What is Android

Before learning all topics of android, it is required to know what is android.

Android is a software package and linux based operating system for mobile devices such
as tablet computers and smartphones.

It is developed by Google and later the OHA (Open Handset Alliance). Java language is
mainly used to write the android code even though other languages can be used.

The goal of android project is to create a successful real-world product that improves the
mobile experience for end users.

There are many code names of android such as Lollipop, Kitkat, Jelly Bean, Ice cream
Sandwich, Froyo, Ecliar, Donut etc which is covered in next page.

What is Open Handset Alliance (OHA)

It's a consortium of 84 companies such as google, samsung, AKM, synaptics, KDDI,
Garmin, Teleca, Ebay, Intel etc.

It was established on 5th November, 2007, led by Google. It is committed to advance

open standards, provide services and deploy handsets using the Android Plateform.
Features of Android
After learning what is android, let's see the features of android. The important features of
android are given below:

1) It is open-source.

2) Anyone can customize the Android Platform.

3) There are a lot of mobile applications that can be chosen by the consumer.

4) It provides many interesting features like weather details, opening screen, live RSS
(Really Simple Syndication) feeds etc.

It provides support for messaging services(SMS and MMS), web browser, storage (SQLite),
connectivity (GSM, CDMA, Blue Tooth, Wi-Fi etc.), media, handset layout etc.

Categories of Android applications

There are many android applications in the market. The top categories are:

o Entertainment
o Tools
o Communication
o Productivity
o Personalization
o Music and Audio
o Social
o Media and Video
o Travel and Local etc.
History of Android
The history and versions of android are interesting to know. The code names of android
ranges from A to J currently, such
as Aestro, Blender, Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice
Cream Sandwitch, Jelly Bean, KitKat and Lollipop. Let's understand the android history
in a sequence.

1) Initially, Andy Rubin founded Android Incorporation in Palo Alto, California, United
States in October, 2003.

2) In 17th August 2005, Google acquired android Incorporation. Since then, it is in the
subsidiary of Google Incorporation.

3) The key employees of Android Incorporation are Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Chris
White and Nick Sears.

4) Originally intended for camera but shifted to smart phones later because of low market
for camera only.

5) Android is the nick name of Andy Rubin given by coworkers because of his love to
robots.

6) In 2007, Google announces the development of android OS.

7) In 2008, HTC launched the first android mobile.

Android Versions, Codename and API

Let's see the android versions, codenames and API Level provided by Google.

Version Code name API Level

1.5 Cupcake 3

1.6 Donut 4
2.1 Eclair 7

2.2 Froyo 8

2.3 Gingerbread 9 and 10

3.1 and 3.3 Honeycomb 12 and 13

4.0 Ice Cream Sandwitch 15

4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 Jelly Bean 16, 17 and 18

4.4 KitKat 19

5.0 Lollipop 21

6.0 Marshmallow 23

7.0 Nougat 24-25

8.0 Oreo 26-27

Android Architecture
android architecture or Android software stack is categorized into five parts:

1. linux kernel
2. native libraries (middleware),
3. Android Runtime
4. Application Framework
5. Applications

Let's see the android architecture first.

1) Linux kernel
It is the heart of android architecture that exists at the root of android architecture. Linux
kernel is responsible for device drivers, power management, memory management,
device management and resource access.

2) Native Libraries
On the top of linux kernel, their are Native libraries such as WebKit, OpenGL, FreeType,
SQLite, Media, C runtime library (libc) etc.

The WebKit library is responsible for browser support, SQLite is for database, FreeType for
font support, Media for playing and recording audio and video formats.

3) Android Runtime
In android runtime, there are core libraries and DVM (Dalvik Virtual Machine) which is
responsible to run android application. DVM is like JVM but it is optimized for mobile
devices. It consumes less memory and provides fast performance.

4) Android Framework
On the top of Native libraries and android runtime, there is android framework. Android
framework includes Android API's such as UI (User Interface), telephony, resources,
locations, Content Providers (data) and package managers. It provides a lot of classes and
interfaces for android application development.

5) Applications
On the top of android framework, there are applications. All applications such as home,
contact, settings, games, browsers are using android framework that uses android runtime
and libraries. Android runtime and native libraries are using linux kernal.
Android Core Building Blocks

An android component is simply a piece of code that has a well defined life cycle e.g.
Activity, Receiver, Service etc.

The core building blocks or fundamental components of android are activities, views,
intents, services, content providers, fragments and AndroidManifest.xml.

Activity

An activity is a class that represents a single screen. It is like a Frame in AWT.

View

A view is the UI element such as button, label, text field etc. Anything that you see is a
view.

Intent

Intent is used to invoke components. It is mainly used to:

o Start the service

o Launch an activity
o Display a web page
o Display a list of contacts
o Broadcast a message
 o Dial a phone call etc.

For example, you may write the following code to view the webpage.

1. Intent intent=new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);

2. intent.setData(Uri.parse("http://www.javatpoint.com"));
3. startActivity(intent);
Service

Service is a background process that can run for a long time.

There are two types of services local and remote. Local service is accessed from within the
application whereas remote service is accessed remotely from other applications running
on the same device.

Content Provider

Content Providers are used to share data between the applications.

Fragment

Fragments are like parts of activity. An activity can display one or more fragments on the
screen at the same time.

AndroidManifest.xml

It contains informations about activities, content providers, permissions etc. It is like the
web.xml file in Java EE.

Android Virtual Device (AVD)

It is used to test the android application without the need for mobile or tablet etc. It can
be created in different configurations to emulate different types of real devices.