Android is a software stack for mobile devices such as mobile telephones and tablet computers developed by Google Inc and the Open Handset Alliance.[8][9]
Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005.[10] The unveiling of the Android distribution on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 80 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[11][12][13][14] Google released most of the Android code under the Apache License, a free software license.[15] The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.[16]
Android consists of a mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel, with middleware, libraries and APIs written in C and application software running on an application framework which includes Java-compatible libraries based on Apache Harmony. Android uses the Dalvik virtual machine with just-in-time compilation to run compiled Java code.[17] Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. Developers write primarily in Java.[18] There are currently more than 250,000 apps available for Android.[19][20] Android Market is the online app store run by Google, though apps can also be downloaded from third-party sites.
Android was listed as the best-selling smartphone platform world-wide in Q4 2010 by Canalys.
