The Android mobile operating system is an excellent example of the power of open source software. Android’s ascent is attributable not only to demand for feature-rich mobile devices but also to the flexibility, extensibility, and developer-friendly openness of the core Android project, which has brought similar and rich functionality to a wide variety of mobile devices, available from many carriers. In this white paper we describe the opportunity and challenge of developing for Android, look at its history, review licensing and IP issues and present a solution for managing its abundance and complexity.