Google announced the formation of The Open Handset Alliance that
opens up the development of handsets with an open source mobile phone
platform called, “Android” to allow for innovation.
The alliance is made up of 34 companies who have worked together for 3 years to build the
platform, with five different categories of companies, semiconductor
firms, hardware manufacturers, wireless operators, software companies
and commercialization partners.
Companies
in the alliance include Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Nividia Motorola,
LG, HTC and Samsung, as well as Sprint and T-Mobile. The SDK (the code
for
developers) will be announced on November 12th and handsets will be
available by
the first half of 2008. The members claim that the opening sourcing
makes it easier to develop better mobile phone experiences with more
capabilities. The platform supports advertising which may lower
the cost of mobile service.
Industry Leaders Announce Open Platform for Mobile Devices
Group Pledges to Unleash Innovation for Mobile Users Worldwide
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.; BONN, Germany; TAOYUAN, Taiwan; SAN DIEGO,
Calif.; SCHAUMBERG, Ill., — A broad alliance of
leading technology and wireless companies today joined forces to
announce the development of Android, the first truly open and
comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC,
Qualcomm, Motorola and others have collaborated on the development of
Android through the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance of
technology and mobile industry leaders.
This alliance shares a common goal of fostering innovation on mobile
devices and giving consumers a far better user experience than much of
what is available on today’s mobile platforms. By providing developers
a new level of openness that enables them to work more collaboratively,
Android will accelerate the pace at which new and compelling mobile
services are made available to consumers.
With nearly 3 billion users worldwide, the mobile phone has become
the most personal and ubiquitous communications device. However, the
lack of a collaborative effort has made it a challenge for developers,
wireless operators and handset manufacturers to respond as quickly as
possible to the ever-changing needs of savvy mobile consumers. Through
Android, developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers will
be better positioned to bring to market innovative new products faster
and at a much lower cost. The end result will be an unprecedented
mobile platform that will enable wireless operators and manufacturers
to give their customers better, more personal and more flexible mobile
experiences.
Thirty-four companies have formed the Open Handset Alliance, which
aims to develop technologies that will significantly lower the cost of
developing and distributing mobile devices and services. The Android
platform is the first step in this direction — a fully integrated
mobile “software stack” that consists of an operating system,
middleware, user-friendly interface and applications. Consumers should
expect the first phones based on Android to be available in the second
half of 2008.
The Android platform will be made available under one of the most
progressive, developer-friendly open-source licenses, which gives
mobile operators and device manufacturers significant freedom and
flexibility to design products. Next week the Alliance will release an
early access software development kit to provide developers with the
tools necessary to create innovative and compelling applications for
the platform.
Android holds the promise of unprecedented benefits for consumers,
developers and manufacturers of mobile services and devices. Handset
manufacturers and wireless operators will be free to customize Android
in order to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a
much lower cost. Developers will have complete access to handset
capabilities and tools that will enable them to build more compelling
and user-friendly services, bringing the Internet developer model to
the mobile space. And consumers worldwide will have access to less
expensive mobile devices that feature more compelling services, rich
Internet applications and easier-to-use interfaces — ultimately
creating a superior mobile experience.
Open Software, Open Device, Open Ecosystem
“This partnership will help unleash the potential of mobile
technology for billions of users around the world. A fresh approach to
fostering innovation in the mobile industry will help shape a new
computing environment that will change the way people access and share
information in the future,” said Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt.
“Today’s announcement is more ambitious than any single ‘Google Phone’
that the press has been speculating about over the past few weeks. Our
vision is that the powerful platform we’re unveiling will power
thousands of different phone models.”
“As a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, T-Mobile is
committed to innovation and fostering an open platform for wireless
services to meet the rapidly evolving and emerging needs of wireless
customers,” said René Obermann, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche
Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile. “Google has been an established
partner for T-Mobile’s groundbreaking approach to bring the mobile open
Internet to the mass market. We see the Android platform as an exciting
opportunity to launch robust wireless Internet and Web 2.0 services for
T-Mobile customers in the US and Europe in 2008.”
