Of course.
Here is a dedicated and comprehensive reviewer for Module 2: Introduction to Android Operating
System.
Module 2 Reviewer: Introduction to Android Operating System
1. What is Android?
An open-source, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices like smartphones and tablet computers.
Developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google.
Provides a unified approach to app development: write once, run on many different Android devices.
The first commercial version, Android 1.0, was released in September 2008.
2. Why Choose Android for Development?
Open Source: Free to use and modify, which significantly reduces development costs.
Large Developer Community: A huge global network of experts provides extensive support, tutorials, and
resources.
Massive Market Reach: The largest installed base of any mobile platform, offering a vast potential audience for
your app.
Inter-app Integration: Apps can easily communicate and share data with each other.
Rich Development Environment: Powerful, free tools like Android Studio provide an excellent environment for
coding, testing, and debugging.
3. Key Features of Android OS
Android is a feature-rich OS that supports a wide range of functionality:
Beautiful UI: Provides an intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interface.
Connectivity: Supports virtually all connectivity types: GSM/EDGE, CDMA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, NFC, and
WiMAX.
Storage: Uses SQLite, a lightweight relational database, for local data storage.
Media Support: Extensive support for media files: H.263, H.264, MPEG-4, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPEG, PNG, GIF,
BMP.
Messaging: Supports SMS and MMS out of the box.
Web Browser: Based on the open-source WebKit layout engine with Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, supporting
HTML5 and CSS3.
Multi-touch: Native support for multi-touch gestures.
Multi-tasking: Users can run multiple applications simultaneously and switch between them seamlessly.
Resizable Widgets: Interactive app components that can be resized on the home screen.
Google Cloud Messaging (GCM): A service for sending short message data and notifications to users.
Android Beam: An NFC-based feature for instant sharing by touching two phones together.
Wi-Fi Direct: Allows apps to discover and pair directly over a high-bandwidth peer-to-peer connection.
4. Android Architecture (The Software Stack)
The OS is a stack of software components divided into five sections and four main layers:
[Linux Kernel] --> [Libraries] --> [Android Runtime] --> [Application Framework] --> [Applications]
1. Linux Kernel: The foundation. It handles core system services like hardware drivers, memory management,
process management, and security.
2. Libraries: A set of C/C++ libraries (e.g., WebKit for web rendering, SQLite for databases, OpenGL for graphics)
that provide core functionalities.
3. Android Runtime: Consists of:
Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM): (Later replaced by ART) A specialized VM designed for Android to run apps
in their own process.
Core Java Libraries: Provides the standard features of the Java programming language.
4. Application Framework: Provides the high-level Java APIs that developers use to build apps. Key services
include:
Activity Manager: Manages the lifecycle of applications.
Content Providers: Enable data sharing between applications.
Resource Manager: Provides access to non-code resources (strings, graphics, layout files).
View System: The building blocks for creating user interfaces (lists, buttons, grids).
Notification Manager: Allows apps to display alerts and notifications to the user.
5. Applications: The top layer where all apps reside, both pre-installed (Contacts, Browser) and third-party apps you
download.
5. Categories of Android Applications
While app stores have many categories, the seven most popular and successful types are:
1. Gaming Apps: The most popular category (e.g., puzzles, action games).
2. Business Apps: Productivity apps for tasks like email, sales, and project management.
3. Educational Apps: Apps designed for learning and teaching.
4. Lifestyle Apps: Apps related to shopping, fitness, dating, and diet.
5. Entertainment Apps: For video streaming, social media, and music.
6. Utility Apps: Frequently used tools like calculators, file managers, and weather apps.
7. Travel Apps: For navigation, booking, translation, and exploring new places.
6. History of Android Versions (API Levels & Code Names)
Each Android version has an API Level (an integer) that developers target.
Versions were named after desserts in alphabetical order until Android 9 Pie.
Android 10 (2019) was the first version to use a simple number instead of a codename.
Essential Versions to Remember:
Platform API Version Code
Key Fact
Version Level (Codename)
Android 1.0 1 BASE First commercial release (Sept. 2008)
Android 1.5 3 CUPCAKE First version to use a dessert codename
Android 2.2 8 FROYO Introduced speed improvements
Android 2.3 9 GINGERBREAD Major UI update
Android 4.0 14 ICE_CREAM_SANDWICH Unified OS for phones & tablets
Android 4.1-4.3 16-18 JELLY_BEAN Introduced "Project Butter" for smooth UI
Android 4.4 19 KITKAT Optimized for devices with as low as 512MB RAM
Android 5.0 21 LOLLIPOP Introduced "Material Design" language
Android 6.0 23 MARSHMALLOW Introduced runtime app permissions
Android 8.0 26 OREO Background execution limits, notification channels
Android 9.0 28 PIE Gesture navigation, adaptive battery
First version to drop dessert name; system-wide dark
Android 10 29 Q
mode
Android 11 30 R Conversation notifications, one-time permissions
Official Google Quote on Codenames: “Since these devices make our lives so sweet, each Android version is named
after a dessert.”
