History of the Android Operating System

The word Android is nearly becoming a household name. Android is a mobile operating system designed to counter the problem of handling networks and the wireless devices. Various versions of this operating system have come into the market since its inception in 2008. There were two Pre-commercial Android release between 2007 and 2008 called Android Alpha and Beta. Android beta was released on 5 November 2007, a date popularly celebrated as Android’s “birthday.

Each version of Android since 1.5 has been developed with a specific codename which are chosen alphabetically, and have thus far all been dessert items (sweet/sugary foods). Some codenames are associated with more than one version number, while others are limited to only a specific one. Here is a brief history of the Android Operating System, version and features.

Android 1.0 

This was where the dream began, this was the first commercial version of Android and it was released in September 2008. It opened up the Android market and people started recognizing this new operating system. Also, the first commercially available Android device was the HTC Dream. The features of the operating system included a camera support, access to web email servers, supporting POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP. Gmail  synchronization with the Gmail applications, calendar sync, contacts sync, Google maps, SMS, MMS, IM support, media player, YouTube player, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. Notifications also appear in the Status bar, with options to set ringtone.

Android 1.1

Released 9th February 2009. This Android version didn’t have an official name but was internally called “Petit Four“   This update didn’t really bring many new features to the previous version, it only changed the Android API, resolved bugs and glitches with an improved overall performance.

Android 1.5 Cupcake

Released 30th April 2009, this was the first version that officially got a codename based on a dessert item (“Cupcake“). The major features of this OS included widget support, soft keyboard with text prediction. Cupcake also delivered video watching and recording capabilities, the uploading of videos to YouTube and Picasa, Stereo Bluetooth (aka A2DP) support that allows wireless music streaming to compatible headphones or speakers.

Android 1.6 Donut

Donut brought more major features enhancements the biggest of which was Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation and an expanded gesture framework. searching and ability to view app screenshots in Android Market got easier and Android Market became a friendly place to shop for apps. Other added features include , text-to-speech apps and Updated technology support for CDMA/EVDO (802.1x, VPN)

Android 2.0/2.1 Éclair

Released 26th October 2009, the OS got better enhancements such as support for multiple accounts, better Google maps navigation, new camera features, such that allows phones take picturs with flash support, digital zoom, scene mode, , multiple resolution and screen sizes. It also got a new UI and a Microsoft Exchange email support, with combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page. The 2.1 version came in January 2010 with just an update to the UI and minor adjustments to the API and bug fix

Android 2.2 Froyo

Released 20th May 2010, Froyo came with a general improvement in performance of the OS with speed improvements and JIT implementation which was an additional application for speed improvements. The two key feature of this OS were USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality plus other features such as Support for installing applications to the expandable memory, support for high display and screen resolutions and an option to disable data access over mobile network.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Gingerbread was released 6th December 2010 and came with hi-tech support features which got the attention of many Android users. The OS release saw Google introduce the much touted NFC (Near Field Communications) tech that allows one make mobile payment, it also got the native VoIP/SIP and video call support and  The overall UI was updated with increased simplicity, speed well improved text input in virtual keyboard for ease of use.

Some other features of this OS included multiple camera support for both rear and front facing camera, improved power management, improved copy/paste functionality and a Download Manager that gives users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application. Another update to the Gingerbread version also came in December 2010 and January 2011 (version 2.3.1 and 2.3.2) which fixed bugs and got an overall improvement. UP till September 2011, newer Gingerbread versions were released (..to version 2.3.7)

Android 3.0 Honeycomb

Android 3.0 (HoneyComb) was introduced on February 22, 2011. Finally we got an arrival of  the first OS optimized for tablet support. The first device featuring this version was the Motorola Xoom tablet. . It contained an interface with holographic & virtual support, multiple browser tabs, Google talk, private browsing and hardware acceleration. There was also an added System Bar that featured quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation buttons, available at the bottom of the screen, an Action Bar that gives access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the top of the screen. Multitasking on the new OS got simplified. Tapping Recent Applications in the System Bar allows users to see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one application to another.

Android 4.0 IceCream Sandwich

The IceCream Sandwich was released to the public on October 19, 2011. It allowed users to use multitasking apps, new lock screen actions, easy folder creation, Google chrome, built-in photo editor. This version introduced numerous new features such as ability to access applications directly from lock screen, Face Unlock, ability to shut down applications that are using data in the background, Wi-Fi Direct, video recording at 1080p for stock Android devices, screenshot capture (accomplished by holding down the Power and Volume-Down buttons), better camera performance, smoother screen rotation  and a whole lot of improved functionalities.

Android  4.1 Jelly Bean

Google announced Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) at the Google I/O conference on 27 June 2012 and later released to the on 9 July 2012. This Android version owns 34.4% of the overall Android market share and the main features include multi-user support, Google Now, smoother UI, enhanced accessibility, offline voice dictation. Improved voice search and camera application, ability to turn off app-specific notifications, expandable notifications, automatic re-arrangement and resizing of apps and widgets on home screens were also added features to the OS.

Higher versions of the Jelly Bean OS were also release to enhance performance and fix bugs in previous versions. While the 4.2.2 version allowed wireless charging, ability to swipe directly to camera and showed percentage and estimated time remaining in active downloads, the 4.3 Jelly Bean version which was released on 24 July 2013 had more security and performance enhancement, Bluetooth low energy support (BLE), ability to create restricted profiles and a 4K resolution support.

Android 4.4 KitKat 

Google thought it to be named as “Key Lime Pie” but later decided to name it after a popular chocolate bar KitKat. The main features of this OS include a new translucent system UI, enhanced notification access, social media integration, app preview, screen recording. KitKat has lots of optimizations for performance on devices with lower specifications, with 512 MB of RAM as a recommended minimum.

Android 5.0 Lollipop

This is the latest version of the Android Operating System. Google has revealed a new design language for the Android Lollipop release which is called 'material'. Overall, it's a cleaner and very Google style which developers can make use of in apps. The Roboto font can also be used anywhere. You'll notice that the new navigation buttons are a triangle, circle and square. Elements can now be given depth, so shadows and light sources affect user interface elements in real time. App interfaces will now feature touches of colour automatically generated based on the content and there are new animations and touch feedback.

You can see the new look in the above image including new icons and new navigation buttons.