Development In July 2005,
Google acquired Android Inc., a company led by
Andy Rubin which was working on unspecified software for mobile devices. Under the leadership of Google, the team was in the process of developing a standardized,
Linux-based operating system for mobile phones to compete against the likes of
Symbian and
Windows Mobile, which would be offered for use by individual
original equipment manufacturers. Initial development of what would become Android was targeted towards a prototype device codenamed "Sooner"; the device was a messaging phone in the style of
BlackBerry, with a small, non-touch screen, navigation keys, and a physical QWERTY keyboard. The January 2007 unveiling of the
iPhone,
Apple's first
smartphone, and its pioneering design aspects, caught Rubin off guard and led to a change in course for the project. The operating system's design was quickly reworked, and attention shifted to a new prototype device codenamed "Dream"—a touchscreen device with a sliding, physical keyboard. The inclusion of a physical keyboard was intentional, as Android developers recognized users did not like the idea of a
virtual keyboard as they lacked the physical feedback that makes hardware keyboards useful. The Android operating system was officially unveiled in November 2007 along with the founding of the
Open Handset Alliance (OHA); a consortium of
hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing
open standards for mobile devices. These companies included Google, along with
HTC, a company which was at the time, one of the largest manufacturers of phones. While Google indicated in 2008 that several Linux devices were being tested in preparation for the official public launch of Android, only one was to be released in the United States that year—the HTC Dream. Plans called for the Dream to be released on
T-Mobile USA by the end of the year (with some reports suggesting October 2008), targeting the
holiday shopping season.
Sprint had worked with the OHA, but had not yet unveiled any plans to release an Android phone of its own, while
Verizon Wireless and
AT&T did not have any plans for Android devices yet at all. followed by a British release in November 2008, and a release in other European territories in early 2009. On 10 March 2009, it became available in Poland as the Era G1 on
Era. On 2 June 2009, both the Dream and its successor (the
HTC Magic) were released by
Rogers Wireless in
Canada. The Dream was
discontinued by T-Mobile on 27 July 2010. The G1 was spiritually succeeded in October 2010 by the
T-Mobile G2, a new HTC device which also featured stock Android and a sliding keyboard, and was T-Mobile USA's first "
4G" smartphone. In Canada, Rogers suspended sales of the Dream on 15 January 2010 due to a bug affecting the proper use of
emergency calls. == Features ==