PUJ FARE RATE (thesis): 2013

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Related Studies

You (expect to) get what you pay for: A system approach to delay, fare, and complaints

In this paper, an analytical framework integrating delay, fare, and complaints with passenger air travel has been laid out. Examining aggregate monthly data for US domestic air travel, we have identified causal relationships among fare, complaints, and levels of delay. An analytical framework is proposed that formalizes these relationships in an integrated manner. This integrated framework is then estimated in a set of simultaneous equations by using 118 months of data from January 1997 to October 2006. Results show that complaints are influenced by levels of delays. However, complaints are positively influenced by average yield. These findings lead us to support the central hypothesis that complaints are responsive to levels of delays, but they tend to vary according to fare. That is, air travelers are less likely to complain in return for lower fares, even when faced with the same or even higher levels of delays. These findings have important policy implications, including the passengers’ bill of rights and regulator’s choice between market and operational performances.

This thesis develops a method to automate journey fare calculation for Transport for London. Today, fares for every possible origin-destination station pair within the London Underground are prepared manually based on the zonal fare structure. Multiple feasible paths often exist within the network for a given origin-destination pair, each of which may produce a different journey fare. Thus, manually adjusting journey fares after any alteration of the network or fare structure is a time consuming task for staff and restricts Transport for London's ability to implement changes in fare policy. This approach also lacks transparency from the passenger's perspective. Automating Transport for London's fare calculation requires automating the selection of travel paths. This thesis adapts a label-correcting shortest path algorithm to produce journey paths and fares based on four different selection rules: minimum fare, minimum number of transfers, minimum travel time, and minimum distance. The algorithm operates on a directed graph model of the network. This thesis develops a method to structure the directed graph to capture the network's intricacies. Given a network and fare structure, the modified shortest path algorithm produces all path and fare information for an origin-destination pair in less than one millisecond. Transport for London can then assess the implications of a fare policy change by comparing the existing fares with those generated under each path selection rule. Supplementing these comparisons with historical data provides an estimate of the number of journeys affected and the possible impact on fare revenue. This thesis uses a sample dataset to estimate these impacts.

This disclosure is concerned with rendering more flexible and useful the fare computations and dispatching services in the taxi industry and the like, by a novel type of centralized computed control of and cooperating and interfacing with, vehicular meters, enabling overlapping multiple-location pick-up and delivery for a plurality of customers and with automatic route, time, traffic condition and related information and/or corrections remotely introduced into the meter calculations and display.

To provide personalized location-based information service according to the location of client device has been a trend nowadays. As a new generation of smart mobile-phone platform, Android provides the support of location service and long-distance communication originally, which enables programmers to develop related applications easily with Java. This paper introduces the architecture and component models of Android, and the design method of a location-based information service is then presented. The design example shows how to requesting query in a remote server to find certain kind of places within the given distances to the location of clients’ device provides by the location service.

Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation is a popular assistant during a trip. By using a GPS navigation system, the travelers can easily and quickly arrive to the destination in an unfamiliar area. However, there is no free and open-source GPS navigation system which integrates many useful applications. Thus, this paper proposes a GPS navigation system on the Android platform, called Android Mobile Navigation System (AMNS). AMNS not only provides users the GPS navigation function, but also supports Quick Response (QR) code decoding and friend positioning. Furthermore, AMNS is free and open-source software, so service providers or developers can easily extend their own services on this system.

Initially mobile phones were developed only for voice communication but now days the scenario has changed, voice communication is just one aspect of a mobile phone. There are other aspects which are major focus of interest. Two such major factors are web browser and GPS services. Both of these functionalities are already implemented but are only in the hands of manufacturers not in the hands of users because of proprietary issues, the system does not allow the user to access the mobile hardware directly. But now, after the release of android based open source mobile phone a user can access the hardware directly and design customized native applications to develop Web and GPS enabled services and can program the other hardware components like camera etc. In this paper we will discuss the facilities available in android platform for implementing LBS services (geo-services).

