Android

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

The Daily Mail City team explains Android - Google's new operating system for mobile phones.

What is Android?

Not the latest 3-D sci-fi blockbuster from director James Cameron, but Google's operating system for mobile phones.

Its name was inspired by the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, which was later made into the film Blade Runner.

What does it do?

Android is the platform for the whizzy features on phones offering Google services, including the US giant's own Nexus One, which it is hopes can take on Apple's iPhone. The iPhone uses Apple's own operating system.

Is it any good?

Android is handy for Google services such as the internet search engine and Google Maps.

It is also more compatible with independently produced applications than Apple's system.

Any cool features?

The latest version, Android 2.1 (nicknamed Éclair),offers voice recognition instead of text input, access to more than 18,000 applications, and supports a sat-nav system that calls out instructions as you drive.

Will Android kill the iPhone?

Unlikely. Google hopes Android, built to be more flexible than Apple's system, will be popular due to its compatibility with other services. In practice, there should be plenty of room for both in the market.

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