by Zoe Bishop

Created on: December 24, 2009

If you have yet to encounter the high tech new gadget, the Droid, then like many, you may be unfamiliar with the term 'Google Android'. To put it in simple terms, Google Android is an operating system that the hand held devices run on. Android was once a little well known corporation that developed and created software for mobile devices. Until recently, the name itself has not been thrown around that much, that was until the company was taken over by Google. This is where Google Android comes from.

Up until a few years ago, Google was not a part of the mobile world. Obviously, there are functions on most mobiles that will allow you to use the famous Google search function, but there wasn't a specific Google branded phone. The company itself wanted to develop and release a new mobile device branded with the company name that enabled users to use the Google search function directly from the device, as well as being able to use the other well known Google apps.

One of the main focus points of developing the 'Android' series was that it had to be able to be upgraded with all of the latest software whenever available. This is when the developers at Google came up with the software that was powered by the Linux Kernel that had a fully upgradeable system. The updates are released sporadically. So far, there have been three major upgrades. All three have rather strange names, all food related, but that aside, the upgrades to the Android system definitely make them more popular. The first update to be released was the 1.5, oddly named Cupcake. This update made several things available to Android users. It enabled Android users to capture and watch videos, upload videos to the web directly from the device, bluetooth support, new animations and a copy and paste function.

The next upgrade made available was the 1.6, named Donut. The first improvement was aimed at the Android Market, making the whole experience a lot more user friendly. There was then an intergrated camera and camcorder, allowing users to capture videos and pictures with ease. A more sophisticated and high tech voice dialing system that allowed users to dial directly through vocal commands. There were also many speed improvements and updated technology.

The final and most recent upgrade made available was the 2.0, named Eclair. The first improvement was a hugely optimized hardware speed, making things a lot faster. More screen resolutions and picture sizes were made available so that more can be captured and viewed on the device. A new contact list function was also added, a big improvement on the previous versions. The Google Maps function was improved to a much higher standard, enabling users to use it with ease. A flash function was added to the camera allowing users to capture higher quality photographs, as well as digital zoom being integrated. Finally, improvements were made on the bluetooth functions and a great virtual keyboard was added.

As well as these upgrades, there are more to come in the future, meaning that the Google Android is set to be one of the most popular mobile devices for years to come.

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