In October 2003, a group of young computing experts came together to establish a software development company that would go on to revolutionize the cellular mobile phone as we knew it. The product they would create would establish incredible dominance in the field of mobile computing. In the third quarter of 2014, global shipments of Android-based mobile devices reached 268 million, greatly outpacing the rate of sales for iPhone's, Android’s closest competitor. By the end of 2014, sales of Android devices this year alone could exceed one billion. During the second quarter of 2014, Android controlled an incredible 84.7 percent market share of the global smartphone industry, well ahead of iPhone, Windows Phone and the BlackBerry. Android has even been dominating in the sphere of tablet computers; about 62 percent of the nearly 195 million tablet computers sold during 2013 were Android devices.
Although Android was commercially released for mobile electronic devices in October 2008, the first device manufactured by Google wouldn’t be available on consumer markets until 2010. Until the release of the Google Nexus device, a series of smartphones developed by other manufacturers carried the Android banner successfully and largely continue to do so regardless of Google’s flagship device.
As we noted, the HTC Dream, also known as the T-Mobile G1, was the very first Android smartphone which was commercially available. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard and device chin for supporting hardware buttons are both Android features which are part of the distant past, even if that distant past is less than a decade ago. HTC would go on to develop a number of popular smartphones for the Android operating system, including the HTC One, the HTC One X and the HTC Magic.
Samsung is perhaps the greatest developer of Android smartphones, releasing a greater variety of models than Sony, HTC or LG. The Galaxy line of Samsung smartphones is perhaps the best Android smartphone available on the market currently. It’s certainly the best selling; in the first quarter of 2014 alone, Samsung shipped 85 million smartphone units, a total which exceeded the combined sales of Apple, LG, Huawei and Lenovo smartphones in that same quarter.
Samsung may also be the best example of the dichotomy between the Android and iOS systems and offers some clues on why the Android system has been so wildly successful. Of course, Samsung’s marketing budget and global presence already give it a leg up on a great majority of the world’s corporations. However, it also manufactures a lot of variant devices which focus more on the camera’s resources on accomplishing specific jobs for certain people. As of the early months of 2014, Samsung was selling its flagship S5 smartphone and the Note tablet under the Galaxy brand, as well as the cost-effective Mega, the K Zoom which offers an optical zoom lens, and much more. By contrast, Apple releases one major version of the iPhone or iPad at a time without any significant variants. Apple enjoys a much greater rate of market capitalization as Samsung in mobile computing fields, up to as much as three times Samsung’s market capitalization. However, at the end of the day, Samsung sells the most smartphones and tablets of any corporation, period.
Motorola also deserves some mention as an important early developer of Android smartphones. The Motorola Devour was released along with the 1.6 Eclair update for Android, although the model still featured a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard. The first significant touchscreen Motorola smartphone was the Motorola Droid, also known as the Motorola Milestone in some markets. First released in October 2009, this device directly challenged the dominance that Apple’s iPhone was gaining in the smartphone market with some special help from Verizon Wireless’s “iDont” marketing campaign.
By January 2010, Google was selling its Nexus line of consumer electronic devices on the Android platform. The most significant development of the Nexus may be that Google now has its own hardware device to profit from and the added ability to ensure that its Android devices offer the most up-to-date version of the operating system. This could help Google increase its market presence in smartphone technologies even further, although some critics have noted issues with naming different generations of Nexus devices which may become confusing to consumers. A little notice should be given to Sony for its popular Xperia smartphone, but earlier generations of this device utilized a mobile operating system developed by Windows before switching to the Android OS.
As we look ahead to 2015, it is not much of a stretch to say that we are in the Android era: mobile computing devices have captured the public’s admiration and have permeated daily lives and work routines, and Android leads the charge in terms of this technology. Although Apple and even the Windows Phone format are likely going nowhere anytime soon, it would take a gargantuan development to shift the tide of the marketplace in favor of these players and away from Google’s Android. True to the original vision of the Android OS developers, Android owners can enjoy the use of their system with a digital camera. The breadth of functionality currently offered by these devices, however, is one of the most astounding technological evolution's in our world over the past decade.
