Database of Scriptum

Android is a free phone operating system that aims to get all kinds of phones running like computers and, most importantly, connecting to the web. It's been developed primarily by Google, though others have helped, and it's a project that's constantly updating, growing, and getting a new look. In this chapter, you'll learn what makes Android different from iPhones, BlackBerry phones, and other so-called smartphones.

Android is a version of the very free and open Linux operating system, but tailored for a computer that has just a few buttons and a touch-sensitive screen. It's not a single phone or line of phones, like Apple's iPhone, though the Verizon/Motorola Droid model might make you think that. Put simply, Android is a bundle of code, mostly developed by Google, that allow phones with small screens and tiny chips to do great things.

Android Features

You can have the My Tracks app follow you via GPS and record your progress on a map, or in a spreadsheet. You can listen to your MP3s or streaming podcasts, read and respond to emails, and get turn-by-turn directions as you walk around a city you don't know—all at the same time. If you can't do something, there's a good chance an app in the Android Market can do it, and you can download it at any time.

Sure, you can browse the web, make phone calls, and send text messages (or SMS, for the purposes of this guide), but you can do that on most any phone these days. What makes Android different are the features such as sync with Google, true multi-tasking, get totally customized, and use open software.
As Android is open source and freely available to manufacturers for customization, there are no fixed hardware and software configurations. However, Android itself supports the following features:

• Storage — Uses SQLite, a lightweight relational database, for data storage.
• Connectivity — Supports GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth (includesA2DP and AVRCP), WiFi, LTE, and WiMAX.
• Messaging — Supports both SMS and MMS.
• Web browser — Based on the open-source WebKit, together with Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine
• Media support — Includes support for the following media: H.263, H.264 (in 3GP or MP4container), MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB (in 3GP container), AAC, HE-AAC (in MP4 or3GP container), MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP
• Hardware support — Accelerometer Sensor, Camera, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor, and GPS
• Multi-touch — Supports multi-touch screens
• Multi-tasking — Supports multi-tasking applications
• Flash support — Android 2.3 supports Flash 10.1.
• Tethering — Supports sharing of Internet connections as a wired/wireless hotspot

After a few days with an Android phone—about a week of inquisitive use—you'll probably get used to how Android wants to get your data to you, and how you can get at the things you want.