All about Android

Being a Gadget Guy, people are always asking me my opinion on smartphones and their respective platforms. I guess this is because I have had them all: Blackberry, Windows, Apple IOS and Android.

The Blackberry and the iphone have been around for awhile, and Microsoft has been playing with Windows phones for years but they never hit the mark. So who is this newcomer that’s making all the noise and where did it come from?

First of all, Android is a Linux-based operating system (as is Apple) for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It’s what makes them work. Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005 and announced in 2007 that it was making the software available to everyone for free as open source. Overnight, this levelled the smartphone playing field and virtually every manufacturer other than RIM and Apple now use Android as their platform of choice. Apple and RIM don’t make their operating systems available to any other phone makers, while Microsoft has heavy licensing fees. What a huge savings for the device makers, allowing them to concentrate on making great hardware that would run the Android software. Like the other smartphones, you can download Android “Apps” from third party sites or through online stores like the Android Market, which is quite different from Apple and RIM, which force you to download apps only from them.

By 2015, the Gartner Group estimates 631 million smartphones will be sold, with almost 50 per cent being Android devices. What’s equally important is that Android is showing up in more smart devices, like Samsung’s line of Smart TV’S and appliances. All of these devices will be able to download Android apps, which is great for software developers and consumers.

I believe that Android is the platform to beat.