android or windows

android or windows phone 7

If you're in the market for a new smartphone you face a number of tough decisions surrounding price, style and feature set to name but a few. But perhaps the most pressing in the current smartphone market is the selection of operating systems, and it isn't an easy decision to reach, so to help you on your way to making the right choice for your needs, we've decided to shine a spotlight on two of the most user friendly and popular choices: Google's Android and Microsoft's newly released Windows Phone 7.

Google's Android has established itself as the world's leading mobile OS in recent times and with good reason too – it's based on open source ideals and offers a fantastic, user friendly experience, not to mention the extensive range of devices, catering for all budgets, that run it.

When you purchase an Android device you get a lot of technology for your investment. You're treated to full integration with all of your Google services, including the superb Google Maps, which offers free turn-by-turn navigation that blows nearly every other contender out of the water thanks to its innate usability and speed. You're also able to make use of the thousands of apps available in the Android Market, which strive to make your smartphone even smarter.

Other fine features include Wi-Fi hotspot tethering, full Flash browsing and openness, allowing more advanced users to tailor the operating system to suit their own needs, and make changes to the core components of the software.

Conversely, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 presents an altogether more closed environment, but this needn't be seen as a bad thing. With WP7 you're treated to a visually rewarding, powerful mobile operating system, which aims to keep you in touch without taking up too much of your valuable time in the process.

Windows Phone 7 offers a similar approach to Android in terms of UI, but there are key differences, the most gratifying of which is the extremely finger friendly, tile-based homescreen, which is fully customisable. WP7 also boasts great native support for social networks and support for Microsoft Office integration, allowing you to handle documents and work more easily while you're on the move.

While the selection of apps is still fairly small compared to Android's Market (and, of course, Apples App Store) there are a number of top quality apps on offer, and the selection is growing daily. You're also treated to Xbox Live integration, which brings you game news, trailers and allows you stay in touch with your online persona.

Choosing between these two great operating systems isn't an easy task, as we've discussed they're both great performers, with a myriad of virtues to keep you up to date, entertained and in control of your daily life. Where the divides do occur they're minor, leading us to happily endorse either of these great pieces of software.

The best way of deciding which platform is right for you, is to weigh up your personality and demands. If you're a techy person, who wants to milk more out of their smartphone, customise it and generally push it beyond its out of the box state, then Android is the one for you.

But if you're keen to pick up your new device and utilise it to its full potential with minimal fuss, you'd be best advised to look at Windows Phone 7. One thing's for sure though, whichever one you choose you're in for a fun time.

HOW TO HACK ANDROID-BASICS

how to hack Android

1. Create Your Own Ringtones1.


Back when Nokia was still in everyone’s pockets, custom ringtones were all the rage. It was often the only thing you could personalize in a cellphone those days. Fast forward a decade or so to Android and you have Ringdroid, your go-to app for creating custom ringtones. It not only does it let you splice and dice tracks from your music library, you can even record your own tracks. From there, you can set it as your main ringtone, an alarm or an SMS notification.

2. Show Off Flashy Live Wallpaper



One nice piece of eye candy that Google introduced a while back was live wallpapers. These replace the usual static wallpaper on most phones with an ever-changing backdrop. It can be as simple as colors changing softly to something complex like dynamic maps of your current location or backgrounds that change with the weather and time of day. They might be a bit battery draining for some phones though but if you want to try them out, you can start your hunt for live wallpapers here.


3. Personalize Your Home Screen 
The basic Android home screen is great but if you want to really bring it up a notch, there are several alternative launchers that give both a fresh new look to your phone and some nice added functionality. Some of these added features include folders for sorting apps, onscreen notifications and quick menu shortcuts. LauncherPro is the most recommended one and it gives you a scrollable app dock, custom icons, pop ups and more. Other highly-rated home screen launchers to try are ADW.Launcher, SlideScreen and GO Launcher EX.
Tweak It With Apps And Widgets

4. Make Your Screens Useful With Widgets

We already talked about a few widgets that are must-haves a while back. It’s one of the special features of Android, having mini apps running on your home screen (or screens) that give you instant access to your calendar, music player, Twitter feed and more. You can even create your own through a powerful app called Widgetsoid. Widgets are always a staple in my home screens and all I can say is that they really make my phone that much easier to use.


5. Manage Your Android Files

People often forget that phones these days are PCs as well. If you want to have full control over the files in your phone storage and SD card, you need to get a file manager to help you do the job right. I personally swear by Astro which acts much like Explorer for Windows (or Finder for Mac). It lets you search for files, install and backup apps, email files as attachments,create and extract zip files, and do much more.

If moving files between devices is what you need, you can use AndFTP for FTP downloads and uploads. For local transfers, there is On Air which turns your Android device into a disk that connects over WiFi for no-plug, over-the-air transfers.

6. Monitor Tasks And Data Usage


In mobile, battery is gold and running out of juice is never an option. In order to quell the uprising of rebellious, battery-hungry apps, you need to use a task manager. Watchdog Task Manager is one such beast. It will notify you if an app goes astray and uses up too many CPU cycles. You can even give it the thumbs down, Roman emperor-style, and kill the wayward app if it displeases you.

Another canine-named app that’s quite useful is 3G Watchdog. It helps you rein in your 3G connections so that you don’t go over your data plan and take a hit on your next billing.


7. Use A New Keyboard
If the stock keyboard of your Android phone isn’t to your liking, you can change that as well. Swype, an app familiar to Samsung owners, is one of the more innovative keyboard options. It lets you swipe your finger to complete words instead of pecking on the tiny onscreen characters. It does offer a different layout but onc you get used to it, you’ll be writing messages and emails faster than ever. It’s not for everyone though but there are other keyboards you can try such as SwiftKey, SlideIT and Better Keyboard.
Secure Your Android

8. Seek And Retrieve A Lost Phone
Losing a phone is stressful. It’s not just because you misplaced a device that cost you a significant chunk of change; you also lose all the personal data stored in it, a scary thought if you have bank account numbers, your home address or your kids’ phone numbers in there. Fortunately, finding your phone can be done easily with an Android App. Prey is a free app that does just that and it not only lets you track your phone, you can also let it belt out an alarm or lock your lost device for added security.

