The Android based mobile phone uses the Android operating system. Android is an operating system designed by Google to be used on smartphones. Google cooperated with HTCC (High Tech Computer Corporation) to build the mobile phone. It is based on the Linux kernel and uses applications written in the Java language. It can also operate games and applications written in C language. The invention of the Android mobile phone encourages the introduction of open source software.

Android operating system is much more complex compared to other type of operating system. It uses Webkit to run the G1 Chrme Lite browser. Webkit is also used to power the Safari browser on iPhone. Open source developers are encouraged to create Android-based applications for Android mobile phones. The developed applications will be available in the Android Market. Users can download the app by accessing the app library on their Android mobile phone. Because the Android operating system is licensed under the GPL (General Public License), developers are free to make changes and improve the system. However, developers are not allowed to create apps that infringe copyrights. For example, an app that imitates the style of the iPhone app is prohibited. There are certain parts of the Android operating system that are protected by the Apache license.

Companies that are members of the Open Handset Alliance are also involved in manufacturing Android-based mobile phones. Examples of companies that participate in the Open Handset Alliance include KDDI Corporation, Telecom Italia, etc. The Audience company is responsible for the speech processor technology in the Android phone. NVIDIA makes the graphics processor for the Android phone. Esmertec manufactures the multimedia solutions for the Android phone. The four major manufacturers planning to produce the Android-based phone are HTC, Motorola, LG and Samsung. In the future, the Android phone will be produced by these four manufacturers. It has been rumored that Nokia is also interested in making Android phones. Japan’s NTT DoCoMo had announced its plan to create an Android-based mobile phone.