Many Devices on One Android System
As we noted, the HTC Dream, also known as the T-Mobile G1, was the very first Android smartphone which was commercially available. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard and device chin for supporting hardware buttons are both Android features which are part of the distant past, even if that distant past is less than a decade ago. HTC would go on to develop a number of popular smartphones for the Android operating system, including the HTC One, the HTC One X and the HTC Magic.
Samsung is perhaps the greatest developer of Android smartphones, releasing a greater variety of models than Sony, HTC or LG. The Galaxy line of Samsung smartphones is perhaps the best Android smartphone available on the market currently. It’s certainly the best selling; in the first quarter of 2014 alone, Samsung shipped 85 million smartphone units, a total which exceeded the combined sales of Apple, LG, Huawei and Lenovo smartphones in that same quarter.
Samsung may also be the best example of the dichotomy between the Android and iOS systems and offers some clues on why the Android system has been so wildly successful. Of course, Samsung’s marketing budget and global presence already give it a leg up on a great majority of the world’s corporations. However, it also manufactures a lot of variant devices which focus more on the camera’s resources on accomplishing specific jobs for certain people. As of the early months of 2014, Samsung was selling its flagship S5 smartphone and the Note tablet under the Galaxy brand, as well as the cost-effective Mega, the K Zoom which offers an optical zoom lens, and much more. By contrast, Apple releases one major version of the iPhone or iPad at a time without any significant variants. Apple enjoys a much greater rate of market capitalization as Samsung in mobile computing fields, up to as much as three times Samsung’s market capitalization. However, at the end of the day, Samsung sells the most smartphones and tablets of any corporation, period.
Motorola also deserves some mention as an important early developer of Android smartphones. The Motorola Devour was released along with the 1.6 Eclair update for Android, although the model still featured a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard. The first significant touchscreen Motorola smartphone was the Motorola Droid, also known as the Motorola Milestone in some markets. First released in October 2009, this device directly challenged the dominance that Apple’s iPhone was gaining in the smartphone market with some special help from Verizon Wireless’s “iDont” marketing campaign.
By January 2010, Google was selling its Nexus line of consumer electronic devices on the Android platform. The most significant development of the Nexus may be that Google now has its own hardware device to profit from and the added ability to ensure that its Android devices offer the most up-to-date version of the operating system. This could help Google increase its market presence in smartphone technologies even further, although some critics have noted issues with naming different generations of Nexus devices which may become confusing to consumers. A little notice should be given to Sony for its popular Xperia smartphone, but earlier generations of this device utilized a mobile operating system developed by Windows before switching to the Android OS.
As we look ahead to 2015, it is not much of a stretch to say that we are in the Android era: mobile computing devices have captured the public’s admiration and have permeated daily lives and work routines, and Android leads the charge in terms of this technology. Although Apple and even the Windows Phone format are likely going nowhere anytime soon, it would take a gargantuan development to shift the tide of the marketplace in favor of these players and away from Google’s Android. True to the original vision of the Android OS developers, Android owners can enjoy the use of their system with a digital camera. The breadth of functionality currently offered by these devices, however, is one of the most astounding technological evolution's in our world over the past decade.
Android and Dessert Names
Revised 03SEP-2013
Google's Android division certainly has a sense of humor: It named all of its version code names after desserts (just as Intel names all of its CPU's after rivers). To celebrate a new version, a giant mock-up of the dessert that matches the code name is usually delivered to the Google Campus and put on display.
So what are the different versions of Android OS and the desserts associated with them? Let us go over a short history.
Google's Android division certainly has a sense of humor: It named all of its version code names after desserts (just as Intel names all of its CPU's after rivers). To celebrate a new version, a giant mock-up of the dessert that matches the code name is usually delivered to the Google Campus and put on display.
So what are the different versions of Android OS and the desserts associated with them? Let us go over a short history.
Android 1.0 and 1.1: Unnamed
There appears to be no code name assigned to versions 1.0 and 1.1 of Android OS.
Google bought a company called Android back in July 2005. Android was headed by several mobile big shots, including the former head of a big carrier, ex-owner of a phone maker, and more. After their buyout, Android went into stealth mode, and rumors spread that Google was working on a mobile phone.
