Summary
Originally Android was being developing by Android .inc. which was later acquired by Google in 2005. The operating system become available in 2008 with the release of HTC Dream smartphone.
The OS is based on the Linux Kernel. While the Android OS itself is open-source, some apps and component, like Google Gmail, are proprieties and close-source.
It become one of the widely used mobile OS beside Apple's iOS. Unlike iOS which is only available on Apple's smartphones and tablets, Android can be found on many manufacturer's smartphones and tablets, including Sony Xperia series, Samsung Galaxy series and many more.
Each Android versions have been developed under a confectionery-themed code name and released in alphabetical order:
- Android 1.0: Alpha
- Android 1.1: Beta
- Android 1.5: Cupcake
- Android 1.6: Donut
- Android 2.0 to 2.1: Eclair
- Android 2.2: Froyo
- Android 2.3 to 2.3.7: Gingerbread
- Android 3.0 to 3.2.6: Honeycomb
- Android 4.0 to 4.0.4: Ice Cream Sandwich
- Android 4.1 to 4.3.1: Jelly Bean
- Android 4.4 to 4.4.4: KitKat (Named after the chocolate bar brand)
- Android 5.0: As of September 2014, it is currently known as L
On pixiv, it is recommended that the Android-related illustrations should be tagged with the 'Android(携帯情報端末)' tag.
