Android Operating System
POS/355
June 19, 2013
Castle Phelps

Introduction

The “Android” operating system is in many users opinion the best mobile device operating system in use today. It allows mobile device manufacturers the ability to tailor the operating systems for the specific device it to be used on, In this essay we will talk about what makes the Android operating system the most popular operating system out on the market today and why it controls the majority market share for mobile devices. We will discuss how the Android allows for external storage of applications, expandable memory, and use of the Google “Cloud” with apps such as Google Drive, Google Play, and Google Wallet. We will also cover how android deals with internet security, viruses, and malware on their mobile devices operating systems.
Memory Management
The fact that Google allows mobile device manufacturers to customize the android operating system for all of their phones and tablets means that each device will vary on how much internal memory will be used for android firmware and applications. Many of the higher end devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy line of devices offer 1GB of memory and up with expandable memory up to an additional 32GB with a micro SDHC card. Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.
Android is a Linux based OS with a 2.6.x kernel, stripped down to handle most tasks pretty well; All the basic OS operations like I/O, memory management, and so on, are handled by the native stripped-down Linux kernel. Android’s process and memory management is a little unusual, like Java and .NET, Android uses its own run time and virtual machine to manage application memory. Unlike either of these frameworks, the Android run time also manages the process lifetimes. Each Android application runs in a separate process relinquishing all responsibility for memory and process management to the Android run time, which stops and kills processes as necessary to manage resources.
One of the key elements of Android is the Dalvik virtual machine, Rather than use a traditional Java virtual machine such as Java ME (Java Mobile Edition), Android uses its own custom VM designed to ensure that multiple instances run efficiently on a single device. By using a VM to host application execution, developers have an abstraction layer that ensures they never have to worry about a particular hardware implementation and with the ability to root many of the various smartphones and tablets available on the market today, it also allows users to create their own versions and apps making it truly their own device. Other mobile device operating systems such as Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows 8 mobile keep strict control over their OS and do not allow third party apps or any customization to the OS without the phone being “jailbroken” or hacked, which usually ends up voiding the warranty on the device, and if not done correctly can brick your device making it inoperable.
Rooting and Application Development

Rooting an Android device refers to the ability of the user to gain root access and have root permissions. It is the process that provides users with full administrator control and accesses to an Android smartphone or tablet similar to "jailbreaking" an iOS device, this is often done in order to bypass carrier or handset maker limitations or restrictions. Once you achieve "root access," you can replace or alter applications and system settings, run specialized apps, and more. The process of rooting an Android device varies for each device, but seems to have been streamlined over time. Note that rooting will void the device warranty; however, flashing a stock ROM can revert things back to their original state.
There are multiple reasons for rooting your Android, the ability to remove any unwanted apps and games that your carrier or phone maker installs before you ever unwrap your phone. Rather than simply disabling these bloatware titles, rooting can grant you a full uninstallation. Deleting apps you'll never use can also free up some additional storage capacity. Another main benefit of rooting is to enable faster platform updates, once rooted; you can often get some of the new platform features through custom ROMs in short order. ROMs are replacement firmware for Android devices that provide features or options not found in the stock OS experience. This could add years of life to an Android handset, rather than buy a new phone, flash a new ROM.
Aside from installing custom ROMs, rooting your phone opens the door to installing new applications extending device management and security functionality beyond what comes with the usual Android OS experience. These applications allow you to take control of your device and do a wide variety of actions not normally permitted or possible without root access. Some of these applications allow you to take entire system-wide backups, change your devices screen density, or even alter the look and feel of your device.(cnet.com)
File management