To provide a system capable of automatically and immediately, regardless of places, changing reference parameters used for calculating fares for all the fare calculators provided to vehicles with the object of charged transportation without manually changing the parameters for the fare calculators one by one. ; SOLUTION: The fare calculator 1 provided in a vehicle with a purpose for charged transportation, and a controller 2 are connected by radio communication. The controller 2 is provided with a storing means 2a for storing software required for calculating fares in the vehicle, and a transmission means 2b for transmitting the software to the fare calculator 1, using the radio communication. The fare calculator 1 is provided with a receiving means 1a for receiving the software from the controller 2, using the radio communication, and a storing means 1b for storing the software.

The buzz word mobile phone keeps everyone awake, and yes why not, even on being a small hand device, it is having adaptability to exhibit numerous functionalities .Talking about present day scenario, the use of mobile phones is not just restricted as being a fastest mode of communication but way beyond it, one of its efficient use for the optimization of resources is being presented here.

Making it compatible for the every day on going tourists, pedestrians is being look forward here ,in order to have an optimized usage of their resources. This handy application calculates the fare for the customers on the basis of the distance travelled by them, it protects them against the malfeasance by taxi drivers thus, they can no longer be cheated, it can be deployed in the Android phones or any other android supporting device, thereby this application makes use of Android technology version 2.3.3, and thus helps to eradicate the fraud being done on the customers.

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The Swiss army knife of GPS navigation. The most complete GPS tool on market: Navigate, manage waypoints, tracks, routes, build your own dashboard from 45 widgets

Dashboard

Shows navigation values such as: Accuracy, Altitude, Speed, Battery, Bearing, Climb, Course, Date, Declination, Distance, ETA, Latitude, Longitude, Max Speed, Min Speed, Actual Speed, True Speed, Sunrise, Sunset, Moonset, Moonrise, Moon Phase, Target, Time, TTG, Turn.

Compass

Show the orientation of the earth's magnetic field, shows an arbitrary tracking angle and the current target. Also a marine orienteering compass.

Tracks

Record tracks and view them on map. Export KML files and import into Google Maps, Google Earth and others.

Routes

Manage routes and view them on map. Import KML files from Google Maps, Google Earth and others. Create turn-by-turn instructions between waypoints.

Camera

A camera HUD (heads-up display) view to show your waypoints, take pictures and share them.

Map

A map to show your waypoints. Convert mail addresses of your contacts to waypoint so that they can be used within the app. Supports Google Maps, MapQuest, Open Street Map and others.

Waypoints

A list of all your waypoints with export and import (KML and GPX format).

Satellites

A sky view of the current position that shows satellites in view.

Features

Supported position formats: UTM, MGRS, OSGB, Degree-Minute-Second, Degree-Minute-Fractions, Decimal.

Waypoints, routes and tracks can be exported as KML or GPX files and sent by email or uploaded to Google Docs or DropBox.

Related Literature - MyTransport Singapore

MyTransport Singapore

MyTransport.SG Mobile is the ideal handy transport companion. The Power to Experience the New MyTransport.SG MyTransport.SG is your personalized one-stop master directory to all land transport and lifestyle e-services and m-services. Developed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), MyTransport.SG empowers commuters, motorists and cyclists to customise, plan and experience a seamless and enjoyable journey!

MyTransport.SG now comes with new graphical user interface and 4 new features:

· Your Power to Personalize

Personalize Your Popular Service Icons. You can now move your service icons in any order you wish.

· Your Power to Decide

Decide Your Favorite Transport Information on My Concierge. You can now add in your favorite transport services into My Concierge similar to adding favorite websites.

· Your Power to Know

Know Your Latest Traffic & Service Delay News. You can now be updated constantly with the latest real-time traffic and service delay news when the push notification is turned on.

