In the current generation it is difficult to imagine a life without technology. Life becomes easy and also difficult as any advancement in technology has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advancements in technology have changed people’s perception towards life to think and act differently in the day to day lives. Human being as a social animal must communicate with others on a daily basis, not only on a professional basis but also to build and maintain relationships. Communication has developed tremendously over the years and it is now easier to contact any person living in any remote area using a cellphone.
The earlier cellphones a few decades ago could be used only for talking and messaging via SMS (Short Message Service). The developments in mobile technology have been so rapid that the cellphones in the present lifestyle can be used for any purpose such as talking, messaging, watching movies, playing hi-end games, video calling, call and message blocking, to name a few. These new features in the cellphones are made possible due to the upgrade in hardware, software, the operating systems and the invention of optic fibers that carry data, voice, text, and images in a digital format. The hardware in mobile communication has been upgraded from the wired telephones to the wireless cellphone systems and now the signal travels through air. The software used in the cellphones has seen major changes from the ones used in the initial button phones till the present-day smartphones. Almost all cellphone companies now provide smartphones and majority of these cellphones are built on the Android operating system.
The combination of the Android operating system and cellphones has created a revolution with the youngsters and the aged. The users are interested in the form, design, and functionality of Android (Ling, 101). Android, the product of Android Incorporation was brought by Google, the IT giant in 2005. Though the initial stakeholders were working on developing Android for the digital cameras, they stopped the development mid-way as they realized there was no demand for digital cameras. Android was later developed in Google on the Linux operating system for the smartphones and the tablet computers. There are a few other mobile operating systems such as Symbian, Blackberry OS, webOS from LG, Asha from Nokia and iOS from Apple Incorporation; however Android holds the highest market share due to its user friendly interface and support for thousands of applications (apps) powered by Google Play store.
As discussed earlier, Android allows the user to download a vast number of applications from Google Play store. Android provides a shared mechanism between all apps that provide a nice list of sharing apps; iOS does not (Shotts, 2013). The medical device manufacturers also meet their expectations using these applications in sophisticated medical equipment. Android is also being developed for the medical devices that consist of a display, for example CT scanners, the monitors at the bedside, and the pacemaker devices. Medical devices require that the operating system built for the devices are safe, secure and compliant, and Android finds a niche as the most robust OS for these devices in the emerging medical field.
Apart from the medical field Android has also seen its presence in the Engineering field. Androids facility supporting screen based interfaces has also made it the OS of choice for many industrial and consumer electronics including navigation devices, set-top boxes, kiosks, self-check stands, tablets and e-readers (Educause, 2010). The many apps supported by Android in Engineering include the Engineering Calculator, Fluid Mechanics Convertor, and CAD view 3D. It has been a practice in many mechanical designs to use dual monitors, and keyboards in 3D designing and as stated by Shotts (2013), Android permits different keyboards to be installed, and not every keyboard does things in the same way. Apart from the keyboard android also integrates with other electronic devices like laptop, tablets, netbooks and numerous devices.
Inestimable mobile devices are powered by Android throughout the world in nearly all the developed and developing countries. There are still a few countries that need to be educated on the mobile technology. Earlier people used to read the hard copy of newspaper, magazine, journals and books; however with the e-reader in Android the hard copy of paper is converted into digital format and can be accessed by a simple touch. The aged people in the society find this feature very interesting as they need not wait for the paper boy or go to the book stores to buy the books. The current generation is health conscious and wants to know what to eat? How much to eat? How much to exercise? Compared to the earlier stopwatches and analog weighing machines Android offers an interesting feature wherein the cellphone can be converted to a pedometer and apps can be installed to understand how much calories to burn.
Android OS is very popular and hence widely used because of the apps it offers. The popularity of smart phones among consumers means developers must assess the spectrum of operating systems upon which these devices run and determine their efforts (Educause, 2010). Android OS is an open source; it can be modified by passing a few limitations and it is distributed by device manufacturers. Android has been used for entertainment purposes and now it is demanded in large organizations to expand the business. All things considered, Android has changed the way people saw life in the last decade that used the annoying button cellphones, which not only made irritating sound but also were considered non user friendly though they served the purpose of calling and messaging.
Works Cited
Educause Learning Initiative, 7 things you should know about Android, Retrieved from
net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7067.pdf. 2010. PDF file.
Ling, Richard Seyler, Taken for Grantedness: The Embedding of Mobile Communication Into
Society, MIT Press, Retrieved from http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Taken_for_Grantedness.html?id=uJaFZSXnlOAC&redir_esc=y 2012. Print
Shotts, Kerri. PhoneGap 2. X Mobile Application Development Hotshot. Packt Publishing Ltd.
Retrieved from
http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Phonegap_2_Mobile_Application_Developmen.ht
ml?id=VukpeSt7WQcC&redir_esc=y. 2013. Print.