Android was designed from the ground up as an operating system (OS) for mobile devices. Its built-in application and memory-management systems were engineered with battery life as one of the most critical concerns. The Android OS does not work like a desktop OS, on a desktop OS like Windows, Mac OS X, or Ubuntu Linux, the user is responsible for closing programs in order to keep a reasonable amount of memory available. On Android devices the OS itself automatically removes programs from memory as memory is needed. The OS may also preload applications into memory which it thinks might soon be needed. One complaint commonly brought up against the iOS platform is the lack of a device-wide file management system. Android, on the other hand, gives users complete control over the files on their phone/tablet or SD Card. Android uses several partitions (like boot, system, recovery,data etc) to organize files and folders on the device just like Windows OS. The use of these partitions allows android devices many of the same functionalities as a desktop with features such as Cut, Copy, and Paste of files and documents. You can know which partitions are available along with the partition size for all partition in your Android device. (cnet.com)
The /boot partition of your Android device includes the android kernel and the ramdisk. The device will not boot without this partition.
The /system partition contains the entire Android OS, other than the kernel and the ramdisk. This includes the Android GUI and all the system applications that come pre-installed on the device. Wiping this partition will remove Android from the device without rendering it unbootable, and you will still be able to put the phone into recovery or boot loader mode to install a new ROM.
The /recovery partition is specially designed for backup and can be considered as an alternative boot partition, that lets the device boot into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it.
The /data partition or user data partition contains the user’s data like your contacts, messages, settings and all Android applications that you have installed. Performing a factory reset will wipe this partition.
/Cache is the partition where Android stores frequently accessed data and app components. Wiping the cache doesn’t affect your personal data but simply gets rid of the existing data there, which gets automatically rebuilt as you continue using the device.
The /misc. partition contains miscellaneous system settings in form of on/off switches. These settings may include CID (Carrier or Region ID), USB configuration and certain hardware settings etc. This is an important partition and if it is corrupt or missing, several of the device’s features will not function normally.
/sdcard is not a partition on the internal memory of the device but rather the SD card. In terms of usage, this is storage space to use as seen fit, to store media, documents, ROMs etc. on it. Wiping it is perfectly safe as long as all the data required from it is backed up to your computer first. Though several user-installed apps save their data and settings on the SD card and wiping this partition will make you lose all that data. On devices with an internal and an external SD card, devices like the Samsung Galaxy S and several tablets, the /sdcard partition is always used to refer to the internal SD card. An alternative partition is used for the external SD card which varies between devices.
Google Play

Google play is Google's new name for what used to be known as the Android Market, where Android users went to download their mobile apps. One of the things Google's also underlining with the ditching of the Android Market name is that Google Play isn't just for Android users any more. The web site's books and videos sections are fully functional on a desktop and let users view content online.
This app distribution service has exploded alongside the mobile OS itself, with the search giant adding movie rentals, books and in the United States a music service to its app shop, making it more of a supermarket than a simple app listing service. This new system should ensure "your favorite music, books, movies, apps, and games are all in one place that's accessible from the Web and any Android device"; emphasizing the "cloud" based nature of its Android experience, underlining the fact users can buy a book on your phone and read it on the web-based Play Store, or rent a movie through the site and have it sent to their devices, there's now an "All" tab within the downloaded apps page, which lists every single application ever downloaded. Even the awful ones deleted after a 30 second fiddle two years ago. The updated Google Play app also allows sorting of user reviews which now show the particular model of the Android device used by the reviewer.(pcmag.com)
Android Security

With PC sales dwindling amidst a rapidly growing smartphone and tablet market, malware creators are increasingly targeting Android; In fact, NQ Mobile reports that over 32.8 million Android smartphones were infected with malware in 2012, an increase of 20 million units from 2011. To combat this trend, several companies offer Android security apps, targeting malware and the most common issue for mobile devices: loss and theft. (laptopmag.com)
Many wireless service providers are now also offering mobile security apps as part of a devices “Extended Protection Insurance Bundle” where for a flat rate every month user’s can insure the android devices against loss, theft, physical damage, and software issues. Anti-virus, Anti-Malware, and Internet Security software for android devices are now as common as for desktop computers, many coming from the same well known security software developers. Many of the Android’s security applications offer more than just malware and virus protection, applications like Lookout Mobile Security allow users to remotely lock the device, control the devices GPS in order to locate a lost or stolen device, activate an audible alarm, and even wipe the device’s memory in order to keep files from being accessed without permissions.
There are a number of debates about the security and safety of using a mobile operating system that has an open platform such as Android; Apple's locked-down approach in iOS has given it something of an edge in the debate, especially since Android's more open platform is being targeted by malware writers. The upside of this is that the market also offers a wide variety of quality security applications that can protect you from malicious apps. Security experts point out that the closed proprietary iOS architecture has drawbacks, such as when an iOS device is "jailbroken," its security shield is basically broken. Android's inherent openness and flexibility is making it attractive as a platform for organizations considering customization of security, building more security for their Android devices.
Conclusion

In conclusion, the Android operating system can be viewed as the premier mobile operating system controlling over 70% of the global market share for mobile device users. We have discussed some of the basic features of the Android OS and the differences between Android and other mobile operating systems. The open platform format of the Android OS encourages the continuous evolution and development of the mobile operating system.