The dam finally broke in November 2007, when Google suddenly announced that they were indeed working on a phone (Google Phone). More than that, they were also working on a brand-new mobile operating system called Android, based on the Linux kernel, to be used by the Open Handset Alliance, a group of 65 different hardware makers, carriers, and other mobile-related companies.
HTC was the first phone maker to get a real consumer phone out, the T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream outside of US), on October 2008.
An update of Android, version 1.1, was released in February 2009. However, the first significant version of Android OS that really showcased the power of the platform was V1.5, code-named "Cupcake."
As Cupcake starts with letter "C", many have suspected that 1.0 had a code name starting with "A" and 1.1 had one starting with "B," but no actual code names were ever assigned.
The dam finally broke in November 2007, when Google suddenly announced that they were indeed working on a phone (Google Phone). More than that, they were also working on a brand-new mobile operating system called Android, based on the Linux kernel, to be used by the Open Handset Alliance, a group of 65 different hardware makers, carriers, and other mobile-related companies.
HTC was the first phone maker to get a real consumer phone out, the T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream outside of US), on October 2008.
An update of Android, version 1.1, was released in February 2009. However, the first significant version of Android OS that really showcased the power of the platform was V1.5, code-named "Cupcake."
As Cupcake starts with letter "C", many have suspected that 1.0 had a code name starting with "A" and 1.1 had one starting with "B," but no actual code names were ever assigned.
Android 1.5: Cupcake
Technically Android 1.5 wasn't the first version, but versions before it don't seem to have received any code names. Stories were told that it was supposed to be version 1.2, but Google decided to make it a major revision and made it 1.5 instead. Among the many changes with Cupcake, third-party keyboard and Widgets were enabled and phone could upload directly to YouTube and Picasa. The company code-named the version "cupcake," which is how the trend of dessert names began.
A cupcake is a small, individually-sized cake baked in a cup-shaped mold. It is usually served with frosting on top.
A cupcake is a small, individually-sized cake baked in a cup-shaped mold. It is usually served with frosting on top.
Android 1.6: Donut
Android V1.6, codenamed "Donut," was released in September 2009. It fixed reboot errors in the OS, revamped photo and video features (i.e. camera interface), and featured better search integration. It also added support for larger screen sizes and is the first version to offer Google's turn-by-turn navigation feature.
A donut is a small ring-shaped friedcake. The ring is made of rich, light dough and deep-fried. Various sweet coatings can be added. Donuts are not to be mistaken for bagels, which are baked, much denser, and usually salty.
A donut is a small ring-shaped friedcake. The ring is made of rich, light dough and deep-fried. Various sweet coatings can be added. Donuts are not to be mistaken for bagels, which are baked, much denser, and usually salty.
Android 2.0 and 2.1: Eclair
Android 2.0 was released in October 2009, with a bug fix version (2.0.1) coming out in December 2009. Android 2.1 was released January of 2010. Most people consider them a single release. Added features include Blue tooth 2.1 support, flash and digital zoom for the camera, multi-touch support, live wallpapers, and more.
Eclairs are usually described as oblong cream puffs. They are baked pastries with cream filling and chocolate coating on top.
Eclairs are usually described as oblong cream puffs. They are baked pastries with cream filling and chocolate coating on top.
Android 2.2: Froyo
Android 2.2 mainly improved speed by adopting the Javascript "just-in-time" compiler engine from Google's browser, Chrome. It also improved browser support by adding animated GIF support and Flash 10.1 plug-in support, along with USB tethering and Wi-Fi Hot spot capability (for those with supported hardware).
Froyo is short for "frozen yogurt." It is a frozen dessert made from yogurt, so it is slightly more sour than soft serve but also lower in fat.
Froyo is short for "frozen yogurt." It is a frozen dessert made from yogurt, so it is slightly more sour than soft serve but also lower in fat.
Android 2.3, 2.4: Gingerbread
Gingerbread was officially released in December 2010.
On December 6th, 2010, Google officially announced the first phone with Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread. The phone was the Nexus S, which Google co-developed with Samsung. The phone was originally only available for T-Mobile, but was later made for Sprint and AT&T as well.
