Each version of Android since 1.5 has been developed with a specific codename. These codenames are chosen alphabetically, and have thus far all been dessert items (or, generically, sweet/sugary foods). Some codenames are associated with more than one version number, while others are limited to only a specific one, and the reason for this inconsistency is not currently known. The naming typically appears to correspond to changes in the developer API levels, but this is not always true (example: 3.0 and 3.1 are both "Honeycomb" but they have different API levels).
The following names are used for the currently existing Android releases. Note that versions 1.0 and 1.1 were not publicly named. However, Android 1.1 was internally referred to as "Petit-Four" (noted in Traroth's answer, confirmed here):
Android is now nearly nine years old and despite the green robot android peeking out of phone shops up and down the high street, there are still plenty of people who don’t know what Android is.
If you fit into this category then have no fear; this article is your complete guide to understanding what Android is, what it can do and where to find it, including the best Android mobile phones, Android apps, which games you can play on Android devices, the very best features you can enjoy and how to update to the latest version.
What is Android?
Android is the name of the mobile operating system owned by American company, Google. It most commonly comes installed on a variety of smartphones and tablets from a host of manufacturers offering users access to Google’s own services like Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail and more.
This means you can easily look for information on the web, watch videos, search for directions and write emails on your phone, just as you would on your computer, but there’s more to Android than these simple examples.
What can an Android phone do?
Android phones are highly customisable and as such can be altered to suit your tastes and needs; with wallpapers, themes and launchers which completely change the look of your device's interface. You can download applications to do all sorts of things like check your Facebook and Twitter feeds, manage your bank account, order pizza and play games. You can plan events from your phone's calendar and see them on your computer or browse websites on your desktop Mac or PC and pick them up on your phone.
Another neat feature of Android is that it automatically backs up your contacts for you. When you set up an Android phone you’ll need to create a Google Account or sign in with an existing one. Every time you save a number to the address book of your Android phone it will be synced to your Google Account.
The benefit of this is that if you lose your phone all of your numbers will be saved. The next time you get an Android phone (or an iPhone or Windows Phone if you prefer) and sign in with your Google Account, all of your contacts and friend's numbers will be displayed in your new phone’s address book immediately, no need to transfer or back them up anywhere else.
Syncing is a way for your phone to keep all your information; websites, contacts, calendar entries and apps up-to-date. This can happen over your phone's mobile data or WiFi connection, seamlessly, in the background.
What apps can I get on an Android phone?
There are millions of apps and games available to download from the Google Play store (formerly Android Market). There are camera apps that allow you to take pictures with artistic effects and music players which allow you to stream songs from the web or create playlists. You can customise the appearance of your Android handset with a number of wallpapers based on pictures you’ve taken yourself or downloaded from the internet too.
An example of a widget on the home screen of an Android phone. This one lets you access music playback from Spotify without having to open the application.
There are also various on-screen widgets to download which allow access to, and the alteration of, settings on your phone, without the need to dive through menus as you would on non-Android devices. You can pretty much create your own system of shortcuts and menus to better suit how you uniquely use your phone.
You can also download a huge range of games for your Android phone to keep you entertained on the go. Here are our favourite Android games of all time.
Asphalt Overdrive is a simple to play, tricky to master racing game.
The same account that lets you backup your contacts can also have financial details added to it, giving you the ability to purchase content from the Google Play store directly. You can pay either by debit or credit card and initial setup takes less than five minutes from a computer.
Although there are well over a million apps available to Android users in the Google Play store, some developers choose to make their apps available to download from their own sites or alternative app stores. In order to download them, you have to change some settings on your phone before visiting these sites on your Android device's web browser. By downloading apps outside of the Google Play store, you do run the risk of attack in the form of data theft or by leaving yourself more susceptible to viruses, so be careful if you choose this route.
Should you upgrade or change your Android phone; log into your Google account and you’ll be able to download your previously owned apps again, without being charged. In recent years, Google has expanded Google Play to offer more than just apps, with books, magazines, music and movies available for purchase and download in much the same way too.
Who actually makes Android phones?
Any handset maker is free to make an Android phone if they want to. The likes of Motorola, HTC, Samsung and Sony, Acer, Alcatel, Asus, Huawei, LG and ZTE have all made Android phones (and tablets). Blackberry also launched its very first Android phone, the strangely-named Blackberry Priv at the end of 2015.
Although Google owns the OS (Android), the company has not made any of the smartphones on which it runs in-house (it did make the Android-powered Pixel C tablet in 2015). However, it has partnered with various handset manufacturers over the years to make its own-brand smartphones under the 'Nexus' name.
Google's Nexus phones were typically the first to receive new updates and were considered to be the flagship Android phones, even though some other Android devices sported larger screens, better cameras and more powerful hardware. In 2016 Google shelved the Nexus brand name and replaced by launching two new phones called the Pixel and Pixel XL. For all intents and purposes, these new phones enjoy all the same benefits as the Nexus devices did and are essentially the spiritual successors to the Nexus line.
Android updates
Google is constantly working on new versions of the Android software. These releases are infrequent; at the moment they normally come out every six months or so, but Google is looking to slow this down to once a year. Check out our handy, comprehensive guide to every Android version out there.
Like Android phones, Android tablets come in all shapes and sizes. These can range from the 7-inch screen of the Asus-made Google Nexus 7 to far larger displays, such as the 10-inch display found on the Nexus 10.