· Your Power to Enjoy

Enjoy Your Handy Transport Service Guide to Happening Events and Promotions Near You. You can now enjoy the happening events and promotions near you.

There are other services ranging from bus services and MRT/LRT stations to taxi stands and booking information for public transport users; real-time parking lots availability and traffic camera images that come in handy for motorists; as well as leisure guide for cyclists and shopping enthusiasts.

Location-Based Service (LBS) capability is available for services such as Bus Services, MRT/LRT, Taxi, Parking Guide, Traffic Smart and Traffic News etc.

It's the ideal transport comp

Related Literature - My Transport.sg Tour transport Companion

My Transport.sg Tour transport Companion

MyTransport.SG is a portal providing information and eServices for all land transport users, be it commuter or motorist or even cyclist. This portal was developed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore.

The main features include:

· My Concierge – A personalization feature for you to select what information and eServices you want to have it customized on the portal homepage.

· Commuting/Motoring/Cycling – A dedicated space for each of you, providing essential information and eServices to meet your travel needs.

· Apps Zone – A one stop arena for you to discover what the Singapore land transports are related mobile applications available in various mobile platforms.

· Data Mall – A collection of land transport related data available for you to use for research or development of applications to benefit the public.

· Happenings - A lifestyle info-attainment page that connects you in close proximity to the latest social events and promotions with a built-in interactive map.

· LTA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport that spearheads land transport developments in Singapore.

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MRTtrackr is a social train tracking application that helps you track the mass rapid transit (MRT) here in the Philippines (MRT-3, LRT-1, LRT-2). Passengers may contribute real time info regarding the MRT which can be shared to others using the MRTtrackr Application.

With the help of the MRTtrackr, passengers can travel with ease by getting information provided by the application such as their train itinerary & the estimated crowd level in each station.

Also, MRTtrackr will try to provide information such as delays in the arrival of the train and other important news regarding the mass rapid transit here in the Philippines.

Related Literature - AA Route Planner application

AA Route Planner application

Select your start and destination points by place name, address, full postcode, or from your current GPS location. Routes and turn-by-turn instructions appear on interactive maps, with distances and driving times. You can optimise your route to your own preferences.

· Clear and easy to follow routes

· All routes researched by the AA's team of experts

· Directions as you would see them on the road

· Current location function – see where you are on the map/route

· Options to avoid motorways, toll roads and congestion charge

· Directions from your current location using GPS

· Save start and destination points as favourites

· Unlimited routes in Great Britain and Ireland for a whole year

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With this Route Planner application you will always find the easiest and fastest travel route to your destination. You only have to insert your starting point and your destination, or simply use your current location, and you'll get your custom road map directly - complete with driving directions.

Do you want to save a specific route, in order to use it later on? You can save it in 'My Routes'. You can star or un-star your favorite routes in the My Routes-list.

Related Literature - Best Route

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Best routes of travel in Bucharest by using public transportation

This application is aimed at providing the users of the Romanian municipal transportation systems with a tool that can identify the best route between two given points.

This version finally has all means of public transportation supported. Its development will continue as a new application named Transport Urban (created in collaboration with transporturban.ro).

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Get Mumbai Local Train timetable, BEST route information, Auto & Taxi fares, Picnic Spots near Mumbai, Railways Sunday mega blocks information, and Current Movie Shows, Sodexo Outlet Locator on your mobile. No GPRS requires for timetable.

Related Literature - Rickshaw Fare Calculator

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This is an application that will calculate the exact rickshaw fare as per the meter reading for India. Default cities included are Pune and Mumbai. Other cities will be added soon. You may manually set the settings also.

Related Literature - Taxi Fare Calculator 1.3.1

Taxi Fare Calculator 1.3.1

Useful tool for residents/travelers in Hong Kong, data connectivity NOT required. This tool helps residents/travelers in Hong Kong to estimate the fare for each taxi trip.