Gingerbread supports SIP Internet calling, NFC wireless transaction capability (if hardware is present), more than one camera, and gyroscopes and other sensors (barometers, gravimeters, and others are possible). It also features a download manager, some tweaks to allow usage on Tablets, and other system level tweaks for programmers.
As a dessert, gingerbread is basically a ginger-flavored cookie. It is often made to celebrate end-of-year holidays in the US. The cookies are cut into festive shapes—often the shape of a man—and decorated with icing and candy.
On December 6th, 2010, Google officially announced the first phone with Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread. The phone was the Nexus S, which Google co-developed with Samsung. The phone was originally only available for T-Mobile, but was later made for Sprint and AT&T as well.
Gingerbread supports SIP Internet calling, NFC wireless transaction capability (if hardware is present), more than one camera, and gyroscopes and other sensors (barometers, gravimeters, and others are possible). It also features a download manager, some tweaks to allow usage on Tablets, and other system level tweaks for programmers.
As a dessert, gingerbread is basically a ginger-flavored cookie. It is often made to celebrate end-of-year holidays in the US. The cookies are cut into festive shapes—often the shape of a man—and decorated with icing and candy.
Android 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2: Honeycomb
Honeycomb was released in February 2011, and was rapidly followed by 3.1 and 3.2 in July and August of 2011. Google posted a lot of previews and highlights on Honeycomb.
Honeycomb was made for tablets, which implied that Android OS 2.X was not. That did not stop Samsung and a slew of smaller manufacturers from putting out an army of Android 2.X tablets of various sizes before the end of 2010 as they tried to ride the wave of the iPad's success in time for the Christmas shopping season.
Motorola Xoom was the first Android 3.X tablet to be released. It has since been followed by many others.
Dessert-wise, honeycomb is a sheet of hexagonal cells bees build out of wax and fill with honey. Fresh honeycomb can be consumed as a dessert—some people chew or even consume the wax with the honey.
Honeycomb was made for tablets, which implied that Android OS 2.X was not. That did not stop Samsung and a slew of smaller manufacturers from putting out an army of Android 2.X tablets of various sizes before the end of 2010 as they tried to ride the wave of the iPad's success in time for the Christmas shopping season.
Motorola Xoom was the first Android 3.X tablet to be released. It has since been followed by many others.
Dessert-wise, honeycomb is a sheet of hexagonal cells bees build out of wax and fill with honey. Fresh honeycomb can be consumed as a dessert—some people chew or even consume the wax with the honey.
Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich
Ice Cream Sandwich was Google's attempt to synthesize Honeycomb, it's tablet-only platform, with its mobile platform. Released in October 2011, it featured a new design and default font, as well as the ability to monitor and limit mobile data usage and other upgrades. Many devices were slow to adopt Ice Cream Sandwich. Three months after Ice Cream Sandwich, only one phone (Samsung Galaxy Nexus) had been released to run it.
In real life, an ice cream sandwich is a layer of ice cream, usually vanilla, sandwiched between two cookies, usually chocolate. They are often rectangular in shape.
In real life, an ice cream sandwich is a layer of ice cream, usually vanilla, sandwiched between two cookies, usually chocolate. They are often rectangular in shape.
Android 4.1: Jelly Bean
Jelly Bean came out in 2012. Biggest changes included "Google Now," an AI assistant that anticipates your needs and better, more interactive notifications. Jelly Bean also allows "voice typing," a built-in speech-to-text engine that does not rely on Internet or data.
Android 4.4: KitKat
Google announced that Android 4.4 would be named KitKat on September 3, 2013. KitKat's parent company, Nestlé, was fully on board with the naming of operating system and launched an advertising campaign during KitKat's release. As part of the campaign, specially marked packages of KitKat with Andy the Green Android on the package each contained a sweepstakes code that could win a new Nexus 7 Android tablet or Google Play store credit.
KitKat took the Google Now feature and took it a step further with "OK Google." OK Google allows people to access Google Now without even touching their phones—just verbally saying the phrase opens up the artificial intelligence assistant. KitKat also introduced Emoji to Google's keyboard.
KitKat took the Google Now feature and took it a step further with "OK Google." OK Google allows people to access Google Now without even touching their phones—just verbally saying the phrase opens up the artificial intelligence assistant. KitKat also introduced Emoji to Google's keyboard.
