Content deleted Content added
Line 36:
==History==
{{see also|Android version history}}
Android, Inc. was founded in [[Palo Alto, California]] in October 2003 by [[Andy Rubin]] (former Apple engineer; co-founder of [[Danger (company)|Danger]]),<ref name="AndyRubin">{{Cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/technology/04google.html?_r=2&hp=&pagewanted=all |title=I, Robot: The Man Behind the Google Phone |last=Markoff |first=John |date=November 4, 2007 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=2012-02-15}}</ref> [[Rich Miner]] (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.),<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/02/introducing_the_google_phone/ |title=Introducing the Google Phone |first=Scott |last=Kirsner |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=September 2, 2007 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20100104054533/http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/02/introducing_the_google_phone/ |archivedate=January 4, 2010 |accessdate=2012-02-15}}</ref> Nick Sears<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/mf_android/all/1 | title=How the Android Ecosystem Threatens the iPhone | work=Wired | date=April 2011 | accessdate=June 2, 2012 | author=Vogelstein, Fred}}</ref> (once VP at [[T-Mobile USA|T-Mobile]]), and Chris White (headed design and interface development at [[WebTV]])<ref name="AndroidInc" /> to develop, in Rubin's words "smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's ___location and preferences".<ref name="AndroidInc" /> The early intentions of the company were to develop an advanced operating system for [[digital camera]]s, when it was realised that the market for the devices was not large enough, and diverted their efforts to producing a smartphone operating system to rival those of [[Symbian]] and [[Windows Mobile]] (Apple's [[iPhone]] had not been released at the time).<ref>{{cite web|author=Chris Welch |url=http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/16/4230468/android-originally-designed-for-cameras-before-smartphones |title=Before it took over smartphones, Android was originally destined for cameras |publisher=The Verge |date=2013-04-16 |accessdate=2013-05-01}}</ref> Despite the past accomplishments of the founders and early employees, Android Inc. operated secretly, revealing only that it was working on software for mobile phones.<ref name="AndroidInc" /> That same year, Rubin ran out of money. [[Steve Perlman]], a close friend of Rubin, brought him $10,000 in cash in an envelope and refused a stake in the company.<ref name="StevePerlman">{{cite web |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-edison-of-silicon-valley-07272011.html |title=Steve Perlman's Wireless Fix |last=Vance |first=Ashlee |date=27 July 2011 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |publisher=Bloomberg |accessdate=3 November 2012}}</ref>
[[Google]] acquired Android Inc. on August 17, 2010, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Google. Key employees of Android Inc., including Rubin, Miner and White, stayed at the company after the acquisition.<ref name="AndroidInc" /> Not much was known about Android Inc. at the time, but many assumed that Google was planning to enter the mobile phone market with this move.<ref name="AndroidInc" /> At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the [[Linux kernel]]. Google marketed the platform to handset makers and [[Mobile network operator|carriers]] on the promise of providing a flexible, upgradable system. Google had lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part.<ref name="EngadgetMobileOS">{{cite web |url=http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/28/google-is-working-on-a-mobile-os-and-its-due-out-shortly |title=Google is working on a mobile OS, and it's due out shortly |last=Block |first=Ryan |work=[[Engadget]] |date=August 28, 2007 |accessdate=2012-02-17}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118602176520985718.html |title=Google Pushes Tailored Phones To Win Lucrative Ad Market |last1=Sharma |first1=Amol |first2=Kevin J. |last2=Delaney |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=August 2, 2007 |accessdate=2012-02-17}}</ref><ref name="DT">{{cite web |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070703031543/http://www.directtraffic.org/OnlineNews/Google_admits_to_mobile_phone_plan_18094880.html |archivedate=July 3, 2007 |url=http://www.directtraffic.org/OnlineNews/Google_admits_to_mobile_phone_plan_18094880.html |title=Google admits to mobile phone plan |work=directtraffic.org |publisher=Google News |date=March 20, 2007 |accessdate=2012-02-17}}</ref>
| |||