There are people who know what Android is already. There are so many people who ask me on a daily basis; what is Android? I have chosen to write this brief piece to explain in my own little way to them what Android is.
One of such person is my friend, Tony. Tony asked me if Android was that “thing” that is placed in a phone that makes the phone speedy and fast. Meanwhile he is having an HTC Vivid running the current version of Android called; Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.
If my friend was right, it means everyone can go to the market, buy Android and fix it in their slow Blackberry phones. Isn’t that so? But he’s not right. Android isn’t what he thought it to be.
So, what’s Android?
Android is an operating system (OS). It is a set of software that manages the computer hardware and allows other software to be built on a tablet or a phone. Every smartphones and tablets runs an operating System. Apple’s iPhone runs on iOS Operating System, Nokia runs on Symbian, but are now in bed with Microsoft. Some Nokia smartphones are now powered by Windows Phone Operating System. HTC, Sony, Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, Asus and some others use Android too.
Why bother about Android?
Android is now the number one selling smartphone OS in the world. They’ve overtaken Apple’s iOS. My friend went to the market and was sold an HTC window mobile phone. He felt that all phones carrying the HTC logo are Android phones. He was disappointed. I saw an HTC phone with an Airtel rep during a visit to the Airtel shop. I asked if his phone was an Android phone. He said yet. I asked to see. I took it and took a close look, it was also an HTC Window Mobile phone. By the way Microsoft no longer supports phones running Window Mobile and there are no new phones being shipped that are spotting Windows Mobile. Microsoft made a shift to Windows Phone OS.
You should know a little about Android to guide you when you want to pick an Android phone. The decision is not as simple as picking an iPhone. All iPhones runs iOS. Except if you’re picking a different version; 3GS, 4, or 4Sd.
On a last note, I have seen the video of the new and improved version of Android nick named; Jelly Bean. It is sexy, buttery and super fast. As soon as I get my hands on a phone running this version of Android, I will definitely do a review. The only device having the Jelly Bean update is the Google Nexus 7 tablet. Motorola Xoom, Nexus S, and other Galaxy Nexus phones have been announced to get the Jelly Bean update pretty soon. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is soon to get the Jelly Bean update too. There are those running a rooted version of the Jelly Bean on their phone. Rooting is for the geeks and those that are not of faint of heart due to risk of bricking or damaging your phone.
In case you never knew what an Android is, here you have it. Which of the android phones will you like to pick and why?