If you need more features, WaveSecure is the way to go. On top of the features above, it lets you backup data on the web, restore data, track SIM card changes and remotely wipe your lost phone’s memory.

9. Protect Your Passwords

With all the security holes being found in Android and its apps, it’s probably high time you looked into the security settings on your phone. If you’re installing an experimental app, make sure to read the permissions it gets access to before installing it.

You might also want to get a password manager both to protect your sensitive logins as well as to make it easier for you to get into your favorite sites. Password managers like 1Password and Lastpass not only lockdown your passwords, they also let you grab the passwords you save on your computer if you use the desktop versions.
Go Hardcore

10. Reveal Hidden Android Settings


There are a lot of behind the scenes magic going on in your Android device which the powers-that-be have made hidden for one reason or another. If you want to play around with those, grab Spare Parts from the Market and tweak your window animation speed, WiFi sleep policy and screen font sizes with ease. A caveat: some tweaks might not work so proceed at your own risk!


11. Gain Superuser Access By Rooting
Gaining root or superuser access to your phone opens up some very cool features to regular Joe users like us. You can backup your entire phone, take screenshots, use AdBlock and set the speed of your phone’s processor among other neat tricks. In addition, it’s particularly easy to root Android phones these days (especially the earlier models) and there are many apps available that make this process as painless as possible. Note though that rooting voids your device’s warranty, so fair warning. Read our newbie guide for rooting if you need more info on how to do this deed.

12. Install A Custom ROM

The pinnacle of Android hacking is the use of a custom ROM. Essentially, you will be replacing the OS currently in your phone with another version of Android. CyanogenMod is the most-oft used ROM and it has a variety of great features such as OpenVPN, incognito browsing (similar to that of Google Chrome) and theme support, among others.

Other ROMs available let you copy the interface of other phones (HTC Sense is one often ported), upgrade to a later Android version like Gingerbread or Honeycomb or optimize your phone for speed, battery life and stability. While there is the danger of permanently bricking your phone if a ROM flash goes bad, those that follow the instructions to the tee won’t have any issues. Well, most of the time that is.

If you’re feeling a bit naughty, you can even install Android on an old iPhone. But that’s just between you and me…

