The Android Library exists to provide the latest news and information for the Android Powered Mobile Phones including Applications and Phones Available.

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What is Android, -No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, - Device Types, - Applications, - Choosing Provider and Plan,
Apple Iphone Android Phone Comparison,

What Is Android

So what is Android ?
  1. Android is an operating system that has been designed as open source ?
  2. What Does open source Mean ? OK everybody has heard of Microsoft Windows and Apple, they and others are owned and licensed by the respective company, and normally for any manufacturer to use the OS they pay a license fee ( Apple only allows Apple OS on things they make and sell themselves, but anybody can use Android for free and just as important the code is available for all to use and develop new applications which work on top of Android.
  3. Android was designed in the beginning for mobile type devices, so any device that relies on Internet connection to work -- that could be through WIFI or Mobile Phone Connection.
  4. The Android OS is loosely based on Linux which is also similar to the underlying Operating System Apple uses, they are both Unix type file systems.
  5. What Does Google Have to do with all this ? Google bought Android Inc. who were the original developer of Android and worked with the original developers to integrate in some very important core mobile applications including Internet Search and browser, Google Maps, Google Voice, Google Goggles, GPS, flash and Voice Search
  6. Why Linux / Unix, we all know that Microsoft Windows is still the dominant Operating System with the largest number of applications and is designed for anybody and everybody to use with ease, but because of it's dominance and because of some inherent problems the Hackers / Spammers have concentrated on writing viruses which can wreck your system or attempt to steal personal information etc. . We also know that in general Apple systems have less problems because the underlying Unix system is harder to hack ( Not impossible ). Does this mean that Android will be 100% safe , no but it should offer some degree of protection.

No such thing as a free lunch

I decided to include this because as the saying goes there is no such thing as a free lunch in mobiles or anywhere else, Google basically gave away some extremely important applications which are core to mobile usage and their return is to allow them to include advertising. As an example the basic Android Operating System includes things like GPS, Maps, Voice these were applications you would pay extra for ether as applications or for usage. Android has changed all that.
This also applies to any other free applications, some may be to promote a company ( check out the GEICO GloveBox App ) only available currently for Apple Iphone, but will soon be available for Android, it is designed to add value to your using GEICO insurance so it is free, other applications which might be free will have some form of advertising built in to pay for development and usage.

Android Powered Devices

The Android powered Mobile Phones, Tablets, Netbooks, TV Set top boxes are the latest entry in the market for Smart devices which provide much more than just being able to make phone calls, send text messages, play games, read books and more coming.

Smart Phones provide the interface and technology to harness the power of the Internet on a small hand held mobile device which allows you to surf the Internet, answer E-Mail, GPS Location, Local Maps and directions, Play Video's and Music, Built In Camera. The market was dominated by two major players the Apple Iphone and the RM Blackberry but Android powered phones are outselling them already.

Tablets as the technology for touch based screens has evolved, the cost has decreased significantly and the number and range of applications available has increased, Tablets offer a new generation of devices that are cheap, low power usage, WIFI enabled, easy and versatile to use.

Netbooks Netbooks are becoming more powerful and will run as stand alone devices, but they are primarily designed for use as mobile Internet connected devices.

Set top TV devices As the Internet access speeds continue to improve and people want to use high quality large screens to watch movies, play computer games, online TV, Youtube videos an important part that is currently missing is the ease of use and WI/FI connection ability between home computers and that large screen, this is where the next generation of set top boxes will shine, anything you can do or watch on your computer you will be able to watch on that big screen without special cables/ wires etc. Just think about using Facebook on your big screen without the hassle of sophisticated set up.

