An organization founded in 2007 by Google, T-Mobile, Qualcomm, Motorola and others that sponsors and promotes the Android open mobile phone platform. Based on Linux, Android was developed to compete with all cellphone platforms including Windows Mobile and Apple's iPhone by offering an open platform that encourages third-party application development.
The Google gPhone
In 2005, Google acquired Android, Inc., a startup that developed the Android platform. Because Google was expected to introduce a physical phone along with the software, Android was called the "gPhone" prior to its introduction. In 2012, Google briefly became a manufacturer of its own phones by acquiring the Motorola Mobility handset division. In 2014, Google sold Motorola to Lenovo, although it retained thousands of patents. See
Google X Phone and
Google Nexus.