Many people are now familiar with the Android operating system. So where did it come from, what is it used for and where is it going?
Android is an operating system based on Linux that was originally designed for mobile and touch screen devices. Developed by Android Inc. then later purchased by Google. The 1st Android powered phone was sold in October 2008.
The beauty of Android is that it´s Open Sourced which allows developers to freely modify and distribute code allowing rapid advancement from a world wide community.
In 2012 Android held 70% of the market share for smart phone devices leaving iOS 21% Blackberry 4%, Microsoft, Bada and Symbian left with the scraps.
(Source: Gartner Feb 2013)
Android is currently the worlds most commonly used operating system on smart phones but it is also used on tablets and more recently “Android TV Sticks”
These new super low cost Android TV Sticks are what we believe to become the future of home computing as well as finding a solid place for commercial applications.
I personally received 5 Android MK808 Dual Core 1.6Ghz devices for testing in October 2012 and must say I was impressed. So impressed that I have turned my attention to following the development of this technology and offering solutions to the general public and business partners.
So what can these tiny devices actually do? In short a lot! They have an HDMI video output that connects to virtually any HD Flat Screen TV in effect turning your TV into a giant tablet that you then control using a wireless keyboard and mouse or air mouse. These devices have built in WiFi so you then connect to your Wireless network and the fun begins. You now have what some call a Smart TV, I think this is actually a Super Smart TV and I will follow up why in some later blogs as there is so much to talk about. For the moment here is a short list of things the home user you can do, Home Theater, Video Streaming, XBMC, YouTube, FaceBook, Gmail, Documents and Excel and of course games like the famous Angry Birds. Every time I drop into the Android Play Store I find new exciting apps and new ways to get even more value out of my little Android.
For those of you out there who have not heard of XBMC before you can do a little reading following the link below, trust me if you like streaming video, movies, programs and music on demand this is for you.