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean

Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, is the fastest and smoothest version of Android yet. Jelly Bean improves on the simplicity and beauty of Android 4.0, and introduces a new Google search experience on Android.
Everything in Jelly Bean feels fast, fluid, and smooth. Moving between home screens and switching between apps is effortless, like turning pages in a book.
Jelly Bean features improved performance throughout the system, including faster orientation changes, faster responses when switching between recent apps, and smoother and more consistent rendering across the system through vsync and triple buffering.
Jelly Bean has more reactive and uniform touch responses, and makes your device even more responsive by boosting your device's CPU instantly when you touch the screen, and turns it down when you don't need it to improve battery life.
What's new in Jelly Bean
Accessibility
With Jelly Bean, blind users can use 'Gesture Mode' to reliably navigate the UI using touch and swipe gestures in combination with speech output.
With the new accessibility focus feature, you can move a cursor between controls to maintain a target for the next action or a source for the next navigation event. You can double tap anywhere to launch the current item with accessibility focus.
Text traversal in accessibility now gives you more control – choose to move between pages, paragraphs, lines, words or characters.
TalkBack, a screenreader for Android, now supports gestures to trigger actions, to navigate applications, and traverse text.
Get full support for braille accessibility services (download BrailleBack on Google Play).
Android Beam
With Android Beam, you can now easily share your photos and videos.
Instantly pair your phone or tablet to Bluetooth® devices like headsets or speakers that support the Simple Secure Pairing standard by just tapping them together.
Audio Accessories
Support for USB audio docks, shipping later this year.
Browser and WebView
Browser has improved performance, CPU and memory efficiency. With better performance for animations and HTML5 canvases and an updated JavaScript Engine (V8), pages load faster and feel smoother.
Browser now has better HTML5 video support, and has a new user experience. Just touch the video to play and pause, and smoothly transition into and out of fullscreen mode.
Browser now supports the updated HTML5 Media Capture specification on input elements.
WebView now supports vertical text, including Ruby Text and other vertical text glyphs.
Calendar
Calendar is more buttery. Content fades in, animations are sprinkled throughout, and swiping/paging between days is smoother.
Calendar will now display event colors if you've given your event a color on your PC.
The 'Today' button on the action bar now shows the current day. When viewing an event's details, you can now email all the guests with a single tap.
Notifications for upcoming events now display more of the event description to let you quickly see relevant details without having to open the app.
Notifications for upcoming events now let you email all the guests without opening the app, and you can choose a quick response such as "Be there in 10 minutes" or type your own.
A new option in Calendar settings lets you create your own default quick responses for emailing guests.
You can now snooze an upcoming event reminder right from the notification.
Calendar has a new 7" tablet layout that is optimized for the form factor.
When viewing Calendar in portrait orientation on tablets, you can hide or expand controls to give you complete control over how you view your Calendar space.
Calendar will now remember whether you've chosen to hide or expand controls so you have a consistent experience viewing Calendar whenever you open it.
Camera and Gallery
You can now swipe from the camera viewfinder to quickly review photos you've taken without having to leave the camera app. You can swipe back to the camera viewfinder to start snapping photos again.
When viewing photos in Gallery, you can pinch to zoom out to enter "filmstrip mode" and rapidly review photos. When viewing photos in filmstrip mode, you can swipe up or down to delete an individual photo. You can also undo the delete with a single tap.
When taking a photo, a new animation sweeps your photo off the screen. There is now a new paging animation when swiping between photos.
Camera features a new animation for switching between the front-facing and back cameras.
When focusing on an object in Camera, a new animation gives you visual feedback on your focus state.
Gallery features a new animation when selecting a photo from within the album view and back.
Data Usage
You can now dismiss a data usage warning without changing the data threshold set for warning notifications.
Disable background data usage on certain Wi-Fi SSIDs by designating them as mobile hotspots.
Android now automatically detects when one Jelly Bean device is tethered to another's Wi-Fi hotspot, and intelligently enables or disables background data usage on the SSID.
Face Unlock
Face Unlock is now faster and more accurate, and startup is smoother with a new animation.
You can improve face matching accuracy by calibrating your face in different conditions and with different accessories (e.g. hat, glasses).
Face Unlock can now optionally require a 'blink' to verify that a live person is unlocking the device rather than a photo.
Internationalization
Jelly Bean adds support for bidirectional text and more input languages to make the platform accessible to more people around the world.
There is improved support for Arabic and Hebrew, including a new Arabic font, in the platform.
You can now enter text in one of 18 new input languages, including Persian, Hindi and Thai. Additional Indic languages Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam are now supported by the platform.
Emoji from Unicode 6.0 will now render when received or viewed.
If the system language is set to Japanese, Japanese specific versions of glyphs will now be properly rendered.
Keyboard
The platform's dictionaries are now more accurate and more relevant.
The language model in Jelly Bean adapts over time, and the keyboard features bigram prediction and correction.
You can now switch languages quickly with the dedicated language selector key on keyboard.
You can use custom keyboard input styles for more than 20 languages, with keymaps for QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, Dvorak, Colemak, and PC styles.
You can choose the input styles that you want to use for each keyboard, and use a hotkey to switch between them while typing.
Messaging and Talk
New notifications display the full text of incoming SMS messages. When receiving an MMS, you can view the full photo in a notification.
When entering recipients for an SMS or MMS, a new UI collects recipients as chips, making it easier to compose messages.
Talk features a new notification style.
Notifications
You can now take action on notifications directly from the redesigned notifications shade.
Notifications from the same application are grouped together, and the first item is automatically expanded. You can also pinch notifications to expand or collapse them.
You now get an image preview in notifications after taking a screenshot. You can quickly share the screenshot directly from the notification.
You can lock automatic display rotation from the notifications shade on 7" tablets.
For Wi-Fi only devices, quickly see the SSID of the access point you're connected to from the notifications shade.
You can now touch-hold a notification to identify the application that created it and turn off notifications from that application if needed, as well as uninstall the application.
Networking
Wi-Fi protected setup is now supported with WPS push button and PIN support.
A new setting lets you stay on mobile data and avoid nearby Wi-Fi networks with poor connections.
NEWS and WEATHER
News and Weather is updated to improve freshness and power consumption.
People
The People app is more buttery with smoother animations and improved search performance.
The People app now retrieves high res photos automatically for Google contacts with public Google+ profiles and displays higher res photos (720x720) on certain devices.
High res photos set on Google accounts will be backed up and synced across devices.
The People app has a new 7" tablet layout that is optimized for the form factor.
You can now quickly add your favorite contacts to a home screen, directly from the contact's details page.
The People app helps you organize your contacts and reduces duplicates with an Improved auto-joining algorithm.
You can now clear the frequently contacted list from the favorites tab in the People app.
Phone
When you miss a call, a new notification lets you return the call or reply by SMS with a single touch.
Incoming visual voicemails are displayed in a new notification that lets you play the message with a single touch.
When a call is ongoing, a new notification lets you hang up the call with one touch.
As part of Project Butter, the dial pad is more responsive. Call log scrolling is buttery smooth, and swiping between tabs in Phone is quick and fluid.
You can now clear your frequently contacted list in the favorite tab of Phone.
You can now add phone numbers from the call log to existing, read-only contacts.
Settings
Accounts are now displayed in the primary Settings view so you can easily see all the accounts you're signed into on your device.
You can now easily access all Google Privacy Settings in one place by selecting your Google account from Settings.
System
Device encryption is now more reliable, and periodically reminds you to decrypt your device. Now, SMS messages and calls are declined when waiting for decryption.
You can long press the 'Power Off' option in the power menu to boot your device to safe mode.
A new 'Reset app preferences' button lets you quickly reset default applications for specific activities, background data restrictions, notifications suppressions, and more.
A redesigned dialog with larger icons lets you intuitively choose your preferred application for specific activities.
Google Apps Device Policy on your device may now override the 'keep screen awake' option from developer settings.
Text-to-speech
Jelly Bean introduces a new conversational text-to-speech voice in US English, available as both a network engine and an embedded engine via the TTS API.
Voice Typing
A new embedded speech recognizer lets you use Voice Typing even when you don't have an Internet connection.
Widgets
Jelly Bean makes it easier to personalize your home screen. As you place widgets on the screen, everything else automatically moves to make room.
When they're too big, widgets resize on their own. If you choose to resize a widget, apps and widgets will now also move out of the way.
You can now quickly remove apps or widgets from any home screen by picking them up and flinging them to the edge of the screen.
Launching apps and returning back home are now faster and smoother.
The new Google experience on Android
Google Search
With Jelly Bean, a redesigned experience uses the power of the Knowledge Graph to show you search results in a richer way. It's easier to quickly get precise answers to search queries and explore and browse search results.
Get to Google Search faster: Google Search can be opened directly from the lock screen by swiping up. For devices with software navigation keys, you can now swipe up from the system bar to quickly access Google Search with Google Now. For devices with a hardware search key, you can tap it to launch Google Search.
If you're using a wired headset, long press the headset's button to activate Voice Search. You can quickly perform a search query by voice and have the result read back to you.
You can say "Google" to activate Voice Search from within Google Search.
For many search queries performed through Voice Search, you can now hear a spoken answer.
Voice Search recognition is now significantly faster so you can search quickly on the fly.
Voice Search can now recognize queries even when you have a poor network connection.
Google Now

