by Zakary Venturo

Created on: October 08, 2010

2005, back when Google was still just a search engine, Andy Rubin had a chance to pitch his thoughts about mobile devices to Google’s co founder Larry Page. Instead of garnishing support from Google, which would have helped Rubin’s venture, Google made an acquisition and bought Android Inc outright.

It is Rubin’s remarkable passion for engineering which makes Android possible. Even while his career led him to participate in Apple’s early years and other projects, like WebTV, connected him to Microsoft, gadgetry fills Rubin’s home life. Everything from antonymous flight in model helicopters, to tweaking his home entertainment system to raise the lights when movie credits roll, engineering is not the drudgery of work, rather its a passion to play.

With Rubin in place to lead Google’s mobile division, the search giant would make Android an open source project. Making a project open source is practically a Google trademark, but Rubin had already experienced the difficulties surrounding getting mobile devices to market with a cult hit known as the Sidekick. Carriers wanted to control the devices, making their money through contracts,  and manufacturers wanted to sell as many devices as it possibly could. With software costing as much as 20% of a devices total cost, a free open platform would be a temptation inside the industry.

Even as Apple released the first iPhone in 2007, everyone was watching Google. With the acquisition of Android everyone expected a quick announcement for a Google phone. However, it was several months before Google announced anything official. Finally Google made a statement on November 5th, 2007, not for a Google phone, rather a press release stating 34 companies were joining Google to produce an open source platform for mobile devices known as the Open Handset Alliance.

The announcement was received by the industry with a yawn. Steve Balmer, Microsoft CEO, stated, “Their efforts are just some words on paper.” The big carriers, like Verizon and AT&T ignored Android, but Rubin’s previous success with the Sidekick opened the door with T-Mobile and Sprint.

Andy Rubin already knew what the carriers wanted to hear. Free software that could be customized to provide proprietary applications for whoever wished to implement the technology. In 2008 the first Android phone, the G1, was released on T-Mobile. More than a million devices were sold.

Google was also shaking up the industry in other

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>