Android is an operating system for mobile phones. It was developed by Google, based on the Linux kernel and GNU software. The Android distribution was unveiled on November 5, 2007 together with the creation of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a consortium of hardware, software and telecom companies who aim to advance open standards for mobile devices.
The Android OS has a large community of developers writing application programs or "apps". These extend the functionality of the android devices. There are currently over 70,000 android apps available with some saying over 100,000 have been submitted. These developers use the Java language to control the device by way of the Google-developed Java libraries.
In the second quarter of 2010, unit sales for Android OS smartphones already ranked first among all smartphones sold in the United States, ahead of Blackberry OS and the Iphone OS.