User can first get the rough distance (in km) between the start and end points using the built-in map application. He/she can then enter the distance to this tool and get the estimated fare.

Alternatively, user can enter the taxi fare paid and get the estimated trip distance.
Please note that other charges for waiting, pets and baggage carried, and fees for tunnels are not included.

Key features:
- Supports all 3 taxi types: Urban, New Territories and Lantau
- Fare will be updated automatically if the taxi type is changed after entering trip distance
- Estimated trip distance is returned based on taxi fare paid

Related Literature - World Taximeter beta

World Taximeter beta (international taxi fare calculator)

World Taximeter will calculate for you an estimate of the fare of a taxi ride in cities around the globe. Currently we support Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Austin, Baltimore, Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Edinburgh, Houston, Ibiza, London, Los Angeles, Malaga, Mallorca, Manchester, Melbourne, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, Paris, Richmond, VA, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, DC, and Zurich.

Notice that little word estimate: Although the accuracy or the calculation tends to be very high, we just calculate estimates of the taxi fare.

Related Literarure - India taxi auto fare

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A unique service that calculates your taxi fare and auto fares; before you start your travel! You also get an exact, to the scale Google Map that shows your route. Further, you can also change the default route to avoid traffic, plan for some shopping on the way or just pick up your date! :-)

The website today supports around 200 Cities in 10+ countries with their detailed maps, and Taxi Operators. The website also gives you detailed fare cards of most Taxi Providers and Auto Rickshaws. Along with private operators, we have made a point to add in the Taxi And Auto fares. Every time you search for a fare, you get to see all the fares, which helps in easy comparison to chose your ride.

A mobile version of the website is also available, so that you can also the refer to the fares while you are seated in a taxi or Auto.

We aim to take this forward by covering more countries and cities.

Related Literature - Fare Calculator

Fare Calculator

Select the vehicle and either click on the map below or enter the postcode(s) to set your pick-up, destination and any additional stops. Once complete press Calculate Price and your done.

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1. Enter all addresses
2. Click 'Find route' button
3. The route is optimized

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CabCorner.com is a global, mobile web-based, cab-sharing platform that connects commuters headed in the same direction. Cabcorner.com turn your city’s private taxi fleet into a luxurious, affordable, mass transit experience!

Related Literature - Mumbai Transport Fare Calculator v1.0

Mumbai Transport Fare Calculator v1.0

Fare Calculator is designed for Windows Mobile (also known as Pocket PC or PDA) to calculate the relevant fares of transport, auto rickshaw and taxi of Mumbai, India.

You can select the major tick and the minor tick from the drop down after selecting the mode of transport (either Auto rickshaw or Taxi). Then you can select the time period in which you travelled (either Regular or Midnight) and hit calculate which will return you the appropriate fare for that transport.

The Regular time period is from 4am to 11:59 pm and the Midnight time period is from 12:00 am to 3:59am. The fares for the Midnight time period is approximately 25% higher than the Regular time period.

Related Literature - A-Rix Fare Meter

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An application that includes all the functionalities of the physical meter and adds maps for convenience. Fare rules of autos and taxis of 15 cities in India, Meru fares in 4 cities and a custom fare chart option wherever these are not available. A-Rix for iPhone and Android should take care of all that. Lots of features planned including routing, fare predictions and bad meter reporting.

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The free Seoul bus application provides local bus information for not only the main Seoul area, but also for Incheon and other nearby areas of the Gyenggi-do provinces. Users of the application can keep tabs on where their bus is on route and how much time is left until the bus reaches the stop where the user located at. Other offline features include the capability to decide bus numbers, the bus route and stops, although the bus stop names appear in Korean, the unique ID numbers of all the bus-stops are all programmed in with the name of the stop. It can also distinguish the bus routes.

Related Literatire - Taxometer

Taxometer

Taxometer the mobile Taxi Fare calculator! With this Application, you can find out the cost of a taxi journey before it begins! Whether on holiday, after a night out with friends or on business trips in foreign cities – there will be no surprises after using a taxi to reach your destination.

