This is Breaking Through.
And I will share to you about a groundbreaking Operating System (OS) that powers billions of mobile devices such as phones and tablets, smart watches, televisions, cars, game consoles, digital cameras, PCS, and other smart devices. In fact, if you are reading this from your mobile phone or a tablet, there is a 7 out of 10 chance that you are reading this via our breakthrough OS, the Android.
Android OS is an open source mobile operating system developed by Google and was launched in September 23, 2008. It is based on a modified Linux kernel and other open source software.
Android was initially developed by Android Inc., a company founded in 2003 in Palo Alto, California. The team composed of Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Christ White wants to develop an advanced operating system for digital cameras. But when the company struggled to market their product, they diverted their focus to create a handset operating system that could rival Symbian and Windows mobile which were then the leading operating systems for mobile phones.
Android's turning point started when Google bought Android Inc. for at least $50 million in July 2005. In November 5, 2007, Google, together with device manufacturers (HTC, Motorola, and Samsung), wireless carriers (Sprint and T-Mobile), chipset makers (Qualcomm and Texas Instruments) unveilled the Open Handset Alliance. The Alliance aims to develop "the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices".
HTC Dream or T-Mobile G1 the first commercially released device running Android in 2008 by Luis Alberto Arjona Chin, Flickr.
In September 23, 2008, HTC Dream aka T-Mobile G1 became the first commercially available smartphone running Android. Since then, Android has numerous updates and has released versions sweetly named after desserts (Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, Kitkat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat, and Oreo).
Android has then revolutionized mobile computing by providing a platform that is free for device makers and developers. Since Android is open source, anybody could access, download, and modify Android’s source code for free to help develop apps, mobile devices, or even a competing OS.
And without the additional cost for license fees, manufacturers' development cost is greatly reduce resulting to more affordable devices. Android cut down the average price of smartphones to 25% between 2011 and 2013.
Why is that so important?
Because Android is making mobile devices cheaper, it means that information can be accessed by anyone who wants to learn and succeed. Think about those kids in developing countries, with projects like Android One, they can have access to global information and communicate their thoughts using affordable handsets. Thanks to Android, people with less than $100 can buy a smartphone. These people can download from 1 Million apps available in the Play Store. Google boasts of 270 language-learning apps, with over 70% of them free to download.
Today, there are 24,000 devices from nearly 1300 manufacturers available around the world. And as of May 2017, the numbers for monthly active Android devices has reached 2 billion. By 2020, Google predicts that smartphones in developing countries will increase by 2.9 billion.
In a world where only 10.8% of household have fixed broadband subscription, Android is bridging the communication and information gap by delivering mobile devices to the world covered mostly (95%) by a cellular network.
Breaking Through in the past:
The Hubble Telescope
Sources: Wikipedia • Android • Android Authority • Arstechnica • Android Central
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