decided to make a small candy bar that would cost ten dollars and allow one to scan any object and immediately find information about it on the Internet. “It’s like a digital sponge for getting people to websites,” Rubin explained. The friends founded a company in Palo Alto called Danger, named after the robot from the old TV show Lost in Space who kept repeating that word. They added a radio receiver and transmitter to the new device, and then began telling investors about their smartphone with Internet access called Sidekick. Aspiring venture capitalist Greg Galanos believed in the idea and invested money in the project.

In early 2002, Rubin talked about the development of his Sidekick to Stanford students. Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin were present at this lecture for some reason. Afterwards, Page examined the device, saw that Google search was preinstalled there by default, and said: “Cool.”

The Birth of Android

In the spring of that year, Page and Brin were already carrying Sidekick smartphones, which could access the Internet wherever there was a connection. The gadget with a small slide-out keyboard has become popular among Silicon Valley geeks. By that time, Rubin had moved from developer to project manager. “I had to switch my mind,” he admitted. Even then, he came up with a business model that would allow him to reconcile device and software manufacturers. But gadget sales were still low. Three years later, Danger changed its director, and Rubin left the company. He went to the Caymans again in search of new ideas and returned with a project for a mobile platform open to all developers. For it, he hired several programmers, and also decided to use the Android.com domain he had once purchased.

Photo: Cedric Sam

When Rubin spent all his savings on development, he called his friend Steve Perlman and said: “I’m broke, I urgently need money.” He withdrew 10 thousand dollars from his account, came to Rubin’s office and poured a mountain of hundred dollar bills onto his desk. In total, Perlman lent Rubin $100 thousand, which helped complete Android creation. In 2005, the entrepreneur began to negotiate with various investors, in particular, he sent a letter to Larry Page. In August of that year, Google bought Android. The amount of the deal was not disclosed; Rubin and other developers went to work for the corporation.

In the mid-2000s, the smartphone market developed at a breakneck pace: BlackBerry and LG entered the market, Apple introduced its first iPhone. There were rumors that Google was also preparing its own gadget. But instead, the company announced in November 2007 the creation of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of mobile developers supporting open source software. On the same day, it introduced the Android operating system, which, unlike iOS, could be used by any device manufacturer. HTC was the first to implement it. But her smartphone did not become a bestseller: in those years everyone followed new products from Apple, Android devices were perceived only as a cheap replacement for the creations of Steve Jobs.

Market Capture

By 2009, Rubin's team didn't have a truly big sales hit. Then Motorola Deputy Director Jha Sanjay contacted Google and proposed to surprise the world together. A year later, Droid entered the market, which was faster than Apple models and had more additional functions. The new gadget made Motorola profitable again and supplanted the iPhone in the market. Soon, HTC's Nexus and other gadgets entered the market and were received with great enthusiasm by users. They activated 300 Android devices every day, while the iPhone, iPad, and iPod had a total of 275 thousand activations. And since then, Android's share has been growing (a decline was observed only in the fourth quarter of last year).

Unlike Apple, which made its own devices, developed the operating system, and controlled application manufacturers, preventing competitors from selling their products in the App Store, Google declared openness and freedom. It provided Android to gadget manufacturers for free (although to access the app store, you had to provide the corporation with a smartphone for testing). The developers did not submit their applications for pre-approval; the company removed them only based on user complaints. At the same time, Rubin inserted Google search into all gadgets by default.

Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns

Android constantly had updates that were named after sweets: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, KitKat and others. Developers loved them, and in 2013, more than a billion Android devices were activated, with users downloading more than 25 billion applications.

Founder's departure

By that time, Andy Rubin had stopped directing the project. Sanjay Pichai took his place, and Rubin himself moved to the division developing his favorite robots. But last fall he quit to start an incubator for gadget startups. “I like to do things that interest a lot of people,” Rubin said. His Android changed the world of mobile devices - perhaps his new business will be just as successful.

Meanwhile, the operating system he created is developing further. Recently it became known that Google is going to offer Android users tools for work. Even those companies that do not have Google mail or calendar will be able to use the company's services from their smartphone. Moreover, they will be compatible with the same Google.Docs. Samsung, HTC, Motorola, Adobe, Sony, Cisco and BlackBerry have already expressed interest in this project. There is a high probability that Android will soon become a common tool not only for communicating on the phone, but also for work.

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