Android 5.X: Lollipop
Android 5 is called Lollipop, and it featured a brand new run time called ART that no longer relies on the older DALVIK run time (which is somewhat based on Sun/Oracle specs). Lollipop also contains other UI improvements and has excellent battery life on some devices.
Android 6.X: Marshmallow
Android 6: Marshmallow is already out for the Nexus devices and is believed to be coming soon to all flagship devices before the end of the year, and to other devices by mid-2016.
Marshmallow introduced several changes that can have significant impact. App permission model is now opt-in (grant specific permission as requested) rather than opt-out (all is permitted, then use App Ops to run off individual permissions). Doze mode allows the device to go into hibernation when idle, cutting power consumption to virtually nil. Fingerprint sensor support is now baked into the OS rather the vendor support, and USB C is now fully supported. Finally, Marshmallow allows one to format a micro SD card and adopt it as if it's internal storage and share the same internal security level.
Marshmallow introduced several changes that can have significant impact. App permission model is now opt-in (grant specific permission as requested) rather than opt-out (all is permitted, then use App Ops to run off individual permissions). Doze mode allows the device to go into hibernation when idle, cutting power consumption to virtually nil. Fingerprint sensor support is now baked into the OS rather the vendor support, and USB C is now fully supported. Finally, Marshmallow allows one to format a micro SD card and adopt it as if it's internal storage and share the same internal security level.
Android versions 7.0 and 7.1: Nougat
Google's 2016 Android Nougat releases provided Android with a native split-screen mode, a new bundled-by-app system for organizing notifications, and a Data Saver feature. Nougat added some smaller but still significant features, too, like an Alt-Tab-like shortcut for snapping between apps.
Perhaps most pivotal among Nougat's enhancements, however, was the launch of the Google Assistant — which came alongside the announcement of Google's first fully self-made phone, the Pixel, about two months after Nougat's debut. The Assistant would go on to become a critical component of Android and most other Google products and is arguably the company's foremost effort today.
biggest new features in Android N
- Multitasking
- Notifications
- Settings
- Virtual reality
- Keyboard themes!
- Performance
- New emoji
- Easter egg
Android version 8.0 and 8.1: Oreo
Android Oreo added a variety of niceties to the platform, including a native picture-in-picture mode, a notification snoozing option, and notification channels that offer fine control over how apps can alert you.
The 2017 release also included some noteworthy elements that furthered Google's goal of aligning Android and Chrome OS and improving the experience of using Android apps on Chromebooks, and it was the first Android version to feature Project Treble — an ambitious effort to create a modular base for Android's code with the hope of making it easier for device-makers to provide timely software updates.
Android version 9: Pie
The freshly baked scent of Android Pie, a.k.a. Android 9, wafted into the Android ecosystem in August of 2018. Pie's most transformative change was its hybrid gesture/button navigation system, which traded Android's traditional Back, Home, and Overview keys for a large, multifunctional Home button and a small Back button that appeared alongside it as needed.
Pie included some noteworthy productivity features, too, such as a universal suggested-reply system for messaging notifications, a new dashboard of Digital Wellbeing controls, and more intelligent systems for power and screen brightness management. And, of course, there was no shortage of smaller but still-significant advancements hidden throughout Pie's filling, including a smarter way to handle Wi-Fi hotspots, a welcome twist to Android's Battery Saver mode, and a variety of privacy and security enhancements.
Android version 10: Quince Tart
Google released Android 10 — the first Android version to shed its letter and be known simply by a number, with no dessert-themed moniker attached — in September of 2019. Most noticeably, the software brings about a totally reimagined interface for Android gestures, this time doing away with the tappable Back button altogether and relying on a completely swipe-driven approach to system navigation. (If you so choose, that is; unlike Pie, Android 10 also includes the traditional Android three-button navigation system as an option on all phones.)
Under the hood, Android 10 introduces a new setup for hot-fix-style updates that'll eventually allow for faster and more consistent rollouts of small, narrowly focused patches. And the software has plenty of other quietly important improvements, including an updated permissions system that gives you more control over exactly how and when apps are able to access location data as well as an expanded system for protecting unique device identifiers (which can be used to track a device's activity over time).
