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Emma Goodwin Fall 2009. with. History of Android. In July 2005, Google bought a small startup company called Android Inc. At the time, Android was vaguely described as a company that “developed software for mobile phones.”
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Emma Goodwin Fall 2009 with
History of Android • In July 2005, Google bought a small startup company called Android Inc. At the time, Android was vaguely described as a company that “developed software for mobile phones.” • After Apple’s iPhone came out, the media was full of speculations of when and if Google would produce a competing mobile phone.
History of Android • November 5th, 2007: Open Handset Alliance • Open Handset Alliance presents their first product: Android. • So, the Android operating system was technically born out of this group rather than Google itself.
What is an Android Phone? • Since Google built Android as an open standard device, anyone can build applications for the phone and enhance them. • Android is completely customizable!
Applications for Android More than 10,000 applications are available for free or for purchase on Android Market.
What is an Android Phone? • Like Apple’s iPhone, Android has a touch screen. Some Android phones also have keyboards.
Android Phones • October 22nd 2008: The HTC Dream • In June 2009, it was expected that there would be 18 different phones released by the end of the year with Android pre-installed. • There currently are (or soon will be) Android phones from Verizon, at&t, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
Android Updates • In May 2009, Google released “Cupcake,” version 1.5 of Android OS. • In September 2009, Google released “Donut” (version 1.6). • On October 27th, 2009, Google released “Éclair,” Google’s last version, (2.0) for the year. • The next version will apparently be named “Flan.”
The (bad) Reviews • Resizing is clumsy and difficult. • No easy way to get your music library onto phone. • Video/music player are “hideous.” • Official apps not as polished as iPhone counterparts. • Looking through apps on phone and syncing with computer can be tedious. • Not the simplest device to figure out. • Phone controls inconsistent. • Can be slow.
The (good) Reviews • Google’s apps are “simply awesome.” • A bit cheaper. • Very good mobile browser. • Good for tech-savvy people. • Developing and improving faster than any other phone on the market. • Large room for potential growth and improvements!
My Personal Conclusion Although I have never had the opportunity to actually use the Android Operating System on a mobile phone, I think I personally would have difficulty using it, due to its non-simplicity. However, if I was thinking about getting a phone that uses the Android OS, I would probably wait a few more years– it sounds like Google still has a lot of kinks to work out on Android.
Bibliography “Android Developers". Android. 11/30/2009 <http://developer.android.com/index.html>. "Android (operating system)". Wikipedia. 11/30/09 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)>. Beavis, Gareth. "A Complete History of Android". techradar.com. 11/30/2009 <http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/a-complete-history-of-android-470327?artc_pg=1>. Buchanan, Matt. "Android 2.0 Review: Almost Human". Gizmodo. 11/30/2009 <http://gizmodo.com/5395801/android-20-review-almost-human>. Karch, Marziah. "What is the Google Phone?". about.com. 11/30/09 <http://google.about.com/od/experimentalgoogletools/a/google_phone.htm>. "Total Cost of Ownership: iPhone 3GS Versus Palm Pre Versus Android G1". BillShrink. 11/30/2009 <http://www.billshrink.com/blog/iphone-versus-palm-pre-versus-android/>. wirefly, "What is an Android Phone?". youtube. 11/30/09 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Io2bdZP1A>.