It is able to calculate the price of any taxi fare in 300 cities in 35 countries all over the world. There are rates for all major cities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe …and more! Call the appropriate Taxi Company direct from the Taxometer and describe the route you wish to take as shown to you by the Applications map and written directions. Were you celebrating at the weekend and wonder if the cash you have for the journey home is enough? Is going to the nearest ATM necessary? The Taxometer can give you the answer straight away. Do you sometimes need a quick and easy way to show the taxi driver where you want to go? Use the exclusive ‘Drunken-Mode’ on the Taxometer to calculate the route home with just one ‘shake’ of your hand held phone. With Taxometer you always travel in the right direction!

Features:

1. A database with 150 taxi fares in Germany and over 270 Worldwide. The taxi fare for a route will be calculated and clearly illustrated by Taxometer.

2. Trips can be calculated for all tariff zones and countries in advance (at home or by using hotel WLAN) when no mobile Internet is available.

3. The start and destination addresses can be entered manually or can be automatically selected from the phone book, favorites or history.

4. The map view quickly and clearly displays the start point and destination together with the estimated cost. There is a Twitter icon to send your ride information to the world.

5. A detailed but easy-to-read price list also appears on the page with the price per unit distance, duration, and the expected final price and the cost of leaving the taxi waiting.

6. To adjust the journey details to suit your own needs. For example choosing to avoid or use highways.

7. Drunken-Mode – By using the acclaimed Drunken-Mode, a previously stored address can be quickly recovered and the fare from the current location calculated. Only shake the phone!

8. For all fare zones, the main taxi companies are displayed and a direct call to the firm of your choice can be made directly from the Application.

Related Literature - TaxiFair

TaxiFair

TaxiFair is your real-time taximeter that estimates the actual cost of a taxi trip, predicts the cost before you even get into the taxi, keeps track of your routes in your device or in remote storage provided to you, offers statistics about your routes and routes of other users. TaxiFair mobile application can help you make your cab fare.

A wireless data plan must be active on your Windows Phone 7. Internet access is required for taxi rates catalog download, for map interaction and use of remote cloud storage.

Location services must be activated on your phone. Location services are required for real-time Taximeter Operation and taxi rate catalog match for your current location.

Related Literature - Fare Calculator Application

Fare Calculator Application

Calculate the price of your last ride. Share the result fast and easy! AddFree edition of the Fare Calculator! Calculate the price (per person) of your last ride. Share the result fast and easy with your friends via mail, whats application, facebook and many more. Furthermore, this Application measures the distance of your trip. Obtain your own location via GPS (and many more.) to start a route from there. Calculates: costs per person per 100km additional expenses (road charge and many more.) Total costs for the given distance.

Units to choose: Currencies Distances in kilometers (km), miles (mi) Use in liters (l), gallons (gal), kilowatt hours (kWh) or kilogram (kg).

Supported Languages: English German French

Used Permissions: Network (Calculate distance, show map)

GPS (Start position for route)Tags: Fuel Calculator, Car passenger, passenger fare, road trip, driving community, tramping, travel expenses, price, fare, fuel, diesel, gas, LPG, CNG, car, motorbike, bus, measure distance.

Related Literature - Fare Calculator

Fare Calculator

It calculates the journey fare payable based on the total distance travelled and the Public Transport service you take. They can check how much the fare is for your planned trip by following the steps below:

1. Select your fare type
2. Select your mode of travel
3. Select your boarding and alighting stops
4. Add trips
5. Compute fare

This calculator only calculates the fare of bus and train in Singapore.

Related Literature - Taxi Meter

Taxi Meter

The Taxi meter measures trip distance. The meter uses electricity to determine how far you have traveled. This is done with the help of the car's transducer -- a sensor attached to the transmission, the same sensor that provides data to the speedometer and odometer. It sends a pulse to the meter at specified distance intervals, such as a half-mile. When the taxi meter is installed, an engineer drives the car a perfectly measured mile to teach it how to record distance correctly.

