12-10-2012, 03:32 PM
The Android mobile platform
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ABSTRACT
The thesis is a review paper that gives an introduction to the new mobile platform Android as well as
a comparative evaluation with regard to other mobile operating systems.
The key topic of this thesis is the categorization of Android.
Therefore it first gives a historical introduction to cell phones and mobile operating systems.
Then it describes the main features of Android for a better understanding of this platform.
In the following theoretical part Android will be compared to the mobile operating systems Symbian
OS and Windows Mobile. Features and criteria defined in this part will be considered and included
in the comparison of these systems.
The practical part contains a comparison of the Software Development Kits (SDK) from Android
and Symbian OS. In this context a simple application implementation on both systems is realized to
support this comparison.
Introduction
The Personal Computer and the Internet have found revolutionary ways to connect people, to
entertain them and let them exchange information. But none of these is able to reach each person
anywhere and anytime like the cell phone does.
Based on the company “The Mobile World” in 2007 [MW2007] the global mobile phone usage had
exceeded 3.25 billion at the end of 2007 which is equivalent to around half of the worlds population.
This shows what a size is behind the brand “cell phone”. Ten years ago nobody would think about a
development like this. That this development is going on is shown by a further survey according to
the Lemelson-MIT invention index study in the beginning of 2004 [LE2004]. Nearly one in three
adults say the cell phone is the invention they most hate but cannot live without. This clearly
indicates how the cell phone affects the life of people and how important it is has become in todays
society. Considering the results of such surveys, everyone has to ask himself, how it will be possible
to take advantage of such a trend.
Google has found perhaps the adequate answer to this question, as they come out with the new open
and comprehensive platform for mobile devices called Android. It includes an operating system,
middleware, user-interface and applications. It is manufacturer spanning and able to run on every
cell phone. Unlike on the market for cell phones, where many manufacturers compete, there are only
two main competitors in the domain of cell phone operating systems which are Symbian with
“Symbian OS” and Microsoft with “Windows Mobile”. Android must successfully compete with
them if Google wants to exist on the mobile market.
Motivation
This sentence released in a presentation on a technology media event from Nokia called “The Way
we live next” attracts interest [NO2007]. In the past it was never clear that the cell phone will have
such an important status in today’s society. But the development of the cell phone proves this
statement right. Last year Apple’s Iphone came on the market. It includes, besides the normal
functionalities, applications like a web browser which allows you to see web pages the way they
were designed to be seen. That makes the cell phone more similar to a PC. So not the cell phone
itself seems to be the most important thing. It is the operating system and the applications on it
which can make the difference in the future. Japan is another example for a successful future of the
cell phone. In Japan more people are connected to the internet via their mobile phone than there are
PCs with online connections [MW2006].
Goal of the Thesis
This thesis introduces cell phones and operating systems for mobile devices, in general, and
evaluates the new mobile platform Android in comparison to the existing and commonly used
mobile platforms Symbian OS and Windows Mobile. The intended audience of this thesis are the
user groups identified above, including new cell phone users, but also advanced users, who are
interested in new information, as well as developers who are engaged in application implementation
on cell phones.
Structure
The paper is divided in five chapters. In detail I will proceed as follows:
• Chapter 1 provides a historical overview of operating systems for mobile devices which
builds the foundation for the usage of the Android mobile platform. This introduction is not
connected to any product or brand and is therefore usable for everyone.
• Chapter 2 introduces the mobile platform Android in detail.
• Chapter 3 compares Android to the already existing and mostly used platforms “Symbian
OS” and “Windows Mobile”. This deepens the understanding and shows the main
advantages and disadvantages. For a detailed evaluation criteria are needed which
characterize each product. These are portability, reliability, connectivity, product diversity,
open system, kernel size, standards, security and special features.
• Chapter 4 discusses and implements the application “TeaTime” on the mobile platform
“Android” as well as “Symbian OS”. TeaTime is a “countdown timer application” which
allows users to set a countdown depending on the tea they like to drink. The implementation
of this application on two different platforms deepens the understanding of programming and
also demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages Android has in comparison to other
platforms (chapter 3).
Comparison of Android, Symbian OS and Windows Mobile
The operating systems Android, Symbian OS and Windows Mobile will be compared using the
criteria groups of section 3.1. Each system will be proved numerically. At the end of every
evaluation I will award one point for the first place, which is the operating system that fulfills the
requirements at most, half a point for the second place and zero points for the last place. The last
chapter will be a conclusion where all points of all criteria will be summed up. The number of points
will show which operating system is “the best“ in comparison to the others with regard to the main
criteria
Connectivity
There are many ways to connect a cell phone to other devices, such as personal computers, the
internet or other cell phones. Although we have the possibility to connect our cell phone via cable
with the other devices, the mobility of a cell phone generally make a wireless connection preferable.
Therefore we only deal with wireless connection in this section. This can be wide area, like
connecting to the internet, or personal area which includes infrared and bluetooth links. The
operating system has to feature applications that are designed to support all the requirements as well
as multi-tasking and the most important communication protocols. It also has to provide a rich set of
APIs, which are source code interfaces to support requests for services to be made on it, to ensure
that applications can benefit fully from current connectivity possibilities and be easily adapted to
take advantage of new protocols as they are implemented.
Product Diversity
Product differentiation is not just a design matter of the operating system. Today a provider of a
product has to make sure that it is possible to innovate and develop new product lines.
All three providers of operating system which are Symbian, Microsoft and Google have contact to
phone manufacturers who are active participants in software development and help to extend the
operating system. This helps to develop new functionalities and applications very fast and enhance
the whole system.
The most important feature concerning product diversity is to make the relevant product open to the
market for development which guarantees product diversity. This is done by all vendors and gives
them one point each for product diversity.
Kernel Size
An often used assessment factor for comparing the kernel size is the “Memory footprint” which is
the amount of memory used by the operating system. For a significant classification we need to find
the operating system with the lowest “Memory Footprint” which in turn maximizes the performance
of the operating system. Symbian OS has about 200 kbyte minimal memory requirement. The
Windows Mobile platform is built on top of Windows CE which requires for a typical installation
about 300 kbyte minimal memory. The Android operating system which is a Linux kernel will need
about 250 kbyte. All the data above apply to an installation with the basic and minimal
fucntionalities possible [KD2006]. As a result Symbian OS needs less memory than Android which
needs less memory than Windows Mobile. So Symbian gets one point, Android gets half a point and
Windows Mobile zero points.