Android: Revolution in Smartphone Industry

Initially seen as a substitute of Apple’s iPhone, it is now the standard OS used in most smartphones.

Following Apple's launch of iPhone in 2007, Google launched Android in 2008. Since its inception, Google’s technical innovation and novel ideas have helped Android step ahead of Apple in its shipment of iPhones.

As reported in an Android developer’s blog, as on December 2010, India along with Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Russia and Singapore would be able to purchase paid apps from the Android Market. A further 18 countries will join the list soon.

Why Users Prefer Android?
The most common reason that users cite for their preference for an Android-bearing smartphone is the experience.

Such features of an Android as easy navigation, openness to any carrier, browsing comfort, easy connectivity make it a perfect addition to any smartphone.

Android is based on a Linux kernel but has a different approach to mobile Linux applications. The high level of uniformity of its applications aids them to run on any Android-based device without significant modification.

The Smartphone Competition in 2011
Though Android dethroned Nokia’s Symbian from its 10-year-long top position in Q4 2010, and sped past iPhone, the smartphone scene in 2011 is going to heat up further owing to the respective technical loopholes of iOS and Android.

While iOS suffers from lack of software flexibility, productivity limitations and limited hardware choices, the open source Android has a chaotic environment and is inconsistent in the timing of updates, which are released by Google to the Android OS twice a year.

However, the popularity of both these applications will still produce huge market shares unless the slacks are noted, which seems unlikely.