Google Now brings you just the right information at just the right time. Cards appear throughout the day at the moment you need them, and appear as a notification when they're important. Learn more.
Weather card: When you start your day, Google Now shows weather for your current location and work.
Traffic card: Get traffic conditions and alternate routes before you leave home or work.
Transit card: When you're near a bus stop or a subway station, this card shows you what buses or trains are next.
Places card: When you're on the go, Google Now will suggest nearby bars, restaurants, and places of interest.
Flight card: See flight delays and traffic conditions to the airport for flights you've recently searched for.
Sports card: You can see live scores and upcoming games and also buy game tickets on the fly.
Currency card: When you're traveling, quickly check the local conversion rate.
Translation card: When you're in a foreign country, you can quickly translate words into the local language.
Google Apps
Google+
As you swipe through the stream, large bold photos now fall into place with animations giving you a more interactive browsing experience.
Google+ on tablets has a new magazines layout in the stream.
You can now create and manage Google+ Events right from your device. Posts and photos are saved to the event so you can relive the party any time.
Party Mode lets you instantly upload and share photos during an Event so you capture all the right moments in one place.
New notifications let you +1, comment, or reshare without having to open the Google+ app.
You can now see live video streams of all participants in a Hangout.
A new navigation menu lets you easily navigate through the app and quickly see Google+ notifications.
When viewing a post, you can now swipe to expand and view comments.
Gmail
Gmail has an optimized view for 7" tablets in portrait orientation to give you a better experience reading email.
Gmail and Email feature updated notifications will give you a preview and digest of your inbox. Notifications will also now display the full text of new mail.
YouTube
YouTube has a new, more intuitive user interface, including a guide that provides quick access to your channel subscriptions.
YouTube can now preload videos from subscribed channels for seamless playback even on slower networks.
With a new integrated menu, you can easily watch YouTube on the big screen with Nexus Q or YouTube TV.
Chrome
As a part of Project Butter, Chrome is optimized for fluid and responsive interaction with web content.
To get you started, a new product tour guides you through Chrome’s features.
Quickly change tabs by dragging your thumb from the edges of the screen.
Chrome has a new look and feel for the "Other Devices" page.
Chrome now has simplified application-level settings, which are most consistent with the rest of the platform.
Chrome is the standard browser on Nexus 7.
Maps
With support for offline maps, you can select an area to cache and access it even when you don't have a data connection.
Compass Mode for indoor views and street view is more accurate and responsive with gyroscope support.
With Zagat ratings and reviews built in to Maps, you can quickly get the information you need about places you search for.
You can now browse Google Offers within Maps to find local deals.
Get indoor walking directions in Maps.
Currents
With performance enhancements throughout the application and updates to the user interface, you can browse articles quickly and intuitively.
With an enhanced layout engine for articles, you can enjoy dramatic, large images on a variety of articles.
Currents now uses hardware acceleration to make moving between articles smoother.
Currents has a new 7" tablet layout that is optimized for the form factor.
For editions written in other languages, you can now translate text into your preferred language.
Google Play
A new set of recommendations widgets use a variety of signals — content that people with similar tastes have purchased, stuff that's popular around where you live, content people in your Google+ circles have +1'ed, and more — to recommend new content like apps, games, music, and movies.
A new My Library widget, which displays all of your recent movies, books, music, and magazines and dynamically changes based on what you've been engaging with recently.
Smart App Updates ensure that only the parts of an application that have changed will be downloaded when you next update it, saving on time, bandwidth, and battery when updating apps.
Jelly Bean introduces app encryption for paid apps.
Google Play Books
Embedded audio tracks and videos can now be easily streamed directly within the book you're reading.
You can now add bookmarks to remember important information for later or pick up where you left off reading.
Play Books now offers fixed layout books, optimized for tablet-reading of books with beautifully designed graphics and layouts, like children's books and comic books.
For visually impaired users, automatic text-to-speech settings have been enabled.
Google Play Movies and TV Shows
Movies and TV shows can be quickly downloaded for viewing offline, now with just one tap.
When you make a new purchase from Google Play, that item will be synced directly to the Play Movies and TV Shows app, ready for you to watch when you open the app.
You can watch Movies and TV Shows with Nexus Q by using the integrated media routing menu.
You can zoom in during video playback.
Google Play Music
A new Sound Search widget lets you identify songs you hear and purchase them directly from Google Play.
The Google Play Music widget now lets you thumbs up songs as they're playing and features a new design for better readability.
Playlist art is automatically created based on the album art of songs in that playlist.
In the now playing bar, you can swipe between screens.
The Recent screen features larger album art.
You can delete tracks within the app.
There is a Now Playing queue of tracks.
There is an integrated media routing menu for listening to tracks on Nexus Q, Bluetooth audio devices and headsets.

ANDROID VS IOS

ANDROID VS IOS

Android vs iOS war is going to intensify in the months and years to come. Google has just claimed that Android will get 1 billion activations in a year

Google dreams of attaining 1 billion Android activations within a year. Eric Schmidt, chairman of the Mountain View web giant, hopes that Android will surpass the magical 1 billion mark in a year. As of now, Android gets 1.3 million activations a day, meaning that it will easily hit 1 million before a year, the former Google CEO told to All Things D.

“We just announced 1.3 million activations of Android phones per day globally – per day,” Schmidt said. “Do a little math with me,” he asked. “If you’re at 1.3 [million activations per day], times 365 [days a year], and of course that number doubling every six months or something like this. This is well more than a billion devices globally perhaps within a year,” he added.

Android Vs Apple
 NeedlessNeedless to say, Apple is the chief rival to Android. Reigning over more than half of the global smartphone market, Android has always been in a clash with Apple iPhone. The Google chairman is well aware of the threat from Apple. He has admitted that the Android Vs Apple is the defining fight in tech market today. “I believe that the Android-Apple platform fight is the defining fight in the industry today,” he said.

He went on to laud Apple for an enormously large platform for devs, cloud services and others. He also admitted that Apple has lots of talented engineers and the company is great in managing content, content, apps and partnerships. But, he added that “the Google platform, Android, is even larger” and it is going to get further dominant over all its rivals.

