Google's Android is a multitouch-enabled, Linux-based operating system for mobile computing. Oh, have you heard of it? With the fastest-growing share of the smartphone market, as well as tablets or "slates" on the way, Android has emerged as the most formidable competitor to the iPhone and iPad. Google's well-developed Java libraries and Eclipse plug-in make the platform accessible to Java developers. Native audio/video support is extensive, hardware hooks are plentiful, and performance of both native apps and Web apps is strong. Android 2.2 platform additions include backup/restore APIs, a device policy management API, the beginnings of Exchange support, and a cloud-to-device and push messaging framework that will be essential to corporate deployments. For business users, the potential of Android has only begun to be tapped.
License: Apache License 2.0
The Bossies 2010 index:
Bossie Awards 2010: The best open source software of the year
Bossie Awards 2010: The best open source applications
Bossie Awards 2010: The best open source application development software
Bossie Awards 2010: The best open source platforms and middleware
Bossie Awards 2010: The best open source networking software
