What is Android?

Android is an open source operating system based on Linux. In the beginning, it was just for cell phones, but now it works on tablets, TVs, computers, and even car stereos. It has been gaining a lot of momentum in the mobile scene and is now used in more than 50% of mobile devices.


Android is the world's most popular mobile platform. With Android you can use all the Google apps you know and love, plus there are more than 600,000 apps and games available on Google Play to keep you entertained, alongside millions of songs and books, and thousands of movies. Android devices are already smart, and will only get smarter, with new features you won't find on any other platform, letting you focus on what's important and putting you in control of your mobile experience.

       
The apps that run on an Android-powered device are usually coded in Java and it has a powerful SDK that allows the developer to create different types of applications. Android allows developers to customize almost everything. For example, you can create custom wallpapers, custom keyboards, and custom home screens, things you wouldn’t imagine doing in other platforms.

Android is a project with a lot of momentum. The first Android release happened on September 23, 2008, and by the end of 2010 it had become the leading smartphone platform.

Every time there’s a new release, a new set of APIs and possibilities show up. While Android version 1.5 (Donut) only worked in the HTC Dream, right now Android runs in many devices from cellphone to TVs, and on different sizes of tablets and laptops.

This causes two big problems when developing for Android. First, you have to deal with different types of supported devices. While there are lots of ways of dealing with different screen sizes and screen density, you need to create an app that works, and looks great, in every device. Also, targeting every possible Android-powered device might result in different user experiences. The user won’t interact in the same way with a cellphone as with a TV.

The second problem is how long the Android versions stay alive. The story is always the same: with a new Android version, we get new APIs. A new API would be an excellent addition to your app, but as a developer you still need to support older versions, because not everyone will get the update and also because it may take a lot of time to reach your main target audience.

You’ll need to choose if you want to add the new API functionality and release an app just for people using the newest Android version, or go with a hybrid approach where some functionalities are only available in newer versions.