Know Android- A Revolutionary OS that changed Everything

It is Info blog time! Now all of you are aware of the Android system because many of you are carrying an Android device on you right now. Many of you might be reading this on your devices right now. So let us see how much you know about Android.  Read on to see whether you have any gaps in your information. Android has got such success in the world of mobile application development that you may compare it to anything that has been a success in this world ever in your eyes.

What is Android?

Let us start simple: what do you know about Android? Yes it is an operating system meant for mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. It is a platform on which the Android application development is done to create beautiful and useful mobile applications. But that is as much as calling a Ferrari a car.  The Android system has a Linux Kernel version 2.6 below Ice Cream Sandwich and version 3.x over. The Linux kernel amped on steroidal libraries, middleware and APIs written in C language.

The OS’s shell is a framework that runs Java compatible libraries. That is why you write the code for applications for the Android Systems in a customized version of Java. The compiler however compiles your code into Dalvik Executables (Dex-code) which is the binary for the Dalvik Virtual Machine, which is the executing environment of Android applications on the Android OS.

Like other Linux distros, Android comes with its own stock Graphical User Interface (GUI) but also has the option of adding other GUIs as the user prefers.  The stock GUI has been replaced by manufacturers on many phones. You might have seen the TouchWiz interface by Samsung and the most popular Sense UI by HTC on their devices. Alternatively you can add other GUIs like TSF Shell, SPB Shell and others to your device in addition to these. The Nexus series by Google are the devices that have stock Android GUI.

Google’s Role in Android

So you are going like: “Everybody knows Google owns Android, right?” Actually, no, Google does not own Android. Android was initially developed by Android Inc which was being backed financially by Google and later purchased by it in 2005 and later in 2007 Google launched Android OS under the Apache license. That means that Android is open source and free to use. Google is only charged with maintaining it. That is why you have device manufacturers, wireless carriers modifying and distributing it.

The evolution of Android version in sequence for Android App Development

Android has come a long way from its earlier versions to support many advanced features into its fold. Android has been updated incrementally and each update has always brought significant changes to the system. All versions apart from the first two are named after sweet and sugary items. All versions are named in alphabetical order starting from

• Astro (1.1)
• Bolt (1.2)
• Cupcake (1.5)
• Donut (1.6)
• Eclair (2.0-2.1)
• Froyo (2.2)
• Gingerbread (2.3.0-2.3.7)
• Honeycomb (3.1-3.2)
• Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x)
• Jelly Bean (4.1.x-4.2)
• KitKat (4.4)
• Lollipop (5.0-5.1)
• Marshmallow (6.0)
• Nougat (7.0-7.1)

In 2011 Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux) told that after sometime Android and Linux would come back to a common kernel. This effort can be seen in versions 4.0 up using higher versions of Linux with the Android mainlining project that puts some of Android’s patches, features and drivers into the Linux Kernel starting from version 3.3. These efforts have now included autosleep and wakelocks (the ability of applications to prevent the device into going into sleep) into the kernel natively. It also implements memory suspend (sleep) and disk suspends (hibernate-like on your PCs).

Google Play

Formerly Android Marketplace, Google Play makes free of charge mobile applications available worldwide and paid application available in 129 countries. You can install mobile applications from the Play store or from the Google Play website by signing into the Google account you use on the device. Play is all set to beat the 1 million applications record held by the iOS App Store. This is the dominance of the Android platform in mobile application development. Last September it was touting figures as large as 25 Billion and it had reported growth of 25,000 applications from September to October. The estimate is that it will achieve this figure by June this year. Android application development is predicted to be always there on the top of the tree competing with iOS application development. Both have merits and demerits and there is always a room of improvement for the both.

Publishing Android apps to Play Store

Here is how you are supposed to go about publishing android application to the Play Store.

•  Sign in with your Google Account and register for a developer account. The fee for the account is $25 at the time of posting.
• Develop and package your application. Once you have done this login to your developer account and start publishing your application via the “Upload Application” button.
• Along with the APK of your application the other assets that you need for publishing your applications are at least 2 screen shots of the application and a high resolution 512×512 application icon.
• Edit the listing details of your application and hit Publish.
• You application will appear on Play store in a few minutes.

That is all that you need to know at the moment and if you are serious about Android application development, LetsNurture holds boost up sessions with Google Developer Group Ahmedabad from time to time.

You can keep your eyes peeled on our news section to participate in upcoming events. Meanwhile, if you want to join our family to boost chances to grow further with opportunities, send us your details here. For any of your android app requirements, get in touch with us now.