Shipra Kumar:

When Android first debuted on the HTC Dream (also known as the G1) back in October of 2008, it was deemed an ” iPhone Killer.” While it didn’t quite slay Apple’s handset, it was the first step in a revolution against the tyrannous iPhone.

So what’s the huge deal about the android? Well, for starters It is Google’s operating system for mobile devices. Developed by Android Inc. bought by Google and then taken over by Open Handset Alliance . We have email for our messages, Flickr for our photos, Google Docs for our documents, and Facebook and Twitter for our social lives. Android offers the ability to integrate all of this natively .It s google’s way of telling us “Web Meets Phone” which is their retailing tagline as well. Technologically, Android includes middle ware and key applications, and uses a modified version of the LINUX kernel i.e. monolithic. Programmed in C (core), C++(some third party libraries), JAVA(UI), the operating system is open to development.

The initial Android platform bested the iPhone OS on several levels, but lacked some key functionalities that the iPhone could provide. Since then, Android has grown – not only meeting all of the functionalities of the iPhone, but besting it in nearly all aspects from an extensive list of devices to a growing Android Marketplace. Once you purchase mobile hardware for Android you can keep updating firmware with latest release and get new features and enhancements so your phone features will keep updating always and mobile will be never boring. Also the coding is under the APACHE license, a free software & open source license.

The Android has seen a no. of updates since its original release. These updates to the base operating system typically fix bugs and add new features.

Well basically all these are the advance stages of android, beginning with the 1.5 CUPCAKE to 1.6 DONUT to 2.0/2.1 ÉCLAIR to 2.2 FROYO & ULTIMATELY to gingerbread.

So the new advanced ANDROID has superior features, Starting with version 1.0, Android has been able to run multiple applications at the same time regardless of whether they are system apps or apps from the Android Marketplace. Android users benefit greatly from this discrepancy, as they can receive notifications, listen to music, or even record GPS data without keeping the application open. Another key feature, Android has a customizable home screen which keeps active widgets right at your fingertips, always accessible and always visible – without having to launch an application first. There are widgets for just about every app in the Android Marketplace from playing music to checking the weather and keeping up to date on facebook.

Android also has another advantage: a completely open market i.e. driven entirely by its consumers, so the best app is the one that succeeds – not the first one to reach the market. In addition, the Android Marketplace doesn’t censor its apps, so the possibilities are truly endless. Comparatively iPhone has always had some trouble with notifications. Because it’s restricted to pop-up notifications, it can only handle one at a time and because it lacks multitasking, applications must be open in order for them to make notifications. Android, on the other hand, has a convenient notification bar which displays an icon for every notification you have waiting. The notification bar can also be pulled downward to reveal more detail about each notification. The operating system is developed in such a manner so as to adapt to your hardware and hence a wee bit budget friendly compared to the iphone. So you get to choose as well.

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Hence the conclusion draws out to be With Android, nothing is out of reach.

The writer is a tech-columnist with Youth Ki Awaaz. She completed her 2nd year of engineering  and is a driven person towards whatever excites her, be it environment, fashion shows or sometimes studies. Having thoughts erupting every second in her tiny brain, writing seems the best way to keep her afresh.

image courtesy: http://www.livbit.com/article/2010/03/23/over-70-of-existing-iphone-developers-plan-to-write-apps-for-android/