3/23/2014

Android (operating system) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 2013, Fairsearch, a lobbying organization supported by Microsoft, Oracle and others, filed a complaint regarding Android with the European Commission, alleging that its free-of-charge distribution model constituted anti-competitive predatory pricing. The Free Software Foundation Europe, whose donors include Google, disputed the Fairsearch allegations.[223]

Use outside of smartphones and tablets

The open and customizable nature of Android allows it to be used on other electronics aside from smartphones and tablets, including laptops and netbooks, smartbooks,[224] smart TVs (Google TV) and cameras (E.g. Galaxy Camera).[225] In addition, the Android operating system has seen applications on smart glasses (Google Glass), smartwatches,[226] headphones,[227] car CD and DVD players,[228] mirrors,[229] portable media players,[230] landline[231] and Voice over IP phones.[232] Ouya, a video game console running Android, became one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns, crowdfunding US$8.5m for its development,[233][234] and was later followed by other Android-based consoles, such as Nvidia's Project Shield an Android device in a video game controller form factor.[235]

Ouya, a video game console which runs Android, was one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns on the website Kickstarter.

In 2011, Google demonstrated "Android@Home", a home automation technology which uses Android to control a range of household devices including light switches, power sockets and thermostats.[236] Prototype light bulbs were announced that could be controlled from an Android phone or tablet, but Android head Andy Rubin was cautious to note that "turning a lightbulb on and off is nothing new", pointing to numerous failed home automation services. Google, he said, was thinking more ambitiously and the intention was to use their position as a cloud services provider to bring Google products into customers' homes.[237][238] Parrot unveiled an Android-based car stereo system known as Asteroid in 2011,[239] followed by a successor, the touchscreen-based Asteroid Smart, in 2012.[240] In 2013, Clarion released its own Android-based car stereo, the AX1.[241] In January 2014 at Consumer Electronics Show, Google announced the formation of the Open Automotive Alliance, a group including several major automobile makers (Audi, General Motors, Hyundai, and Honda) and Nvidia, which aims to produce Android-based in car entertainment systems for automobiles, " [bringing] the best of Android into the automobile in a safe and seamless way."[242] Google's version of Android for smartwatches and other wearables, Android Wear, was announced on 18 March 2014 with a developer preview available.[243][244]

See also
Android rooting Android version history Comparison of mobile operating systems Index of Android OS articles List of GPS software for mobile phones Bada
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