fderrew Flashcards
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(i) Discuss the Mobile Device Operating System iOS. In this discussion, make sure to mention information like the year in which it was released, any major updates which have occurred over the years. In your own words, describe what you think are the advantages and/or disadvantages of using iOS. What IDE is most associated with iOS?
iOS is an operating system developed by Apple, for use with their iPhone range of devices. It has also been used by iPads (until it was replaced by iPadOS in 2019) and has been used on Apple TVs and iPod Touches. It was originally unveiled in 2007 and added to iPads in 2010. It is derived from Apple MacOS range of Operating Systems, designed for home computers and laptops.
Although iOS brought an operating to mobile devices which allowed use of “apps” (applications downloadable from a managed store – Apple Store), it does have some limiting factors. For example, you cannot easily install apps unavailable on the store and you cannot run multiple apps at the same time (although, apps can be ‘frozen’ in the background, and certain apps can perform limited background tasks e.g. downloading emails). This however might be seen as a positive, as it means your device is not slowed down by multiple apps running in the background (when only one is in use). There are over 2 million apps on the Apple Store.
The IDE most commonly used with iOS is xCode. This is developed by Apple, for use on MacOS devices. This may be quite limiting, as only people who own Apple computers, can develops apps for Apple mobile devices. xCode can be used to develop apps for Apple Watch, iPhones, iPads and macOS computers/laptops and supports a multitude of languages. There are other IDEs out there (unofficial) which can be used to produce iOS apps, which have differing capabilities, but many of these can be run on Windows.
(i) Discuss the Mobile Device Operating System Android. In this discussion, make sure to mention information like the year in which it was released, any major updates which have occurred over the years. In your own words, describe what you think are the advantages and/or disadvantages of using Android. What IDE is most associated with Android?
Android is an Operating System developed by Google and is based on the Linux Kernel. The programming languages c, java and kotlin can be used to program apps for Android.
Android is partially Open Source, which means that a portion of the code can be taken and modified by anyone. This has led to multiple mobile phone developers creating their own variations, like Huawei and Samsung. The core portion of the Operating System (the kernel) is maintained by Google. Android was originally developed by Android Inc. but this was purchased by Google in 2007, and the first commercial release of Android arrived in 2008.
As of 2020, there are 2.9 million apps on the integrated Android app store – Google Play Store. Multiple mobile device developers create their own stores and this may limit the apps initially available on these devices. Android versions are traditionally named after snacks/treats e.g. Kit-Kat, Ice-Cream and Oreo.
(iii) What does the term ARM mean in the context of computer processing units? Why are these used in mobile devices over other options like Intel and AMD?
The ARM processor is a processor architecture (or instruction set) developed by Acorn, the company which built the BBC Micro range of computers in the 1980’s (English-based company). The BBC Micro computers, although selling well at first, they ended up losing out in the market and the company mostly disappeared. However, the architecture they designed as has lived on in many smaller computing devices since. The reason for this is that it is a “lightweight architecture”. This simply means that although they not always be the fastest processors, they can be made small and consume less electrician than most x86/x64 processors.
This is ideal for Mobile Computing devices, as they are usually limited by battery power, and a low-power processor means that the device’s battery should last longer. Processors using this architecture are used in most modern mobile phones and tablets, and even in devices like the Raspberry Pi (mini board computer which retails for around €30). They also produce less heat than most other types of processor (more efficient with the energy they consume – less heat as a result).
(ii) Discuss the types of displays used in mobile devices. Pay particular attention to the acronyms of the technologies and what they mean.
The main type of display used in mobile devices is LCD displays. LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. These are flat-panel displays that use the special light-modulating properties of liquid crystals, when they are combined with polarisers. To see the effect this has, try looking at a mobile phone screen with polarised sunglasses on. The liquid crystal blocks light from passing through it, until a voltage is applied to it. The amount of this defines the amount of light. These are broken into three component colours – Red, Green and Blue. By controlling the amount of red, green and blue in any pixel, we can control what colour is displayed.
The most common type of LCD is an LCD-TFT. TFT stands for Thin Film Transistor. This where tiny transistors and capacitors are placed between glass and used to store and control the electricity reaching each pixel colour component.
LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode. This is the technology used in most modern ligh bulbs. OLED displays (Organic LED) have a film of organic compound which responds to light, depending on the amount of electricity passed to it. Most devices also use an LED as a backlight to illuminate the screen.