I admit that I’m a big fan of Android, but know most people don’t know much about it or have even heard of it. Consider this primer if your thinking of getting a new cellphone.
What is Android?
Android is an operating system (OS) developed for mobile phones. Android is owned by Google and developed in partnership with the Open Handset Alliance.
The open what?
The Open Handset Alliance is a consortium of Google and 50 other tech companies working together to develop open standards for mobile devices.
What exactly is an “open standard’?
Simply put, this refers to technology that is publicly available and often royalty-free. An example of this would be HTML or XMPP.
What does this mean for Android?
This just means that Android is more flexible in how it works, it resembles Linux more than it does Windows.
Ok, so what makes Android so special?
Glad you asked. Android takes this idea of being open and expands it to every part of a mobile device. Backgrounds can be changed at will. Application shortcuts and widgets can be placed and moved as you decide. Themes can be installed as easily as installing a market app.
There are currently 9 handsets across 3 carriers (Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile), with more models coming out next year. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to get the style you want, from the carrier you want.
Android can also be found on Acer Aspire One netbooks and the new Nook E-Reader from Barnes and
Noble.
While the Android App Market is quite a bit smaller than Iphone’s, it’s still respectable at 20k apps, with more being added daily. Android market is 62% free, something Iphone can’t say.
Is that it?
Nope! If you’re feeling adventurous, rooting your phone is an easy and worthwhile endeavor. Rooting your phone is simply unlocking functionality made possible by the device manufacturer, and blocked by the service provider. Things you can do with a rooted phone:
You can install the latest Android build directly from the Android source tree (otherwise you have to wait until your carrier distributes it).
Create full backups of the state of your phone.
Create and install custom Android builds.
Install Applications to your SD card to save space on the device and improve performance.
You can run applications that require root, like screenshost and auto rotate your browser.
Use your phone as a tether to connect your computer/laptop to the internet when internet isn’t available.
Turn your phone into a wireless router that provides internet access.
You can install a full Linux distribution, like Debian
That’s okay if you feel that way, Android phones don’t have to be rooted. There are still many things you can do with the Apps available, such as GPS navigation, barcode scanner to help you find the best prices, taking and uploading photos to anywhere you want, games, music, movies, reading, or even listening to your local radio station, just to name a few.
Hmmm…
You can try a G1 emulator here: http://tmobile.modeaondemand.com/htc/g1/
* This is outdated, but gives a general idea of what Android is like