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Android is an operating system which has been specifically
designed for use on mobile / cell phones. The company which
currently develops Android is Google, they purchased the system
in the year 2005, from Android Inc. Google released Android
as an open source platform in 2008. Android contains millions
of lines of source code, comprising XML, C, Java, and C++.
- The Android Logo
As stated, Android is an open source platform, which is based
upon the Linux open source operating system. Android has been
developed to be installed onto smartphones, and has been modified
and incorporated by a wide range of smartphone manufacturers.
Currently, Android is the most popular operating system for
smartphones. Android's most fierce competition currently (2010)
comes from Apple's iPhone and Nokia's Symbian operating system.
For nearly a decade, Symbian was viewed as the market leader.
Due to the stiff competition from Google and Apple, Nokia
announced on 11/02/2011 that they would stop developing Symbian,
and instead signed a partnership with Microsoft to use their
mobile operating system on Nokia smartphones.
Google's policy of making Android an open source operating
system has helped form a large community of companies and
individuals who develop software apps for Android. As of 2011,
there are over two hundred thousand software applications
for Android. Android applications can be paid for, or be downloaded
for free. Most Android applications can be acquired at the
website address, http://market.android.com/. Android apps
are usually developed in the Java software language, the development
kit can be acquired at the following website, http://developer.android.com/sdk/.
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