Google LLC is an American multinational technology company based in Mountain View, California.[1] It was co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, initially focusing on developing a search engine that better ranks pages by relevance. Since then, the company has expanded to encompass a wide variety of products: a web browser (Google Chrome), mapping (Google Maps), video sharing (YouTube), email (Gmail), file creation and storage (Google Drive), and a mobile operating system (Android) to name a few.[2]
History[edit | edit source]
Google began in January 1996 as a research project by Stanford University Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The company was incorporated on September 4, 1998.[citation needed]
Android[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Android History
Google bought Android, Inc, in 2005. Android had been operating secretly, only telling news sources that it was working on software for mobile phones.[3] After Google bought Android, Inc, they continued developing the Android operating system.
Google Nexus[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Google Nexus
Since January 2010, when the Nexus One launched,[4] Google, partnering with various manufacturers, has designed devices to show off new versions of Android, or other new features. Nexus devices started off as developer devices, but have become mainstream since the introduction of the Galaxy Nexus[5] in 2011. The brand was succeeded by Google Pixel in 2016.[6][7]
Phones and Tablets[edit | edit source]
There are now 6 phones and 4 tablets that have been designed by Google, including the:
- Nexus One (with HTC)
- Nexus S (with Samsung)
- Galaxy Nexus (with Samsung)[5]
- Nexus 7 (First Generation, with Asus)
- Nexus 4 (with LG)[5][8]
- Nexus 10 (made with Samsung)
- Nexus 5 (again with LG)[5]
- Nexus 7 (Second Generation, again with Asus)
- Nexus 6
- Nexus 9
Other Devices[edit | edit source]
Google also made a device called the Nexus Q.[9] It was a digital media player that ran on a version of Android (Android 4.0). It has unofficially has been succeeded by the Chromecast and has officially been succeeded by the Nexus Player.[10]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Google Locations." Google.
- ↑ "Products." Google.
- ↑ "Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal." Bloomberg Businessweek. 16 August 2005
- ↑ "Nexus One review." Engadget.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Smartphone Evolution: This is the Nexus series." AndroidPit.
- ↑ Android Police - Nexus 5X and 6P removed from Google Store, NVIDIA Shield and VR headsets gone too
- ↑ The Verge - Pixel ‘phone by Google’ announced
- ↑ LG Nexus 4 specs. Engadget. http://www.engadget.com/products/lg/nexus/4/specs/.
- ↑ "It’s a Sphere! The Inside Story of Nexus Q, Google’s Music Hardware Gamble." Wired.
- ↑ Sundar Pichai. "Android: Be together. Not the same." Official Google Blog.