It measures trip time. The meter measures time in precisely the same manner, receiving pulses at specific intervals, such as every two seconds. This is how you get charged for time-spent waiting in traffic or for quick stops where the driver sits idle.

It discern between rates. If distance pulses outnumber the time pulses, such as when you are moving at a decent speed, the meter counts these as dominant and charges the rate per mile or fraction of a mile. If the time pulses outnumber the distance pulses, the meter knows to calculate this part of your travel at the "waiting" rate, if applicable.

It determines the price. The meter tabulates the price and displays it in real time. You can watch it steadily increase during the course of your ride. The final price will be the total after all tabulations are made and the cab stops. This is the amount the driver will ask you to pay.

It uses preset cost information. The prices are programmed into the meter. Drivers have their meter tested and calibrated to ensure they charge the amount set by the taxi company or local regulations. Totals can include taxes and any preset minimum trip charges.

Related Literature - Fare Matrix

Fare Matrix (Tariff)

Executive Order No. 202 June 19, 1987, creating the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Sec. 05 c To determine, prescribe and approve and periodically review and adjust, reasonable fares, rates and other related charges, relative to the operation of public land transportation services provided by motorized vehicles.

Related Literature - Google Maps

Google Maps

According to Wikipedia, Google maps (formerly Google Local) is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API. It offers street maps, a route planner for traveling by foot, car, bike (beta), or public transport and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world. Google Maps satellite images are not updated in real time; they are several months or years old.

Google Maps uses a close variant of the Mercator projection, so it cannot show areas around the poles. A related product is Google Earth, a stand-alone program that offers more globe viewing features, including showing polar areas.

Google Maps provides a route planner under "Get Directions". Up to four modes of transportation are available depending on the area: driving, public transit, walking, and bicycling. In some areas, cross-border routes are available, whereas others are limited to routes within a given country or region.

In 2006, Google introduced a Java application called Google Maps for Mobile, intended to run on any Java-based phone or mobile device. Many of the web-based site's features are provided in the application.

Interest for Google Maps has steadily increased since its introduction, as measured by Google Trends.

Related Literature - Android

Android

According to Wikipedia, android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. It was developed by the Open handset Alliance, led by Google. Google financially backed the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., and later purchased it in 2005. The promotion of the Android distribution in 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, an association of eighty-six hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google releases the Android code as open-source, under the Apache License. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is tasked with the preservation and further development of Android.

Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that widen the functionality of the devices. Google can download from third-party sites to through online stores such as Google Play (formerly Android Market), the application store run developers write primarily in a customized version of Java Applications In June 2012, there were more than 600,000 applications available for Android, and the estimated number of applications downloaded from Google Play was 20 billion.

Android became the world’s leading Smartphone platform at the end of 2010. For the first quarter of 2012, Android had a 59% Smartphone market share worldwide. At the half of 2012, there were 400 million devices activated and 1 million activations per day. Analysts point to the advantage to Android of being a multi-channel, multi-carrier OS.

iOS is better smart phone platform, it has great features and many more, but for a jeepney commuter an apple phone (which iOS run) is a very expensive phone. Not all commuters can afford this.

Symbian OS because of the advancement of technology, the Symbian was left behind by android and iOS.

According to Zach Epstein (May 24^th, 2012) Android finished the quarter as the overall leader among the mobile operating systems, accounting for more than half of all smart phone shipments. Android boasted the longest list of smart phone vendor partners.

