How the Google Phone Works

Google executives claimed that the company wasn’t interested in building hardware. But some Web journalists and bloggers remained unconvinced. By early 2008, it became clear that the Google executives had been straightforward all along — Google wasn’t getting into the handset hardware game. But they were getting into the handset software business with a mobile operating system (OS) called Android.
Google Phone
Unlike the Apple iPhone, which has its own OS exclusive to the iPhone’s hardware, Google’s approach was to create an OS that could work on phones built by different manufacturers. Additionally, no single service provider would have exclusive rights to use the Android platform. In that respect, Android joins other mobile device operating systems like Symbian and Windows Mobile.
The first Google phone was the G1, a handset manufactured by a company based in Taiwan called the High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC). The first service provider to support Android in the United States was T-Mobile. As the OS debuted in the United States, other handset manufacturers announced plans to develop their own Android phones.
In January 2010, Google unveiled the Nexus One. This Android phone was the first handset you could purchase directly from Google. Like the G1, HTC provided the hardware for the Nexus One. Customers could choose to buy the phone for $179 if they signed up with T-Mobile for a two-year contract or $529 for an unsubsidized phone without a contract.
An important factor that sets Android apart from most other mobile operating systems is that it’s based on an open source platform. That means Google allows anyone to look at and modify most of Android’s source code. Ideally, this would mean that if a developer felt Android needed a specific feature or capability, he or she could build it and incorporate it into the OS. The software would constantly evolve.
Initially, the Android platform didn’t support many of the features of other smartphone operating systems. For example, Android offered no Microsoft Exchange support upon release. Many companies use Microsoft Exchange as a platform for e-mail and scheduling applications. But because of the open source nature of Android and Google’s support for third-party developers, it didn’t take long before a company offered an application that would sync Exchange functions with the phone. The Android platform may have to play catch up with the other operating systems on the market, but it may have the ability to go even farther.

Google Phone Features

Several handsets use the Android operating system. There’s the HTC G1, the first smartphone to run on Android in the United States. Verizon offers the Droid, an Android phone built by Motorola. Several other phones also rely on Android but the Nexus One is the first true Google phone — the first phone you can purchase directly from Google.
When Google first issued Nexus One models to its employees, the handsets had no manufacturer markings on the case [source: Abramson]. Once Google offered the phone to the general public, the hardware included an HTC logo.
The Nexus One is 4.7 inches (119 millimeters) tall, 2.4 inches (59.8 millimeters) wide and less than half an inch (11.5 millimeters) thick. It weighs just 4.6 ounces (130 grams) with the battery installed. It has a 3.7-inch (about 9.4-centimeter) active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display. The display resolution is 800 by 400 pixels and its contrast ratio is 100,000 to 1.
The phone uses a 1 gigahertz Qualcomm processor and has 512 megabytes of RAM. It also has 512 megabytes of Flash memory and comes with a four-gigabyte micro SD storage card. Nexus One owners who want more storage can upgrade up to a 32-gigabyte SD card.
The phone works on the 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 megahertz frequencies on GSM/EDGE cellular networks. It also has a Wi-Fi receiver that is compatible with 802.11 b and g protocols. The phone supports Bluetooth 2.1 and A2DP stereo Bluetooth. It also has an assisted global positioning system receiver.
The phone’s 5-megapixel camera comes with an LED flash. It also has a digital zoom feature that provides a zoom power of 2X. The camera can take video at 20 frames per second with a resolution of 720 by 480 pixels.
The Nexus One launched with the Android operating system version 2.1, codenamed Éclair. This version of the OS supports multiple contacts and synchronization applications, allowing developers to create apps that let users manage several e-mail accounts using one device.
Anyone wanting to buy an Android phone will have to create a Google account first. Google accounts are free and you can sign up at any time whether you own an Android phone or not. If you have a Google account, you can access services like Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Docs. Android’s designers built the platform so that it interfaces with these functions smoothly.
As hardware becomes more advanced, Google is likely to tweak the Android OS to support new features and functions. And if Google doesn’t do it, someone else will. That’s the beauty of an open-source system.

Google Android Architecture

Google usually refers to the Android OS as a software stack. Each layer of the stack groups together several programs that support specific operating system functions.
The base of the stack is the kernel. Google used the Linux version 2.6 OS to build Android’s kernel, which includes Android’s memory management programs, security settings, power management software and several hardware drivers. Drivers are programs that control hardware devices. For example, the Nexus One has a camera. The Android kernel includes a camera driver, which allows the user to send commands to the camera hardware.
The next level of software includes Android’s libraries. You can think of libraries as a set of instructions that tell the device how to handle different kinds of data. For example, the media framework library supports playback and recording of various audio, video and picture formats. Other libraries include a three-dimensional acceleration library (for devices with accelerometers) and a Web browser library.
Located on the same level as the libraries layer, the Android runtime layer includes a set of core Java libraries — Android application programmers build their apps using the Java programming language. It also includes the Dalvik Virtual Machine.
A virtual machine is a software application that behaves as if it were an independent device with its own operating system. You can run a virtual machine on a computer that operates on a completely different OS than the physical machine’s OS. The Android OS uses virtual machines to run each application as its own process. That’s important for a few reasons. First, no application is dependent upon another. Second, if an application crashes, it shouldn’t affect any other applications running on the device. Third, it simplifies memory management.
The next layer is the application framework. This includes the programs that manage the phone’s basic functions like resource allocation, telephone applications, switching between processes or programs and keeping track of the phone’s physical location. Application developers have full access to Android’s application framework. This allows them to take advantage of Android’s processing capabilities and support features when building an Android application. Think of the application framework as a set of basic tools with which a developer can build much more complex tools.
At the top of the stack are the applications themselves. This is where you find the basic functions of the device such as making phone calls, accessing the Web browser and accessing your contacts list. If you’re an average user, this is the layer you’ll use most. You do that with the user interface. Only Google programmers, application developers and hardware manufacturers access the other layers further down the stack.
For more Detail: How the Google Phone Works


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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