Android Phone Today

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google search provider. Used in a wide variety of smartphones, Android is currently the best-selling mobile operating system in the world. Android is an open source OS, allowing anyone to develop their own software (such as apps or games) to run on the Android platform. Android OS is also used on tablet computers, with the latest version being Android 3.0. Even though the Android OS has been in use since 2008, regular updates and support for Google keeps Android as the leading system it is today.

The phones running the Android operating system all have a similar set of features provided by the OS. The Android OS is built to run on smart phones, phones that can run various Java-based applications that provide additional functionality to the phone. In addition to basic telephony and text/media messaging services, Android phones have a variety of web-based services and applications. The Android phone is linked to the owner's Google account, allowing access to Gmail and Google Calendar and various other applications. In addition to wireless internet and Bluetooth connectivity, Android phones allow wireless tethering - using the phone as a modem to connect a laptop computer to the internet. All android phones allow for video streaming, with the latest models being able to connect to 4G networks and video conferencing using Google Talk. The most well-known aspect of the Android platform is access to the Android Market. Similar to the Apple App Store, the Android Market allows users to download apps and games for their phones, many of which are free.

The first Android phone released was the G1, developed by HTC and released in 2008. Running Android 1.0, it has many of the features currently found on Android phones, including synchronization with the user's Google account and Android Market for downloading mobile applications. Since then, there have been many updates to the Android operating system - the big update is called dessert. The latest Android version for phones is Android 2.3.4, Gingerbread. Designed for use on 4G phones with increased performance and speed, Gingerbread provides better video playback and support for a front-facing camera for video conferencing.

The Android operating system allows mobile phones to be produced by many manufacturers. With the current generation of 4G phones, the leading manufacturers are Motorola and Samsung. Motorola is the creator of the Droid line of phones – a series made popular by its availability with Verizon service in the United States. The Droid X2, the latest model in the Droid series, includes a multi-touch interface, 8GB of memory along with an 8GB micro SD card for storage, and an 8-megapixel camera with built-in video recorder. Samsung is another major manufacturer of Android phones and has collaborated with Google on the Nexus S. The Nexus is the first phone to use the new Gingerbread operating system and includes a powerful processor and 512 MB RAM. The Nexus S has 16 GB of internal storage and can access the 4G network using the Sprint service plan.