“Surveys that we’ve seen of unit volume indicate that there are four times as many Android phones as there are iPhones,” he recalled. The battle between Apple and Google has entered into a new level with the launch of a set of new Android devices and iPhone 5. The new iPhone 5 with iOS 6 has received lots of gripes from consumers over some of its downfalls that Apple even admitted. Meanwhile, Android is doing well with fresh updates like Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean.Android Domination
Well, Android is gaining more soil day to day. It has been frequently in news with lots of fresh updates. Of now, it is doubtless that Android enjoys a clear edge over iOS in global markets. Here are some Android factors that force us to tell that the platform is blooming up.

Android Makes Google World’s Second Valuable Company: Powered by Android, Google has just surpassed Microsoft as the world’s second most valuable tech company. See, Apple is in the first position thanks to the massive success of its iPad, iPhone and other devices. Google has gained the achievement overcoming Microsoft in a fierce contest and analysts are expecting that it can soon outdo Apple as well.

Early in October, Google hurdled over Microsoft’s value as its stocks hitting at $249.1 billion. It is better than the Redmond’s $247.2 billion. Of course, Android is a major reason for the explosive growth of the company “Android’s growth is even more important to Google in the long term, as more and more people begin to transition to a mobile-centric web experience,” says TechRadar.

A Line of Fresh Android Devices: Well, quite recently, we have been receiving a slew of high-end devices on Android. Prominent OEMs like Samsung, HTC, LG and even Motorola are coming with great devices on Android. Most of the modern day handsets raise increased challenge for Apple iPhone, of course.

Samsung is leading the market with fresh gadgets like Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S3 Mini and more. HTC is just following with impressive products like One X, One X+, One S and the rumored One X 5 phablet. LG has introduced an Optimus G, Optimus Vu II and more. Different from iPhone 5, most of these devices show off advanced features like quad core ships, NFC and others.

IN WHICH WAY ANDROID IS BETTER THAN IOS

WHY ANDROID IS BETTER THAN IOS/IPHONE

Many People who have iPhone’s will try to point out the “great features” of the iOS, however they don’t know what they are missing out on. There are many things about the iOS, that are just plain irritating, and I will point them out.

1. The Back Button – The iPhone lacks a back button, a feature which pretty much all Android phones have to begin with. For example, if you’re reading an email and you click on a link, it opens up Safari, and to get back to your email, you have to press the home button, and click on the mail app again. (This was somewhat fixed with iOS 4.0 multitasking but the functionality of Android is still better.)

2. Default Apps – So far, it is impossible to set default apps for certain actions on the iPhone. However, on Android, this is a piece of cake. If you want to set Opera or Dolphin as the default web browser, you can do so easily but on iPhone, you have to open the app up manually, since Safari cannot be changed as the default web browser.

3. Notification System – The Android slide-down notification bar is amazing, however, the iPhone notification system is horrendous.

4. Widgets – Android Widgets are absolutely amazing. The iPhone lacks Widgets altogether. Android widgets can be placed on the home screen(s), and can provide you with quick news updates, live scorecards for sport, messages, email, and much, much, more.

5. Memory – Apple is too restrictive on what their customers can do and what they can’t. For example, the iPhone doesn’t have a slot for micro-SD cards. If you want more memory on an iPhone, you’ll have to pay an outrageous sum of money for an iPhone with a higher capacity of memory.(There is a significant price difference between the 16GB and 32GB iPhones.) Pretty much all Android Phones, on the other hand, have a compartment to put a micro-SD card into, and with the release of Android 2.2(Froyo), many apps can be saved onto the SD card, saving you a lot of valuable phone memory.

6. Integration – On Android, if you want, your Facebook contacts can be integrated into your phonebook. This a feature which the iPhone lacks.

7. Syncing – Personally, I hated having to repeatedly sync my iPhone with iTunes. With Android, plug your phone into the computer, and it’s just drag and drop, which believe me, is much quicker and convenient than syncing. So, your Android phone can even replace your USB. The iPhone can’t even be started for the first time without iTunes!

8. Android Market – The Android Market doesn’t send you back to the home screen every time you want to download/update an app. I have found this to be very irritating on the App Store.

9. Flash – Many Android phones have Adobe Flash support, while the iPhone only has html5 support. Without flash, many videos on the Internet cannot be viewed, making Youtube, Facebook Video, And TwitVid, some of the only video sites supported by the iPhone.

10. Developers – Apple charges people who want to develop applications for the App Store $100/year, while Google only charges Android developers $5, so once again Android prevails.

11. Email – The email system on the iPhone is horrible. You have to manually check for email, unlike on Android, on which you are notified of an email as soon as it arrives. Also, if you have already viewed/read an email on your computer (eg. on Hotmail), it will appear as unread on your iPhone. This is a big disadvantage for people who use email a lot.

12. Angry Birds is Free – Yep! On Android, all three versions of Angry Birds are free, unlike on iOS where they are $1 each.

HOW ANDROID BECAME SO POPULAR

How Google's Android became the number one smartphone operating system in the world.

In a very short time Google's mobile operating system (OS) Android has become the number one choice for smartphones.


Google's Android has overtaken Symbian and Windows mobile in terms of number of users. Research agencies across the world have confirmed this. But how did Android manage this in just a few years?
Android is free


Android, since the day it was launched, has been available free of cost and Google made it clear that it will be free in future as well. The OS caught the attention of manufacturers across the world and many initially adopted it for low cost smartphones.


Seeing the huge response of the buyers to the Android-based phones, many equipment manufacturers joined the league and more are joining every day. Therefore the free nature of this operating system help in reducing cost thereby helping buyers too.
Open source Android

Unlike other operating systems that are protected by lots of copyrights, Google chose to keep Android open for all. By doing this, the company got many programmers from around the globe to develop applications, while keeping its liabilities to a minimum. With many brains working on the system, newer and newer ideas were incorporated, which in turn helped in making Android a preferred choice.
Open for customisation

Unlike Windows or any other mobile operating system, device manufacturers are free to modify Android as per their needs. Users enjoy much needed flexibility and ease of use because manufacturers are now able to modify anything and everything they need to make the experience a pleasant one.