Incar smart devices We have not seen Android move into this yet but it seems an obvious extension because of it's cost to car makers ( OS costs nothing ) and the potential uses and benefits to drivers, Just think of the adds you see on TV for Fords / Microsoft Sync

Android Powered Home Devices Just a short few years ago this was the stuff of Science Fiction, but now is a reality Apple Iphone will control your garage doors, turn lights on and much more, but you would need all your home devices to be Apple enabled, as I have said before the difference between companies like Apple and Microsoft compared with Android is there is no License cost to manufactures to embed Android into home devices ( just think of most modern fridges and many other home devices they already have some form of digital electronics / Computer built in ) so the cost to change to Android powered should not be that significant.

As new devices become available we will attempt to look at each new device and provide information, It should be remembered that the choice of any Android Powered Mobile device will be defined as much by the power, design and functionality as by the best provider of service where you live or travel. Just 12 months ago Sprint and AT&T was not usable in the area where I live but the Sprint service is now great, so always find preferred service provider before deciding on your Android device.


Android Applications

Our Android Applications will only include the Best In Class Applications free and commercial applications but there are thousands if not ten of thousands of other applications available, Our criteria will be ease of use, cost, and usefulness.

Just some of the free applications available for download already include: Pac-Man, Twidroid Twitter client, Weather Channel, Compass,

Choosing Your Device Provider and Plan

What should you look for when choosing your provider ?
  1. Cost including how many free minutes
  2. Additional Cost for Texting
  3. Applications built in
  4. Do you pay for Incoming and Outgoing calls
  5. Internet Access cost including download limitations ( How much data can you download ) and if exceeded how much does it cost
  6. What applications can you run and do you have to get them from a single source ( E.G. Apple Iphone you can only run applications purchased or obtained through Apple )
  7. Cost of applications including usage costs
  8. Cost of addons ( This is important we have all seen the adds for turning a mobile phone into a Mobile Hotspot ) How Much? or for example if you want one of the new tablets will you need an extra data plan . As with all things in life the real costs of usage is in the details

An Example Of Costs

In my area both Sprint and Verizon have full coverage and costs are similar with 400 free minutes, full Internet access and both sell the latest Android Mobile Phones ( Verizon sells the Droid Incredible and Sprint sells the HTC Evo 4G )

Android Device - Apple Iphone Comparison

Basic Cost Of Phone
Both are very similar $99.00 for older versions of the phones and $199.00 for the latest phone.
Functionality
In truth the look of the Iphone is still superior to anything else available but most of the current smart phones are close in things like Camera, Memory etc. etc. the one important thing to remember is the Apple Iphone does not allow Flash applications to run, so for example you can not run many of the free games on the Internet ( Apple wants you to buy them ), in all fairness there are some problems with some flash applications and viruses etc. so although it may well be a business decision re no apps unless you buy them, it does also offer some protection for the user.
Plans
When comparing the two, possibly the most important thing to remember is you only have one option for service provider for Apple in the U.S. AT&T, plans appear similar in cost but as I said before the usage cost is in the details , for example GPS usage is an extra $10.00 per month, Skype which up to June 1st was not available on the Apple Iphone will be available from June 1st but there will be additional charges for Skype to Skype.
Applications Available
Currently applications for the Apple Iphone offer more choice, are much more advanced and because of Apple control offer better protection to the consumer, many are also quite expensive for what they offer. Android applications are improving in leaps and bounds with the number, range and where you can obtain them quickly catching up with Apple.
Applications Download
Like everything in life there are two sides to this, Apple insists you buy or download all applications through them ( offering Apple an important revenue stream ), but this does also offer the consumer an important service, all apps are checked for problems / running etc. before they can be installed to the phone offering an important form of protection against malware. It also provides Apple and AT&T with an important block to apps that could bypass their income stream ( Look how long it has taken for Skype to be available ).
My Personal Conclusions
I do love Apple products both for design, functionality and applications available ( Iphone and Ipad ), but for me personally because of the strict controls they enforce I prefer Android based devices, but we are all different and I could see a significant number of people preferring the Apple way of doing things because of the control which provides a better level of security for the user.


About: The Android Library is designed to provide reviews and information for the latest entry of the new generation of Devices ( Android Powered Devices ) commonly referred to as Android and the applications available for those devices.



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