Android Explained

Android smartphones are a handy and stylish way to organise your life, get connected and stay in touch when you’re on the move.

The great thing is, you can customise your phone to suit your needs. You can access your email, facebook, music, ebay and browse thousands of apps via Android Market (Androids online App store).

Apps are programs that let you to do lots of useful, and fun, things – from showing you where you are on a map to getting you up to minute sports headlines. There are currently over 35,000 apps to choose from, most of which are free and easy to download from Android Market.

What is Android™?
1. A powerful browsing experience
Android allows you to browse the “real web”, as you would see it on your desktop  and the
“full web” with Flash.
2. An intuitive, personalised user experience
Android devices are easily personalised, plus it’s easy to ‘slide’ between homescreens, keep
track of new messages and app activities and use the menu, home and back buttons to access
all your apps, settings and other options
3. Over 250,000 applications on Android Market™
Android Market is a one-stop shop where you can get applications and games (both free and paid)
for your Android-powered phone. It’s easy to find great apps for gaming, explore your world via
augmented reality, stream television shows, stay in touch with friends on social networks, and
even keep fit.
4. True multitasking
Android devices are especially useful because they can multitask. So, you can run multiple
applications at the same time, just like on your computer at home. For example, a user can listen
to an Internet radio station while playing a game. Android apps also integrate seamlessly with each
other to help users take maximum advantage of their device’s capabilities. For example, after users
take a photo with the camera app, they can share it with a social networking app.
5. Uniquely powerful Google experience
Google applications are available right out of the box, so you have one-click access to some of
their favourite online tools such as Google Search, Google Maps with Street View, YouTube, Gmail
and Google Talk.
6. Life in the “cloud”
With a Google account, users only need to set up their account once and they then have easy
access to all their information and it seamlessly synchronises across many devices.

Top FREE Apps for Your Phone
Here’s our pick of the free apps currently available on Android.

	Facebook for Android™  Get connected and share information with all your friends. You can also upload photos, share links and check your inbox.
	Google Maps Never carry a paper map again - zoomable maps focused on an address or post code. Get Google Maps with Navigation (Beta), Places, and Latitude.
	Skype Skype 2.5 for Android lets you make free voice and video Skype-to-Skype calls, and call phones and landlines at great Skype rates on the move.
	YouTube Discover, watch, upload and share videos.
	Angry Birds Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs' fortresses! The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the greedy pigs who stole their eggs.