Table 2.0 Worldwide mobile device sales to end users by operating system in 2Q12 (Thousands of Units)

Operating System	2Q12 Units	2Q12 Market Share (%)	2Q11 Units	2Q11 Market Share (%)
Android	98,529.3	64.1	46,775.9	43.4
iOS	28,935.0	18.8	19,628.8	18.2
Symbian	9,071.5	5.9	23,853.2	22.1
Research In Motion	7,991.2	5.2	12,652.3	11.7
Bada	4,208.8	2.7	2,055.8	1.9
Microsoft	4,087.0	2.7	1,723.8	1.6
Others	863.3	0.6	1,050.6	1.0
Total	153,686.1	100.0	107,740.4	100.0

Source: Gartner (August 2012)

Table 2.1 Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 4Q11 (Thousands of Units)

Operating System	4Q11 Units	4Q11 Market Share (%)	4Q10 Units	4Q10 Market Share (%)
Android	75,906.1	50.9	30,801.2	30.5
iOS	35,456.0	23.8	16,011.1	15.8
Symbian	17,458.4	11.7	32,642.1	32.3
Research In Motion	13,184.5	8.8	14,762.0	14.6
Bada	3,111.3	2.1	2,026.8	2.0
Microsoft	2,759.0	1.9	3,419.3	3.4
Others	1,166.5	0.8	1,487.9	1.5
Total	149,041.8	100.0	101,150.3	100.0

Source: Gartner (February 2012)

Table 2.2 Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Operating System in 2010 (Thousands of Units)

Company	2010 Units	2010 Market Share (%)	2009 Units	2009 Market Share (%)
Symbian	111,576.7	37.6	80,878.3	46.9
Android	67,224.5	22.7	6,798.4	3.9
Research In Motion	47,451.6	16.0	34,346.6	19.9
iOS	46,598.3	15.7	24,889.7	14.4
Microsoft	12,378.2	4.2	15,031.0	8.7
Other Os	11417.4	3.8	10432.1	6.1
Total	296,646.6	100.0	172,376.1	100.0

Source: Gartner (February 2011)

On table 2.2 it show the sales of different mobile platform from 2010 up to the second quarter of 2012. Table shows that android sales have gone higher every year.

In terms in compatibility, Android Support Package includes static "support libraries" that you can add to your Android application in order to use APIs that are either not available for older platform versions or that offer "utility" APIs that aren't a part of the framework APIs. The goal is to simplify your development by offering more APIs that you can bundle with your application so you can less about platform versions.

Retrieved from: http://developer.android.com/tools/extras/support-library.html#Notes

Table 2.3 Comparison list the main differences between each versions of the android platform.

Android Versions	Release date	Key features added	Version name	Android market share	API Level	Flash support	Screen size support	Based on Linux kernel version

