Shawn Morton spells out the Android basics and provides several reasons why the Google Nexus One is a significant offering.
————————————————————————————————–
If you’ve been watching television in the United States over the past couple of months, you’ve probably heard all about what “Droid Does.” Verizon and Motorola launched their latest Droid handset with a media blitz touting both the phone and the Android OS that powers it.
For many consumers, this was probably the first time they’d heard of Android. So before your end users call you up and pepper you with questions about the mobile OS, check out this cheat sheet for Android.
The basics
Android is an open source software stack for mobile devices being developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. It includes an operating system, middleware, and key applications such as Maps.
Android runs on the Linux kernel, and the source code is available under an Apache License. There is also an SDK and an API that allows developers to create apps for Android handsets.
There are several online resources dedicated to Android. If you want to dig deeper into the technology side of Android, see:
Versions
There have been three updates to the Android OS so far. Each release has featured alphabetically-sequenced, dessert-inspired codenames. Here is an overview:
| Version number (Codename) |
Released |
Key upgrades |
| 1.5 (Cupcake) |
April 2009 |
Camcorder mode to record and watch videos
Upload video to YouTube Upload photos to Picasa Bluetooth A2DP support |
| 1.6 (Donut) |
September 2009 |
Updated Android Market
Updated Voice Search Updated Gallery interface Overall speed improvements for camera and search |
| 2.0 (Éclair) |
October 2009 |
Support for more screen resolutions and sizes
New browser UI with support for HTML5 Updated Google Maps 3.1.2 Microsoft Exchange support Digital zoom for camera Bluetooth 2.1 Updated virtual keyboard |
| 2.1 (Officially part of Éclair; nicknamed Flan) |
January 2010 |
Launched with the Google Nexus One handset |
| 2.2+ (FroYo) |
TBD |
The next version of Android has been named (FroYo is short for “frozen yogurt”), but few details have emerged about features. |
Apps
Like the iPhone and its iTunes store, there is an Android Market that allows users to download both free and paid apps for their Android handsets. There are currently over 20,000 apps available.
Because Google has been so involved with the development of the OS, many of its apps are front and center in Android, including Gmail for email, Google Maps for navigation, Google Search and Voice Search for search, YouTube for video, and Picasa for photos.
Handsets
There are currently around 20 Android-powered mobile handsets available worldwide, with seven of those available in the United States. Android has also been included in netbooks by Acer, tablets by Archos, and e-readers such as the Barnes & Noble nook. The following table lists the seven mobile handsets that are currently available in the United States.
| Name |
Marketed as |
Released |
Android version |
U.S. provider |
| HTC Dream |
T-Mobile G1 |
Fall 2008 |
1.0 |
T-Mobile USA |
| HTC Magic |
T-Mobile myTouch 3G |
Summer 2009 |
1.5* |
T-Mobile USA |
| HTC Hero |
Same |
Summer 2009 |
1.5* |
Sprint |
| Motorola CLIQ |
Same |
Fall 2009 |
1.5 |
T-Mobile USA |
| HTC Droid Eris |
Same |
Fall 2009 |
1.5* |
Verizon Wireless |
| Motorola Droid |
Same |
Fall 2009 |
2.0 |
Verizon Wireless |
| HTC Passion |
Google Nexus One |
2010 |
2.1 |
T-Mobile USA; Verizon Wireless (Spring 2010) |
*HTC has created a custom HTC Sense UI for these handsets.
The future
All of the buzz around Android in the past couple of months has focused on the Google Nexus One (aka “The Google Phone”) handset. While the initial launch was met with a lot of anticipation, sales haven’t (yet) lived up to the expectations. Screen issues and a 3G bug haven’t helped things in the weeks following the launch.
Despite these issues, the Nexus One is significant for the following reasons:
- It was offered exclusively through a software company, not from a major wireless provider, and was sold directly to consumers.
- Despite being coupled with T-Mobile USA at launch, the long-term plan is for the Nexus One to be carrier-agnostic.
- It was offered with two payment options: contract-subsidized ($179) and contract-free ($529).
- It showed that an Android phone could build the kind of buzz that had previously been reserved for the iPhone.
Not to be outdone by the Nexus One, AT&T kicked off 2010 with the announcement of five new Android handsets at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This means that, in the first half of this year, U.S. consumers will be able to choose Android on the four largest carriers.
Have you made the move to Android? If so, what do you think? If not, what do you need to see from the platform to consider it?
Related TechRepublic resources
- AdMob: Android makes impressive gains in Q4
- 10 things Android phones do better than the iPhone
- HTC Hero with Android superior to iPhone
- Eight reasons to trade in your iPhone for a Droid
- 10 must-have Android apps
- Google Nexus One: Very promising but perhaps not ’super’
Get smartphones tips and news in your inbox
TechRepublic’s Smartphones newsletter, delivered each Thursday, features tips on how to deploy and manage smartphones in your enterprise, product reviews, news updates, photo galleries, and more. Automatically sign up today!