Somewhat confusingly, some older Android tablets; like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, launched running Android 2.2 Froyo - a version of Android designed for phones, whilst Android 3.0 Honeycomb was the first release of the OS specifically for tablets.
Older Android tablets which didn’t run on 3.0 Honeycomb couldn’t benefit from things like the redesigned YouTube app, improved widgets and certain tablet-specific apps like SwiftKey for Tablets.
This fragmentation between Android phones and tablets was eliminated with the launch of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which was designed to operate on either type of device and scale accordingly. Android Jelly Bean introduced a number of improvements for both the smartphone and tablet experience over the likes of ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) and that trend continues with the latest release, Android 7.0 Nougat, which brings features like split screen support to the table.
Do Android updates cost anything?
Android updates are free to download and install. Updates bring a number of new features and changes to Android each time. Generally, with each update the speed and overall performance of Android is improved upon.
Most of the high-end Android phones are scheduled to receive updates first. Most Android phones will have at least one update during their life cycle, with some having two. A life cycle is usually around 18 months, but depending on the phone this can be longer. These updates differ from app updates, which are smaller, incremental releases for individual applications installed on your Android device.
How do I get an update?
Android updates are normally received OTA (Over The Air), that is, sent directly to your Android phone without the need for a computer. Normally, once your Android phone or tablet is due to get an update, you'll see a notification in the bar at the top of the screen. You'll then be prompted to connect to WiFi to avoid incurring extra data charges - updates can be quite big and downloading them over a mobile data connection isn’t advised as it may result in expensive data charges.
Updates are generally one-stage processes and relatively straightforward, but in some cases, you may need to backup/save any media (photos, movies, music) or apps you've downloaded before updating.
How can I change the look and feel of my Android phone desktops?
Android phones from the likes of Huawei, LG and Samsung all sport a very different look and feel to the stock Android found on Google's own Nexus phones. That's because each manufacturer tends to add their own software overlay to Android, known as a 'launcher', which changes the design of the home screen, additional desktops, app logos and so on.
Luckily, if you feel like refreshing your Android phone's software design, it's incredibly easy to pull off. Just check out our guide to changing your Android launcher to learn how
New Delhi: 2017 is going to unveil more new gadgets upping the convenience factor. Some of the launches expected are of the following:
Apple iPhone 8
As per media reports, Apple may sneak in major changes in its next flagship to mark the iPhone’s 10th anniversary in 2017. What s being speculated that the liquid-crystal LCD display may get swapped by OLED display (organic light-emitting diodes) OLED displays are known to be thinner, lighter, and more flexible than LCDs. Samsung’s Galaxy Edge phones sport a similar design and have been called gimmicky; Apple is also making the phone sensitive to touch on any of its sids instead of just one.
Samsung Galaxy S8
The next flagship from Samsung will have a tough job to p[lease all those who were disillusion by the notorious Galaxy Note 7. Leaked photo reveals curved gold handset - and no home button
The upcoming Galaxy S8 is expected to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress at Barcelona from February 27-March 2. The phone will feature a new virtual personal assistant based on technology from an AI and assistant system Viv, which it acquired in October. Viv was co-founded by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham — who created Siri, which was acquired by Apple in 2010. The S8 is also expected to be powerpacked with an extremely high-resolution “4K” display, a second rear camera, and possibly an iris scanner for an added layer of security.
Foldable Samsung phone
Samsung is expected to release its most awaited foldable smartphone, which it is working on for years. Dubbed the Galaxy X for now, the foldable device would let you read and view content on a tablet-sized screen that could convert to a smartphone-like size for convenient transport. Though other companies like Lenovo, Oppo have also created dual-screen and foldable smartphones, but none have released the device commercially.
Microsoft Surface phone
CEO Satya Nadella's the “ultimate mobile device” could be the first of a Surface series phone, which is expected in 2017. The device is expected to offer the latest and most innovative use of the Windows 10 Mobile operating system. As per leaked pics, it has a metal body to match Microsoft’s other Surface devices and run the Windows 10 OS through an emulator, if connected to an external keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
Android Wear 2.0 smart watches
Smart watches based on Android Wear 2.0, an updated version of Google’s Android operating system are expected to be launched in mid-2017. The watches are expected to allow users download and run apps on their watches via Bluetooth, cellular connection, or Wi-Fi, without relying on tethered connections from their smartphones, iPhone owners could use Android Wear devices
In case you've missed the memo, the much-anticipated revival of Nokia on the mobile smartphone scene is already a fact - the Nokia 6 got officially announced just a couple of days ago and it looks like a not-too-shabby start for the rejuvenated well-known phone brand of old.
While it's true that the Nokia 6 is mostly a mid-range affair that won't be available outside China for now, its recent announcement sends the clear message that HMD Global (the de facto manufacturer behind the 6 and all upcoming Nokia smartphones) is ready and willing to shake up the status quo and try to find its place under the sun. For now, it's making its baby steps and it's fair to say that its journey will be an interesting one.
But just how mid-range is that exotic Nokia 6 smartphone, and better yet, how does it stack up against the most popular phones out there? By popular, we have in mind two devices that hardly need any introduction - the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S7 edge.
Here's a brief specs comparison between the three!
Donut, Android logo, Nexus one, Cupcake, Eclair
Honeycomb
Froyo, Gingerbread, Icecream Sandwich
KitKat
Lollipop
Marshmallow
Nougat
