When Google acquired Android in 2005, its aim was to launch a BlackBerry-style Java phone with a hardware keyboard, and not full touch screen devices like the iPhone. An internal Google document detailing the requirements for v1.0 of Android further highlights the stark differences between Android before and after the iPhone. The fact that Android underwent a drastic change has been well-documented by author Fred Vogelstein in his book Dogfight, which revealed that Google had to “start over” on Android after the iPhone was introduced. These documents further illustrate the differences between the two platforms. Version 0.91 of the document, written in 2006, described Android as a product that will “will at a minimum, support a keypad with the following keys: Numeric, Star, Pound, Send, End, Home Back, 2 Soft Keys, 5-way navigation (up down left right select).” Further, Google noted that “touch screens will not be supported. The product was designed with the presence of discrete physical buttons as an assumption.” What Android looked like before iPhone After the iPhone was introduced in 2007, however, the document had a “major update” to add a new Touchscreen section that detailed “a touch screen for finger-based navigation—including multitouch capabilities—is required. Stylus-based navigation is not supported.” Here’s the entire document detailing the Software Functional Requirements for Android: Android Project Software Functional Requirements Document The document was revealed as a part of the ongoing Apple-Samsung patent trial, where Apple alleges that Samsung has infringed on five of its patents. [via Recode] Continue reading
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