Android Evolution

Android evolution

The android operating system is the most widely used mobile operating system as of today. Let us break down its emergence into the industry from the first release version to the more predominant versions that are pulling masses to switch from other phones to this revolutionizing operating system.

Android V 1.0 and 1.1

These were the first two releases of the Android OS with the first being on 23^rdSeptember 2008 and the later on 9^thFebruary 2009. Claims have been set up on the codenames given to these two Android versions with the 1.0 said to be named Astro and the latter Bender but these names have not been effected to due to trademark issues.

Android V 1.5, Cupcake

This version was released in 30^th April 2009. Dessert names had been chosen to name upcoming versions of the Android OS so as to portray the sweetness brought by this operating system. This brought about the Letter C being chosen to be picked for the codename as it was the third Android version to be released leading to the name Cupcake. It brought about the use of widgets with google bringing about their widgets as phone applications.

Android V 1.6, Donut

Launched on 15^th September 2009, it introduced the text to speech functionality into mobile phones. Google invested heavily into this operating system working on their navigational expertise. Turn to turn navigation was finally achieved in google maps with the help of a GPS installation.

Android V 2.0 and 2.1, Éclair

This version was released on the 26^th October 2009. Features with this Android version included the Bluetooth 2.1 support and multi touch support to the smartphones. Users could not make use of live wallpapers through the use of animated images set to run in the screen background. HTML5 support was also incorporated into the operating system enabling users to have better browsing experiences.

Android V 2.2, Froyo

The Froyo was released back on 20^th May 2010. This was another breakthrough for the google developers as speed was the most significant feature in the operating system. Internet sharing was also enabled as devices could tether internet through the USB cables and as Wi-Fi hotspots. Data access could also be disabled so users could easily manage their connectivity.

Android V 2.3, Gingerbread

Release date was on 6^th December 2010. This operating system was introduced to camera switching from the back camera to the front camera. Applications could now be viewed to determine what was draining the battery. Internet calling was also enabled and tablets were made as this operating system could support wider screens.

Android V 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2, HoneyComb

This Android version was released on the 22^nd February 2011. It was solely made for use by tablet devices. An action bar was incorporated into the operating system that could now allow users to easily switch through recently used applications. The keyboard was also redesigned for easier typing in larger screens as tablets were the main focus on this operating system.

Android V 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich

This was released on 19^th October 2011. Its main aim was to pull the features earlier released on the HoneyComb to be used by smartphones. The use of buttons was eliminated just as was previously identified in the earlier tablet based version.

Android V 4.1, Jellybean

This version was released on 9^th July 2012. Speed was highly enhanced in this android version. Switching between applications could now be done instantly. Animations and transitions were also enhanced by incorporating the vsync timing into the system.

Android V 4.4 KitKat

This is the latest version of the Android operating system. This verion was released on the 31^st October 2013. Its main aim was to create an operating system that would run on devices with RAM of 512 MB. Most current devices are fixed with much consideration on huge amounts of RAM. This enables the smartphones to perform quite well in speed.

With the above evolution noted, we can now predict on the version 5.0 that will be the next release. We can be quite certain that it will be more powerful and with a codename starting with the letter “J”.

The author is a blogger at Essay Jedi and has done many articles on mobile devices and trending mobile applications.