Amazing Facets about Android.

Android's next version dubbed as Android N will be out soon, so till then this might keep you occupied. Here's 8 facts worth knowing about Google's mobile operating software - Android.

 

Android is a mobile operating system (OS) currently developed by Google, primarily used for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It is the largest installed base of all operating systems of any kind. 

Android has also been the best-selling OS on tablets since 2013, and one of the dominating OS on smartphones devices.

1. Google did not create Android:

Since Google and Android are marketed together, you may think it is created by Google. But you will be surprised to find out that was not always the case. Android was founded in 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. It wasn’t until 2005 that Google acquired Android Inc.

2. The first Android prototype looked like a Blackberry:

A lot of people believe that if it wasn’t for the Apple, iPhone the first Android device would have looked radically different. In 2007, before Apple showed off the iPhone, the first Android prototype was floating around. 

The device was called “Sooner” had a Qwerty keyboard, call and end buttons, track pad, and no touchscreen. The Android device somewhat resembled a Blackberry interface.

3. Android 1.0 and 1.1 were not named after desserts:

For some time now, Google has been naming new versions of Android with sweets. Android 6.0 was called Marshmallow, and before that it was Lollipop, KitKat, Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Honeycomb, Gingerbread, Froyo, Éclair, Donut and Cupcake. 

However, Android 1.1 was internally referred to as "Petit-Four" and this was the first tasty treat, before the name went in an alphabetical format.

4. Android 3.0 is the only version to never run on phones:

In this day and age, we know that Android OS is built and is run on many different types of devices. Android 6.0 can run on phones, tablets, watches, cars, and TVs. That hasn’t always been the case. When Apple decided to launch the iPad in 2010 the Android manufacturers wanted to cash in on the tablet frenzy as well. But Android was only made for phones at that time.

Samsung had some luck using Android 2.3 Gingerbread on the mid-sized Galaxy Tab 7.0, but if Android was going to compete with the 10-inch iPad it needed some major upgrade. At Consumer Electronics Show 2011 the world got its first look at Android 3.0 Honeycomb on the Motorola XOOM. It had a completely restructured interface made especially for tablets.

5. Android got Google’s CEO kicked off Apple’s board:

The relationship between Google and Apple hasn’t always been so tense. The previous iPhone’s had Google Maps and YouTube apps. Over time it became a competition between iOS and Android, and their friendship has been rocky ever since. This was the case in 2009 when Google CEO Eric Schmidt was forced to resign from Apple’s board of directors.

6. Sony was the first manufacturer of an Android smartwatch in 2010:

In 2014 Google announced Android Wear and Samsung launched the Samsung Gear with its Galaxy phones. You might think that these are the first Android smartwatches to be made. But in 2010 Sony (Ericsson) launched the LiveView watch. It was connected to an Android phone to display Twitter feeds, RSS feeds, SMS, and control the phone’s media player. In 2013 Sony launched the SmartWatch 2 SW2 with many of the same features.

7. Android and NASA:

There is an Android run device in space. NASA has equipped Floating space robots with Nexus S handsets. These devices run on Android Gingerbread or Android 2.3.

8. The story behind the Android Logo:

Most people think that the name of Android’s logo character is also Android, but that is not true. The actual name of Android Mascot is Bugdroid. Though the name is not an official one the Google team call it by this name. Human with a robot appearance is the meaning of the word Android. And that refers to a male robot. Gynoid is the female looking robot. 

Read this before you talk to a Stranger on Facebook.

People with intellectual disabilities or those extremely social and trusting are more susceptible to exploitation and abuse on social media platforms like Facebook, researchers have revealed.

The team from Michigan State University found that adults with Williams syndrome, who are extremely social and trusting, use Facebook and other social networking sites frequently and are especially vulnerable to online victimisation.

“You have this very social group of people who are vulnerable in real life and now they are seeking a social outlet through the internet, communicating with people they know and don't know," said Marisa Fisher, assistant professor of special education. “They don't have the training or the knowledge to know how to determine what is risky behaviour,” Fisher added.

