About Android Operating System

<center>About Android Operating System</center>

Oftentimes, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries, People thinks that every touchscreen devices are powered by Android OS or that every big touchscreen gadgets are iPad. However, they don't know that an iPad is only a variant of tablets and that Android is only one among many operating systems powering smartphones. Today, I will tell you somethings you should know about Android OS.

Android was founded in Palo Alto, California, US by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White in 2003 and was acquired by Google in 2005.

The company that owns Android OS is Google Inc. but the developers of Android is Open Handset Alliance.
The core languages used in programming Android OS are: C and C++.

It is often referred to as Unix-like because it is a port of Linux OS but is specifically developed to run on mobile devices. Android also runs on other gadgets like; Smartphones,  tab computers, TVs, car stereos and wearable devices like watches, etc.

Android runs on two supported platforms namely; 32 and 64 bit architectures.

In the 90s, it is uncommon to see consol based operating systems or softwares but for Android, it's default user interface (UI) is Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Android OS is Apache licensed. This means that the OS is completely free to use and you can modify the source code to suite your needs.

Google reports that over 1.3 million Android Smartphones are sold daily making it the most popular mobile OS and by extension the most popular OS in general.

Android OS supports multitasking. Most people who only started using phones and has only used Android phones may not understand that there are phones which don't allow you the privilege of running two or more apps at a time but Android OS offers you that freedom easily.

While many people rely on sharing apps between their Android phones or downloading from varying source on the Internet, the official and recommended source for Android apps is Google Play.

All programs that run on the Android platform ends with ".apk" extention.

If you are a programmer or have interest in developing for the Android platform, the languages to consider are: Java, C, C++ or Python but also keep it in mind that the User Interface (UI) is always made using "Java and XML".

There are different versions of Android which come in names and numbers. The version names and numbers will be a topic for another discussion.

Finally, the official website of Android Operating System is https://www.android.com/

There are more than enough to note about the great Android OS but I will leave the rest for those that know better and the fans to point out. Don't forget to say your mind and also share with friends. I welcome your questions, corrections and observations in the comment box.

<center>References: </center>
What is Android OS? Definition from whatis.com; http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/android-os
Open Handset Alliance; http://www.openhandsetalliance.com
C Programming Language; http:en.citizendium.org/wiki/C_(programming_language)
C++ Programming Language; https://www.simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B
Java Programming Language; https://www.simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/java
XML markup language; https://www.simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/xml
Python Programming Language; http://www.python.org/
Apache License; https://www.simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/apache_license
Google Play Store; https://play.google.com/store