Android

With Android's new KitKat operating system waiting in the wings to launch, here's a look at 10 things worth knowing about the history of Google's mobile software.

1) The Android operating system wasn't actually made by Google. It was developed in 2003 by Android Inc., a company named apparently after its founder's nickname - given to him due to an obsession with robots.

Google had backed the company and bought it in 2005.

Android was originally developed by its makers as a platform for digital cameras, to weave apps into them.

But eventually they changed their focus to smartphones fearing the days of the digital camera were numbered thanks to mobile usage.

2) When Google bought Android Inc. a spokesman for the search engine giant said: "We acquired Android because of the talented engineers and great technology."

Little could they have known what that would bring. Android has now been activated on ONE BILLION devices, so it was announced in September.

And while analysts all have different views when it comes to market share between Android and iOS, recent figures from Kantar for the UK show Google as having 56% compared to Apple's 27.5.

3) It was back on November 5 2007 that Google first officially announced what was known as the Open Handset Alliance.

Its aim was to create an open platform - based on Linux - for mobile phones, enabling them to run Google's products.

That platform was Android and it heralded the headlines and rumours about the first Google Phone - dubbed the GPhone - to compete with Apple's iPhone.

But Android's creator Andy Rubin said at the time: "We hope Android will be the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today."

4) The first ever mobile handset to run Android was the HTC Dream or T-Mobile G1 as UK users may remember it.

It featured a slide-up screen that revealed a keyboard and it appeared in late 2008.

In the US it was followed by the Motorola Droid, which came out a year later.

5) Google is famous for naming its Android OS updates after sweet treats.

The first was the 1.5 release in April 2009 dubbed Cupcake. This was followed by Donut (1.6) a few months later, and an upgrade to 2.0 - or Eclair - in October of the same year.

Eclair was a massive step forward and brought Google Maps Navigation to the software, allowing it to compete with dedicated sat-nav systems.