Large number of applications


Android Market created an opportunity for millions of application developers around the globe to show their skills and come up with newer applications for Android phones. Its users therefore have a wide variety of applications to choose from and can customise their phones for a personal experience.


Android opened numerous possibilities for both device manufacturers and application developers, while helping to reduce the cost of smartphones, thus making them accessible to the common man.

Today, Android smartphones such as Micromax Andro A60 are available at only Rs 6,500; and even high end phones, including Dell's Venue, are available at about Rs 30,000.


Summing it up, Android has taken user experience to the next level while keeping the prices of smartphones well within the reach of the common man, and that is why Android has become the number one choice among smartphone users.

WHO DEVELOPED ANDROID???

WHO DEVELOPED ANDROID

Android is linux based operating system for mobile devices

It is developed by open handset Alliance led by google and other companies

Google was the first one to purchase the initial software

it was back in 2005

It was founded in Palo ALto California In US

It was in october 2003

It was founded by Andy Rubin who is also the co founder of Danger

HISTORY OF ANDROID

ANDROIDS HISTORY

Contents:
1 Version history
1.1 Android beta
1.2 Android 1.0
1.3 Android 1.1
1.4 Android 1.5 Cupcake
1.5 Android 1.6 Donut
1.6 Android 2.0/2.1 Eclair
1.7 Android 2.2.x Froyo
1.8 Android 2.3.x Gingerbread
1.9 Android 3.x Honeycomb
1.10 Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich
1.11 Android 4.1.x Jelly Bean


The Android beta was released on November 5, 2007,[1][2] while the software developer's kit (SDK) was released on November 12, 2007.[3]
[edit]
Android 1.0

The HTC Dream introduced Android 1.0.


Android 1.0, the first commercial version of the software, was released on September 23, 2008.[4] The first Android device, the HTC Dream,[5] incorporated the following Android 1.0 features:Version Release date Features
1.0 September 23, 2008 Android Market application download and updates through the Market app
Web browser to show, zoom and pan full HTML and XHTML web pages – multiple pages show as windows ("cards")[6][7]
Camera support – however this version lacked the option to change the camera's resolution, white balance, quality, etc.[8]
Folders allowing the grouping of a number of app icons into a single folder icon on the Home screen.[9]
Access to web email servers, supporting POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP.[7]
Gmail synchronization with the Gmail app
Google Contacts synchronization with the People app
Google Calendar synchronization with the Calendar app
Google Maps with Latitude and Street View to view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business and obtain driving directions using GPS[8]
Google Sync, allowing management of over-the-air synchronization of Gmail, People, and Calendar
Google Search, allowing users to search the Internet and phone apps, contacts, calendar, etc.
Google Talk instant messaging
Instant messaging, text messaging, and MMS
Media Player, enabling management, importing, and playback of media files – however, this version lacked video and stereo Bluetooth support[7][8]
Notifications appear in the Status bar, with options to set ringtone, LED or vibration alerts[6][7][10]
Voice Dialer allows dialing and placing of phone calls without typing a name or number[7]
Wallpaper allows the user to set the background image or photo behind the Home screen icons and widgets
YouTube video player[11]
Other apps include: Alarm Clock, Calculator, Dialer (Phone), Home screen (launcher), Pictures (Gallery), and Settings.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support

Android 1.1

On February 9, 2009, the Android 1.1 update was released, initially for the HTC Dream only. Android 1.1 was known as "Petit Four" internally, though this name was not used officially.[12] The update resolved bugs, changed the API and added a number of features:[13]Version Release date Features
1.1 February 9, 2009 Details and reviews available when a user searches for businesses on Maps
Longer in-call screen timeout default when using the speakerphone, plus ability to show/hide dialpad
Ability to save attachments in messages
Support added for marquee in system layouts


Android 1.5 Cupcake

The Android Emulator default home screen (v1.5).

On April 30, 2009, the Android 1.5 update was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.27.[14][15] This was the first release to officially use a name based on a dessert ("Cupcake"), a theme which would be used for all releases henceforth. The update included several new features and UI amendments:[16]Version Release date Features
1.5 April 30, 2009 Support for third-party virtual keyboards with text prediction and user dictionary for custom words
Support for Widgets - miniature application views that can be embedded in other applications (such as the Home screen) and receive periodic updates[17]
Video recording and playback in MPEG-4 and 3GP formats
Auto-pairing and stereo support for Bluetooth added (A2DP and AVRCP profiles)
Copy and paste features added to web browser
User pictures shown for Favorites in Contacts
Specific date/time stamp shown for events in call log, and one-touch access to a contact card from call log event
Animated screen transitions
Added auto-rotation option
Added the current stock boot animation
Ability to upload videos to YouTube
Ability to upload photos to Picasa


Android 1.6 Donut

The Android 1.6 home screen.

On September 15, 2009, the Android 1.6 SDK – dubbed Donut – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29.[18][19][20] Included in the update were numerous new features:[18]Version Release date Features
1.6 September 15, 2009 Voice and text entry search enhanced to include bookmark history, contacts, and the web
Ability for developers to include their content in search results
Multi-lingual speech synthesis engine to allow any Android application to "speak" a string of text
Easier searching and ability to view app screenshots in Android Market
Gallery, camera and camcorder more fully integrated, with faster camera access
Ability for users to select multiple photos for deletion
Updated technology support for CDMA/EVDO, 802.1x, VPNs, and a text-to-speech engine
Support for WVGA screen resolutions
Speed improvements in searching and camera applications
Expanded Gesture framework and new GestureBuilder development tool

Android 2.0/2.1 Eclair The Motorola Droid, running Android 2.0.