Roughly a third of participants said they would send their photo to an unknown person, arrange to go to the home of a person they met online and keep online relationships from their parents. Williams syndrome is a relatively rare genetic disorder characterised by developmental delays, learning disabilities, excessively social personalities and an affinity for music.

Nearly 86 per cent of adults with Williams syndrome use social networking sites such as Facebook nearly every day, typically without supervision, found the study published in the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. Participants also share a large amount of identifiable information on their social network profiles and are likely to agree to engage in socially risky behaviours.

The findings suggest people with the syndrome can learn to say no to strangers, refuting past studies that indicated sociability may be hard-wired in individuals with Williams syndrome. “It's time to start teaching individuals with Williams syndrome about safety, both in the real world and online," Fisher added. This includes what personal information they should share, how to set privacy settings and how to decide whether an 'online friend' should become an “offline friend.”

Your browsing behaviour identifies your personality

While being online, one cannot simply hide behind the digital screens, reveals a new study, adding that an individual's browsing behavior can help identify the person.

The findings showed that an individual's browsing behaviour can provide a unique digital signature, which can help identify the person.

"Our research suggests a person's personality traits can be deduced by their general internet usage. The study differs from other studies that have only looked at the use of social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter," said led author Ikusan R. Adeyemi, Researcher at the Universiti Teknologi in Malaysia.

In addition, an individual's level of conscientiousness could be distinguished within a 30-minute session of online browsing.

Previous research linking personality traits to computer usage has typically focused on social media.

Extroverts tend to use these platforms to enlarge their boundary of friends and influence, while introverts spend more time on social media to compensate for a probable lack of physical interaction.

However, a person's general online browsing behaviour can also reflect their choice, preference and reflexes, which is largely controlled by their unique psychological characteristics. 

The study, published on Frontiers in ICT, recruited volunteers from the Universiti Teknologi and monitored their internet usage, which included factors such as the duration of the internet session, number of websites browsed and total number of requests made.

In addition, the volunteers completed a test to reveal their personality characteristics over five categories: openness to new experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

The analysis of this data, which can have many implications, revealed strong links between a person's personality and browsing behaviour. 

The data may help online marketing organisations to reliably tailor their product to a specific audience.

Also, it can be used to develop an intelligent internet service that can predict and personalise a user's experience, the researchers said.

"It can also be used as a complementary way of increasing security for online identification and authentication. Law enforcement agencies can also apply our findings in the investigation of online crime cases," Adeyami noted.

NOMBU KANJI RECIPE

NOMBU KANJI 

Ingredients:

Basmati rice (ground coarsely): ¼ kg 

Moong dhal: 50gms 

Ginger garlic paste: 1tbsp 

Raw rice powder: 1 tbsp 

Cardamom and cinnamon stick: 2 pieces each of cloves, 

Sliced thinly: 2 big onions 

Chopped roughly: 2 tomatoes 

Each of mint and coriander leaves: 1 1/2tbsp 

Green chillies: 3 nos 

Each of ghee and oil: 1 tbsp 

Coconut paste: ¼ cup 

Water: 2 litres 

Salt to taste 

Method:

• Soak the rice for 10-15 mins. 
• Heat ghee and oil in a deep pan on a medium flame, add in the whole spices and let it turn red. Add in the onions, fry till translucent and add in the moong dhal and saute until it turns golden. 
• Now fry the ginger-garlic paste until the raw smell goes and add in the mint and coriander leaves, green chillies, tomatoes and sauté till tomatoes turn mushy. 
• Pour about two litres of water and let it come to a boil. Then add the soaked rice and salt to taste.
• Stir well and let it cook. Once rice is fully done add in the raw rice powder, coconut paste and let it come to a boil. 
• If the kanji is a little thick, add 1-2 glasses of warm water and adjust the salt.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve warm with spicy and tangy pudhina chutney.