Android is an open-source software stack for mobile phones and tablet devices. Android was originated by a group of companies known as the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google. Today, many companies have collaborated in the creation and development of the Android operating system. The members of the OHA contributed in the form of allocating significant engineering resources to improve Android and bring Android devices to Market. (Open Handset Alliance, n.d.) According to the Android Open Source Project website, the creation of Android was in response to their own experiences launching mobile applications. The OHA wants to make sure that there will always be an open platform available for carriers, original equipment manufacturers, and developers to use to make their innovative ideas a reality. The organization wants to make sure that there was no central point of failure, where one industry player could restrict or control the innovations of any other. The solution they chose was an open and open-source platform. “The goal of the Android Open Source Project is to create a successful real-world product that improves the mobile experience for end users.” (Open Handset Alliance, n.d.)
Android operated under a cloak of secrecy, so little was known about its work. Rubin & Co. sparingly described the outfit as making software for mobile phones, providing little more detail than that. One source familiar with the company says Android had at one point been working on a software operating system for cell phones. Google backed and then purchased the company after only being in existence twenty two months. (Elgin, 2012)
This operating system has changed the way people have used their mobile devices. Since a Android is an open source operating system, it encourages many developers to create many useful and entertaining applications. With the development of a variety of applications people have more of a choice on how they want to spend
References: Elgin, B. (2012). Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2005-08-16/google-buys-android-for-its-mobile-arsenal Google. (September 26, 2012). Google Play hits 25 billion downloads. Retrieved from http://officialandroid.blogspot.com/2012/09/google-play-hits-25-billion-downloads.html IDC. (2012). Android- and iOS-Powered Smartphones Expand Their Share of the Market in the First Quarter, According to IDC. Retrieved from http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23503312 Open Handset Alliance. (n.d.). Android open Source Project. Retrieved from http://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html