Beyond that, Android 10 includes a system-wide dark theme, a new Focus Mode that lets you limit distractions from specific apps with the tap of an on-screen button, and a long-overdue overhaul of Android's sharing menu. It also introduces a new Live Caption feature that allows you to generate on-the-fly visual captions for any media playing on your phone — videos, podcasts, or even just regular ol' voice recordings. The feature debuted initially on Google's own Pixel phones and has slowly made its way to more devices from there.
Android version 11 : Red Velvet Cake
Android 11, launched at the start of September 2020, is a pretty substantial Android update both under the hood and on the surface. The version's most significant changes revolve around privacy: The update builds upon the expanded permissions system introduced in Android 10 and adds in the ability for users to grant apps certain permissions — those related to location access, camera access, and microphone access — only on a limited, single-use basis.
Android 11 also pushes the background location permission even deeper into the system and makes it more difficult for apps to request (and thus less likely for users to activate inadvertently). And it introduces a new feature in which apps that have gone unopened for a matter of months will automatically have their permissions revoked unless you actively opt to reauthorize them.
Beyond that, Android 11 removes an app's ability to see what other apps are installed on your phone — something that was actually possible up until this release — and it limits the ways apps are able to interact with your local storage in order to better protect your information.
Importantly but invisibly, Android 11 more than doubles the number of once-OS-bundled elements that now exist as their own standalone modules — like apps in the Play Store, basically — and thus can be updated directly by Google, frequently and universally and without the need for any carrier or manufacturer involvement. And as for the more visible, user-facing features, Android 11 refines the system notification area to emphasize and simplify conversation-related alerts; it introduces a new streamlined media player that contains controls for all audio- and video-playing apps in a single space; and it adds in a new contextual menu of connected-device controls for any smart products associated with your account (though some of those features require a bit of manual adjustment in order to work optimally).
Last but not least, Android 11 marks the long-awaited debut of Bubbles — a new kind of multitasking system first discussed in 2019 but then put on the back burner until now. With apps that support the system, Bubbles allows you to pop conversations out into floating windows that appear on top of whatever else you're doing and can be condensed down into small, floating bubbles that remain easily accessible for expansion.
Android 11 has plenty of other small but significant improvements — including a new Notification History section, a native screen recording function, and an automated scheduling system for the system-wide Dark Theme.
Android version 12 : Snow Cone
Google officially launched the final version of Android 12 in October 2021 and started rolling the software out to its own Pixel devices soon after — alongside the launch of its new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones.
In a twist from the last several Android versions, the most significant progressions with Android 12 are mostly on the surface. Android 12 features the biggest reimagining of Android's interface since 2014's Android 5.0 (Lollipop) version. That version, as we discussed a moment ago, was the first to showcase Google's then-new Material Design standard. And this one is the first to integrate an updated and completely overhauled take on that standard — something known as Material You.
Material You brings a dramatically different look and feel to the entire Android experience, and it isn't limited only to system-level elements, either. Eventually, Android 12's design principles will stretch into both apps on your phone and Google services on the web. The same principles will show up on Chromebooks, Smart Displays, and Google-associated wearables as well. And since a huge part of the Material You concept is allowing you (get it?) to customize the palette and other specifics of the interface's appearance — even having your phone generate dynamic personalized themes for you on the fly, based on the colors of your phone's wallpaper at any given moment — the changes run deep and will absolutely be noticeable.
Notably, most of Material You's most meaningful design advancements will likely be available only on Google's own Pixel phones, at least to start. After years of having third-party device-makers muck around with the Android interface and introduce all sorts of arbitrary change for the sake of change, Google finally seems to be embracing the fact that its own Android design choices are not going to be universal — and in doing so, it's turning the limited availability of that interface and everything around it into a Pixel feature instead of a Google liability.
Surface-level elements aside, Android 12 brings a (long overdue) renewed focus to Android's widget system along with a host of important foundational enhancements in the areas of performance, security, and privacy. The update provides more powerful and accessible controls over how different apps are using your data and how much information you allow apps to access, for instance, and it includes a new isolated section of the operating system that allows A.I. features to operate entirely on a device, without any potential for network access or data exposure.
EmoticonEmoticon