Android is a high-performance, open-source operating system originally developed for touch screen mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, based on a modified fork of the Linux kernel. Android is used by a large range of devices running different operating systems including smart phones, tablets and digital cameras. Android has a plethora of open-source components, including the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), libraries and tools, system services and key applications like the Android Market. The Android SDK provides the basic structure and code skeleton for the Android system, while the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) provides the software developers with access to more advanced tools and control over the Android system. Another way of saying Android is the operating system’s brain or brainchild. Basically, Android is much like a child.
Android is different from Apple’s iOS in the sense that it is more flexible. The reason for this is because it was created as an open-source system, allowing third parties to write apps, add-ons and modifications to the core system software. This is unlike Apple’s iPhone, which is more tightly restricted by Apple’s hardware and software policies. While Android does have some limitations like no Bluetooth support, wide screen support and limited file sharing, it is still one of the most popular operating systems used on mobile phones.
Apart from being the world’s most widely used mobile operating systems, Android has also become the de facto standard for touch-screen mobile devices. Almost all high-end mobile phones have a version of Android built-in, which provides users with a fast and highly functional smart phone. Android is also the platform of choice for developers creating mobile apps. However, despite its widespread use, Android is being heavily customized by different manufacturers to ensure that it can fit their needs. Customizing Android has made it a platform that offers a great deal of flexibility to app makers but also presents certain challenges.
The biggest challenge that developers face when customizing Android is the fact that it runs on many different versions of the operating system. Since it is based on the Linux operating system, many phone makers who have made a version of Android to run on their smartphones have introduced their own unique flavor to the operating system. As a result, it can be difficult for someone customizing an Android phone to be able to have the same look and feel across every smartphone made by every manufacturer. This issue is especially acute when it comes to highly customizable widgets. Not only do many manufacturers make their own default widgets, but they often change them around with each new phone made by them.
This is why many people are trying to cross-compile Android apps into programs that work on iOS devices. Compiling a program that works on both iOS and Android phones is possible using tools called “udns”. However, these tools can be complex and complicated, and require a great deal of work to create and tweak. This is why developers are increasingly turning to alternatives. XCode, the cross-platform mobile app development tool from Apple, can compile Android and iOS apps with almost no effort.
Developers who want to customize Android phones without having to spend a great deal of time tweaking the source code can use an alternate android operating system instead. Android does allow users to install third party software on their phones such as widgets and games, but it can also be customized in much the same way that iOS apps can be. This has resulted in a rising market for “ROM”, or replace the existing operating system, phones. These phones are designed to work exactly like older smartphones, but they include the latest features and functions that users may have otherwise only been able to dream about.
