The key to the function of a smartphone was its operating system. The top five operating systems included Blackberry, Windows mobile by Microsoft, Symbian, IOS and ANdroid. Android, released in 2008, had originally been developed by Android Inc., a firm accquired by Google. The Android team at Google went on to create the Open Handset Alliance, a group of 79 handset makers and mobile network operators committed to an open source platform and to "accelerating innovation in mobile and offering consumers a richer, less expensive and better mobile experience