Android OS : Quick Facts

About Android Operating System

Android Operating System?

Android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google(source).Today, many companies -- both original members of the OHA and others -- have invested heavily in Android, typically in the form of allocating significant engineering resources to improve Android and bring Android devices to Market(source)

Android Apps

Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. Developers write primarily in a customized version of Java. Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Google Play (formerly Android Market), the app store run by Google. As of February 2012 there were more than 450,000 apps available for Android, and the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Android Market as of December 2011 exceeded 10 billion(source)

Android apps on the android market

Statistics

Android was listed as the best-selling smartphone platform worldwide in Q4 2010 by Canalys with over 300 million Android devices in use by February 2012.According to Google's Andy Rubin, as of February 2012 there are over 850,000 Android devices activated every day(source)

Daily activations of android devices statistics

Android versions

Android OS Versions

The version history of the Android operating system began with the release of the Android 1.0 beta in November 2007. Android operating system has seen a number of updates to its base operating system since its original release.These updates typically fix bugs and add new features. Since April 2009, each Android version has been developed under a codename based on a dessert item.These versions have released in alphabetical order : 

• Cupcake
• Donut
• Eclair
• Froyo 
• Gingerbread
• Honeycomb 
• Ice Cream Sandwich
• Jelly Bean

The pre-release versions of Android were dubbed Astro and Bender, but these names could not ultimately be used for trademark reasons.The most recent update to the Android operating system is v4.1 known as the Jelly Bean.