Android 4.1	2012 Jun 27	Android Beam (easy data transfer: NFC + Bluetooth) Voice Search Speed enhancements Camera application improvements Accessibility: gesture mode, enable braille external keyboards...	Jelly Bean	1.2 %	16	Yes		3.1.10
Android 4.0.4	2012 Mar 28	stability improvements better camera performance smoother screen rotation	Ice Cream Sandwich	20.8 % (4.0.3 - 4.0.4)	15	Yes		3.0.1
Android 4.0.3	2011 Dec 16	Social stream API in Contacts provider to show updates associated to your contacts Video stabilization and QVGA video resolution API access Accessibility API refinements for screen readers Calendar provider updates	Ice Cream Sandwich		15	Yes		3.0.1
Android 4.0.2	2011 Nov 28	Minor fixes	Ice Cream Sandwich	0.1 % (4.0.1 - 4.0.2)	14	Yes		3.0.1
Android 4.0.1	2011 Oct 19	Facial recognition (Face Unlock) UI use Hardware acceleration Better voice recognition (dictating/Voice typing) Web browser, allows up to 16 tabs Updated launcher (customizable) Android Beam application to exchange data through NFC Resizable widgets	Ice Cream Sandwich		14	Yes		3.0.1
Android 3.2.6	2012 Feb 15	Minor fixes	Honeycomb	1.6 % (3.2 - 3.2.6)	13	Yes		2.6.36
Android 3.2.4	2011 Dec 15	Added "Pay as you go" for tablets	Honeycomb		13	Yes		2.6.36
Android 3.2.2	2011 Sep 30	Minor fixes	Honeycomb		13	Yes		2.6.36
Android 3.2.1	2011 Sep 20	Android Market updates including easier automatic updates Google Books updates Wi-Fi improvements Chinese handwriting prediction improved	Honeycomb		13	Yes		2.6.36
Android 3.2	2011 Jul 15	Optimizations for a wider range of tablets Compatibility display mode (zoom for fixed-sized applications) Media sync from SD card	Honeycomb		13	Yes		2.6.36
Android 3.1	2011 May 10	UI improvements Open Accessory API USB host API Mice, joysticks, gamepads... support Resizable Home screen widgets MTP notifications RTP API for audio	Honeycomb	0.5 %	12	Yes		2.6.36
Android 3.0	2011 Feb 22	Multi core support Better tablet support Updated 3D UI Google Talk video chat Google eBooks "Private browsing"	Honeycomb	0 %	11	Yes		2.6.36
Android 2.3.7		Google Wallet support for the Nexus S 4G	Gingerbread	57.2 % (2.3.3 - 2.3.7)	10	Yes		2.6.35
Android 2.3.6		Voice search issue fixed	Gingerbread		10	Yes		2.6.35
Android 2.3.5	2011 Jul 25	Improved network performance for the Nexus S 4G Fixed Bluetooth issues on the Samsung Galaxy S Gmail application. Improvements	Gingerbread		10	Yes		2.6.35
Android 2.3.4	2011 May 10	Open Accessory API Voice or video chat using Google Talk	Gingerbread		10	Yes		2.6.35
Android 2.3.3	2011 Feb 9	NFC API improvements (peer to peer communication...)	Gingerbread		10	Yes		2.6.35
Android 2.3	2010 Dec 6	Updated UI WebM video playback capability Improved copy/paste Social networking features Near Field Communication support Native VoIP/SIP support Video call support	Gingerbread	0.3 % (2.3 - 2.3.2)	9	Yes	1366×768 WXGA	2.6.35
Android 2.2	2010 May 20	Speed improvements JIT implementation USB Tethering Applications installation to the expandable memory Upload file support in the browser Animated GIFs	Froyo	14 %	8	Yes 10.1	800×480 WVGA	2.6.32
Android 2.1	2010 Jan 12	Updated UI	Eclair	3.7 % (2.0 - 2.1)	7	No Flash Lite 4 on some device	800×480 WVGA	2.6.29
Android 2.0.1	2009 Dec 3		Eclair		6	No Flash Lite 4 on some device	800×480 WVGA	2.6.29
Android 2.0	2009 Oct 26	HTML Digital zoom Microsoft Exchange support Bluetooth 2.1 Live Wallpapers Updated UI	Eclair		5	No Flash Lite 4 on some device	800×480 WVGA	2.6.29
Android 1.6	2009 Sep 15	Gesture framework Turn-by-turn navigation	Donut	0.4 %	4	No Flash Lite 4 on some device	800×480 WVGA	2.6.29
Android 1.5	2009 Apr 30	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP support Soft-keyboard with text-prediction Record/watch videos	Cupcake	0.2 %	3	No Flash Lite 4 on some device	320x480 HVGA	2.6.27
Android 1.1	2009 Feb 9		Banana bread		2	No	320x480 HVGA	2.6
Android 1.0	2008 Sep 23		Apple pie		1	No	320x480 HVGA
Android 0.9	2008 Aug 18					No

Source:http://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/android-versions-comparisonhttp://socialcompare.com/en/comparison/android-versions-comparison

On the table 2.3 it shows the different android versions and what feature added on the latest version. It also show the different version name and what API (application programming interface) to be used by a programmer in creating an application on a certain version of android.