Android is a
mobile operating system (OS) currently developed by
Google, based on the
Linux kernel and designed primarily for
touchscreen mobile devices such as
smartphones and
tablets. Android's
user interface is mainly based on
direct manipulation, using touch gestures that loosely correspond to real-world actions, such as swiping, tapping and pinching, to manipulate on-screen objects, along with a
virtual keyboard (or a physical one, on older Android devices) for text input. In addition to touchscreen devices, Google has further developed
Android TV for televisions,
Android Auto for cars, and
Android Wear for wrist watches, each with a specialized user interface. Variants of Android are also used on
notebooks,
game consoles,
digital cameras, and other electronics. , Android has the largest
installed base of all operating systems.
