Android -Application development for mobiles

Android is an open source (free software) operating system based on a Linux kernel version 2.6 (device, memory and process management) aimed at developing applications for mobiles, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), tablets and other home automation devices.

The Android executive includes a virtual machine (Dalvik VM) and a set of C/C++ libraries used by the various system components. The libraries cover telephony, multimedia, 2D and 3D graphics, user interfaces (UI) and connectivity (HTTP, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EDGE, 3G, GSM).

Android integrates Google services, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, Google Calendar, YouTube, geolocation and sensor management (accelerometer, gyroscope, atmospheric pressure, temperature, light, magnetic field, proximity, near-field communication).

Historically, several versions of Android have been released since 2009: V1.5 (Cupcake April 2009), V1.6 (Donut Sept 2009), V 2.1 (Eclair Oct 2009), V 2.2 (Froyo May 2010), V2.3 (Gingerbread Nov 2010), V 3.0 (Honeycomb Feb 2011), V 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). With version 2.0, Android introduces multi-touch, advanced search capabilities and text-to-speech, as well as the possibility of using HTML 5.

The Android framework enables components to be managed and reused. It offers a set of services for presenting views on the screen, accessing and sharing data between applications, managing resources and alerts, and managing the lifecycle of different activities.