Background information on the Android platform

1. Getting Started with
Android Programming
CPTR322: Mobile Application Development
Henry Osborne

2. What is Android?
•
•
•
•
•
Mobile operating system based on a modified version of Linux
Developed by startup, Android, Inc.
Acquired by Google in 2005
Code released under the open source Apache License
Offers a unified approach to application development
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
2

3. Android Versions
Version
Release Date
1.1
9 February 2009
1.5
30 April 2009
Cupcake
1.6
15 September 2009
Donut
2.0/2.1
26 October 2009
Éclair
2.2
20 May 2010
Froyo
2.3
6 December 2010
Gingerbread
3.0/3.1/3.2
22 February 2011
Honeycomb
4.0
19 October 2011
Ice Cream Sandwich
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
Codename
3

4. Android Versions, cont’d
Version
Release Date
Codename
4.1/4.2/4.3
27 June 2012
Jelly Bean
4.4
3 September 2013
KitKat
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
4

5. Historical Android version distribution according to Android Market/Play Store usage. From December 2009 to December 2013.
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
5

6. Android Versions, cont’d
• Android 3.0, tablet-only release supporting widescreen devices
• Key changes are:
• UI optimized for tablets
• 3D desktop with new widgets
• Refined multi-tasking
• New web browser features
• Multi-core processor support
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
6

7. Android Versions, cont’d
• Android 4.0 brought all the features of 3.0 to smartphones
• New features include:
• Facial recognition unlock
• Data usage monitoring
• Near Field Communication (NFC)
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
7

8. Features of Android
• Storage – uses SQLite
• Connectivity – supports GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS,
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, and WiMAX
• Messaging – SMS and MMS
• Web browser – WebKit with Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine
• Media support – H.263, H.264, MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AAC, MP3, MIDI,
Ogg Vorbis, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
8

9. Features of Android, cont’d
• Hardware support – Accelerometer Sensor, Camera, Digital Compass,
Proximity sensor, and GPS
•
•
•
•
Multi-touch
Multi-tasking
Flash support – Android 2.3 supports Flash 10.1
Tethering – Internet connection sharing as a hotspot
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
9

10. Android Architecture
• Linux kernel – contains all the low-level device drivers for the various hardware
components
• Libraries – contain all the code that provides the main features of an Android OS.
• Android runtime – a set of core libraries that enable app development using JAVA
• Application framework – Exposes the various capabilities of the OS to developers
so that they can be used in applications
• Applications – applications that ship with the device as well as downloaded and
installed
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
10

11. Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
11

12. Devices in the Marketplace
•
•
•
•
•
•
Smartphones
Tablets
E-readers
Netbooks
MP4 Players
Internet TVs
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
12

13. Top Four Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, Q3 2013 (Units in Millions)
Operating System
3Q13 Shipment
Volumes
Android
3Q13 Market
Share
3Q12 Shipment
Volumes
3Q12 Market
Share
Year-Over-Year
Change
211.6
81.0%
139.9
74.9%
51.3%
33.8
12.9%
26.9
14.4%
25.6%
Windows Phone
9.5
3.6%
3.7
2.0%
156.0%
BlackBerry
4.5
1.7%
7.7
4.1%
-41.6%
Others
1.7
0.6%
8.4
4.5%
-80.1%
261.1
100.0%
186.7
100.0%
39.9%
iOS
Total
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, November 12, 2013
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
13

14. Android Market
• Announced in August 2008, available to users October 2008
• Paid applications available only to users in certain countries due to legal
restrictions
• Users can buy from the Android Market but developers cannot sell in that country.
• India: users can buy but developers cannot sell
• S. Korea: users cannot buy but developers can sell apps
Adapted: Beginning Android 4 Application Development
14

15. Getting Started with
Android Programming
CPTR322: Mobile Application Development