On October 26, 2009, the Android 2.0 SDK – codenamed Eclair – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.29.[21] Changes included:[22]Version Release date Features
2.0 October 26, 2009 Expanded Account sync, allowing users to add multiple accounts to a device for email- and contact-synchronization
Exchange email support, with combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page
Bluetooth 2.1 support
Ability to tap a Contacts photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person
Ability to search all saved SMS and MMS messages, with delete oldest messages in a conversation automatically deleted when a defined limit is reached
Numerous new camera features, including flash support, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect and macro focus
Improved typing speed on virtual keyboard, with smarter dictionary that learns from word usage and includes contact names as suggestions
Refreshed browser UI with bookmark thumbnails, double-tap zoom and support for HTML5
Calendar agenda view enhanced, showing attending status for each invitee, and ability to invite new guests to events
Optimized hardware speed and revamped UI
Support for more screen sizes and resolutions, with better contrast ratio
Improved Google Maps 3.1.2
MotionEvent class enhanced to track multi-touch events[23]
Addition of live wallpapers, allowing the animation of home-screen background images to show movement
2.0.1 December 3, 2009[24] Minor API changes, bug fixes and framework behavioral changes
2.1 January 12, 2010[25] Minor amendments to the API and bug fixes


Android 2.2.x Froyo

Google's Nexus One was the first smartphone to receive Android 2.2 Froyo.

On May 20, 2010, the Android 2.2 (Froyo, short for Frozen Yogurt) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.32.[26]Version Release date Features
2.2 May 20, 2010 Speed, memory, and performance optimizations[27]
Additional application speed improvements, implemented through JIT compilation[28]
Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine into the Browser application
Support for the Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM) service, enabling push notifications
Improved Microsoft Exchange support, including security policies, auto-discovery, GAL look-up, calendar synchronization and remote wipe
Improved application launcher with shortcuts to Phone and Browser applications
USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality
Added an option to disable data access over mobile network
Updated Market application with batch and automatic update features[27]
Quick switching between multiple keyboard languages and their dictionaries
Voice dialing and contact sharing over Bluetooth
Support for Bluetooth-enabled car and desk docks
Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords
Support for file upload fields in the Browser application[29]
Support for installing applications to the expandable memory
Adobe Flash support[30]
Support for extra-high-PPI screens (320 ppi), such as 4" 720p[31]
Gallery allows users to view picture stacks using a zoom gesture
2.2.1 January 18, 2011 Bug fixes, security updates and performance improvements
2.2.2 January 22, 2011 Minor bug fixes, including SMS routing issues that affected the Nexus One.[32]
2.2.3 November 21, 2011 Two security patches


Android 2.3.x Gingerbread

Google's Nexus S introduced Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

On December 6, 2010, the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.35.[33][34] Changes included:[33]Version Release date Features
2.3 December 6, 2010 Updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed
Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)[31]
Native support for SIP VoIP internet telephony
Faster, more intuitive text input in virtual keyboard, with improved accuracy, better suggested text and voice input mode
Enhanced copy/paste functionality, allowing users to select a word by press-hold, copy, and paste
Support for Near Field Communication (NFC), allowing the user to read an NFC tag embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement
New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost
New Download Manager, giving users easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application
Support for multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available
Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding
Improved power management with a more active role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long
Enhanced support for native code development
Switched from YAFFS to ext4 on newer devices[35][36]
Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers
Concurrent garbage collection for increased performance
Native support for more sensors (such as gyroscopes and barometers)
2.3.3 February 9, 2011 Several improvements and API fixes.[37]
2.3.4 April 28, 2011 Support for voice or video chat using Google Talk.[38]
Open Accessory Library support. Open Accessory was introduced in 3.1 (Honeycomb) but the Open Accessory Library grants 2.3.4 added support when connecting to a USB peripheral with compatible software and a compatible application on the device.[39]
2.3.5 July 25, 2011 System enhancements:[40]
Improved network performance for the Nexus S 4G, among other fixes and improvements
Fixed Bluetooth bug on Samsung Galaxy S
Improved Gmail application
Shadow animations for list scrolling
Camera software enhancements
Improved battery efficiency
2.3.6 September 2, 2011 Fixed a voice search bug

(The 2.3.6 update had the side-effect of impairing the Wi-Fi hotspot functionality of many Canadian Nexus S phones. Google acknowledged this problem and fixed it in late September).[41][42]
2.3.7 September 21, 2011 Google Wallet support for the Nexus S 4G.


Android 3.x Honeycomb

The Motorola Xoom tablet introduced Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

On February 22, 2011, the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) SDK – the first tablet-only Android update – was released, based on Linux kernel 2.6.36.[43][44][45][46] The first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, was released on February 24, 2011.[47] The update's features included:[43]Version Release date Features
3.0 February 22, 2011 Optimized tablet support with a new virtual and “holographic” user interface
Added System Bar, featuring quick access to notifications, status, and soft navigation buttons, available at the bottom of the screen
Added Action Bar, giving access to contextual options, navigation, widgets, or other types of content at the top of the screen
Simplified multitasking – tapping Recent Apps in the System Bar allows users to see snapshots of the tasks underway and quickly jump from one app to another
Redesigned keyboard, making typing fast, efficient and accurate on larger screen sizes
Simplified, more intuitive copy/paste interface
Multiple browser tabs replacing browser windows, plus form auto-fill and a new “incognito” mode allowing anonymous browsing
Quick access to camera exposure, focus, flash, zoom, front-facing camera, time-lapse, and other camera features
Ability to view albums and other collections in full-screen mode in Gallery, with easy access to thumbnails for other photos
New two-pane Contacts UI and Fast Scroll to let users easily organize and locate contacts
New two-pane Email UI to make viewing and organizing messages more efficient, allowing users to select one or more messages
Support for video chat using Google Talk
Hardware acceleration
Support for multi-core processors
Ability to encrypt all user data
HTTPS stack improved with Server Name Indication (SNI)
Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE; kernel module)
3.1 May 10, 2011[48] UI refinements
Connectivity for USB accessories
Expanded Recent Apps list
Resizable Home screen widgets
Support for external keyboards and pointing devices
Support for joysticks and gamepads
Support for FLAC audio playback[49][50]
High-performance Wi-Fi lock, maintaining high-performance Wi-Fi connections when device screen is off
Support for HTTP proxy for each connected Wi-Fi access point
3.2 July 15, 2011[51] Improved hardware support, including optimizations for a wider range of tablets
Increased ability of apps to access files on the SD card, e.g. for synchronization
Compatibility display mode for apps that have not been optimized for tablet screen resolutions
New display support functions, giving developers more control over display appearance on different Android devices [52]
3.2.1 September 20, 2011 Bug fixes and minor security, stability and Wi-Fi improvements
Update to Android Market with automatic updates and easier-to-read Terms and Condition text
Update to Google Books
Improved Adobe Flash support in browser
Improved Chinese handwriting prediction
3.2.2 August 30, 2011 Bug fixes and other minor improvements for the Motorola Xoom 4G
3.2.4 December 2011 "Pay as You Go" support for 3G and 4G tablets
3.2.6 February 2012 Fixed data connectivity issues when coming out of airplane mode on the US 4G Motorola Xoom


Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus introduced Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The SDK for Android 4.0.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich), based on Linux kernel 3.0.1,[53] was publicly released on October 19, 2011.[54] Google's Gabe Cohen stated that Android 4.0 was "theoretically compatible" with any Android 2.3.x device in production at that time.[55] The source code for Android 4.0 became available on November 14, 2011.[56] The update introduced numerous new features, including:[57][58][59]Version Release date Features
4.0.1 October 19, 2011 Soft buttons from Android 3.x are now available for use on phones
Separation of widgets in a new tab, listed in a similar manner to apps
Easier-to-create folders, with a drag-and-drop style
A customizable launcher
Improved visual voicemail with the ability to speed up or slow down voicemail messages
Pinch-to-zoom functionality in the calendar
Integrated screenshot capture (accomplished by holding down the Power and Volume-Down buttons)
Improved error correction on the keyboard
Ability to access apps directly from lock screen
Improved copy and paste functionality
Better voice integration and continuous, real-time speech to text dictation
Face Unlock, a feature that allows users to unlock handsets using facial recognition software
New tabbed web browser under Google's Chrome brand, allowing up to 16 tabs
Automatic syncing of browser with users' Chrome bookmarks
A new typeface family for the UI, Roboto
Data Usage section in settings that lets users set warnings when they approach a certain usage limit, and disable data use when the limit is exceeded
Ability to shut down apps that are using data in the background
Improved camera app with zero shutter lag, time lapse settings, panorama mode, and the ability to zoom while recording
Built-in photo editor
New gallery layout, organized by location and person
Refreshed "People" app with social network integration, status updates and hi-res images
Android Beam, a near-field communication feature allowing the rapid short-range exchange of web bookmarks, contact info, directions, YouTube videos and other data
Support for the WebP image format[49]
Hardware acceleration of the UI[60]
Wi-Fi Direct[61]
1080p video recording for stock Android devices
Android VPN Framework (AVF), and TUN (but not TAP) kernel module. Prior to 4.0, VPN software required rooted Android.
4.0.2 November 28, 2011 Fixed minor bugs on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, the US launch of which was later delayed until December 2011

(For Canadian consumers, 4.0.2 reportedly created a bug on the Galaxy Nexus that crashed the application market when users attempted to view details of any Android application. It also inadvertently reduced the NFC capabilities of the Nexus phone).[62][63]
4.0.3 December 16, 2011[64] Numerous bug fixes and optimizations
Improvements to graphics, databases, spell-checking and Bluetooth functionality
New APIs for developers, including a social stream API in the Contacts provider
Calendar provider enhancements
New camera apps enhancing video stabilization and QVGA resolution
Accessibility refinements such as improved content access for screen readers[65]
4.0.4 March 29, 2012[66] Stability improvements
Better camera performance
Smoother screen rotation
Improved phone number recognition[67]


Android 4.1.x Jelly Bean

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on the Asus Nexus 7 tablet.

Google announced Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) at the Google I/O conference on June 27, 2012. Based on Linux kernel 3.0.31, Jelly Bean was an incremental update with the primary aim of improving the functionality and performance of the user interface. The performance improvement involved "Project Butter", which uses touch anticipation, triple buffering, extended vsync timing and a fixed frame rate of 60 fps to create a fluid and "buttery"-smooth UI.[68] Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was released to AOSP on July 9, 2012,[69] and the Nexus 7, the first device to run Jelly Bean, was released on July 13, 2012.[70]Version Release date Features
4.1.1 July 9, 2012 Smoother user interface:
Vsync timing across all drawing and animation done by the Android framework, including application rendering, touch events, screen composition and display refresh
Triple buffering in the graphics pipeline
Enhanced accessibility
Bi-directional text and other language support
User-installable keyboard maps
Expandable notifications
Ability to turn off notifications on an app specific basis
Shortcuts and widgets can automatically be re-arranged or re-sized to allow new items to fit on home screens
Bluetooth data transfer for Android Beam
Offline voice dictation
New interface layout for tablets with smaller screens or phablets (whose screens more closely resemble that of a phone)[71]
Improved voice search
Improved camera app
Google Wallet (for the Nexus 7)
High-resolution Google+ contact photos[72]
Google Now search application
Multichannel audio[73]
USB audio (for external sound DACs)[73]
Audio chaining (also known as gapless playback)[73][74][75]
Stock Android browser is replaced with the Android mobile version of Google Chrome in devices with Android 4.1 preinstalled[76]
Abillity for other launchers to add widgets from the app drawer without requiring root access
4.1.2 October 9, 2012[77] Home screen rotation support[78]
One-finger gestures to expand/collapse notifications[79]
Bug fixes and performance enhancements