“HTC’s trademark on the mobile industry has been its ability to
drive cutting-edge innovation into a wide variety of mobile devices to
create the perfect match for individuals,” said Peter Chou, Chief
Executive Officer, HTC Corp. “Our participation in the Open Handset
Alliance and integration of the Android platform in the second half of
2008 enables us to expand our device portfolio into a new category of
connected mobile phones that will change the complexion of the mobile
industry and re-create user expectations of the mobile phone
experience.”
“The convergence of the wireless and Internet industries is creating
new partnerships, evolving business models and driving innovation,”
said Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chief Executive Officer of Qualcomm. “We are
extremely pleased to be participating in the Open Handset Alliance,
whose mission is to help build the leading open-source application
platform for 3G networks. The proliferation of open-standards-based
handsets will provide an exciting new opportunity to create compelling
services and devices. As a result, we are committing research and
development resources to enable the Android platform and to create the
best always-connected consumer experience on our chipsets.”
“Motorola has long been an advocate of open software for mobile
platforms. Today, we’re excited to continue this support by joining
Google and others in the announcement of the Open Handset Alliance and
Android platform. Motorola plans to leverage the Android platform to
enable seamless, connected services and rich consumer experiences in
future Motorola products,” said Ed Zander, Chairman and CEO of
Motorola, Inc.
Open Handset Alliance Founding Members
Aplix (www.aplixcorp.com), Ascender Corporation
(www.ascendercorp.com), Audience (www.audience.com), Broadcom
(www.broadcom.com), China Mobile (www.chinamobile.com), eBay
(www.ebay.com), Esmertec (www.esmertec.com), Google (www.google.com),
HTC (www.htc.com), Intel (www.intel.com), KDDI (www.kddi.com), Living
Image (www.livingimage.jp), LG (www.lge.com), Marvell
(www.marvell.com), Motorola (www.motorola.com), NMS Communications
(www.nmscommunications.com), Noser (www.noser.com), NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
(www.nttdocomo.com), Nuance (www.nuance.com), Nvidia (www.nvidia.com),
PacketVideo (www.packetvideo.com), Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com), Samsung
(www.samsung.com), SiRF (www.sirf.com), SkyPop (www.skypop.com),
SONiVOX (www.sonivoxrocks.com), Sprint Nextel (www.sprint.com),
Synaptics (www.synaptics.com), TAT - The Astonishing Tribe
(www.tat.se), Telecom Italia (www.telecomitalia.com), Telefónica
(www.telefonica.es), Texas Instruments (www.ti.com), T-Mobile
(www.t-mobile.com), Wind River (www.windriver.com)
For more information about the Open Handset Alliance, visit the website at www.openhandsetalliance.com.
About Google
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people
around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by
Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a
top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted
advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable
results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google
is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the
Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.
About T-Mobile
T-Mobile is one of the world’s leading companies in mobile
communications. As one of Deutsche Telekom’s three strategic business
units, T-Mobile concentrates on the most dynamic markets in Europe and
the United States. Almost 112 million mobile customers were served by
companies of the Deutsche Telekom group by June 30, 2007. The common
technology platform is based on GSM, the world’s most successful
digital wireless standard. This also makes T-Mobile the only mobile
communications provider with a seamless transatlantic service.
About HTC
Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets
innovative, feature rich smartphones. Since its establishment, HTC has
developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and
product innovations and launched a broad portfolio of smartphones for
mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These
devices are available as HTC products and as products individually
customized for operator and device partners. HTC is one of the fastest
growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on
the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about
HTC, please visit http://www.htc.com.
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and
delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and
services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered
in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and
is a 2007 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under
the ticker symbol QCOM.
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in
wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by our vision of
seamless mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you
connect simply and seamlessly to the people, information and
entertainment that you want and need. We do this by designing and
delivering “must have” products, “must do” experiences and powerful
networks — along with a full complement of support services. A Fortune
100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US
$42.8 billion in 2006. For more information about our company, our
people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com.