Andy Rubin wants more eyes on the road. Photo: Google
Andy Rubin, who co-founded Android before leaving Google in 2014, is building dashboard cameras that he wants to give away for free. But in exchange for an extra eye on the road, Rubin wants you to give up all the data your dashcam collects.
Former Android head Andy Rubin answers questions in 2008. Photo: Karitsu/Flickr CC
Andy Rubin, co-founder and former head of Android, has left Google to start up a hardware incubator dedicated to building robots.
Rubin helped establish Android as the world’s most widely-used mobile operating system after it was bought by Google in 2005, before switching to run Google’s robotics business last year.
Apple may call Andy Rubin — one of the original creators of the Android platform — during next month’s Apple v. Samsung trial, according to court documents.
Rubin left the Android team to work on Google’s robotics projects in March 2013. Should he be called to the stand during the forthcoming trial, he would be cross-examined on the development of Android features which Apple claims infringe on it own patents. He may also be asked to discuss “Google documents relating to such development.”
If Apple calls Rubin, this will be his first time testifying in the various legal battles between Apple and Samsung.
No matter how you feel about Apple and the iPhone, it’s impossible to deny that the device completely revolutionized the mobile industry when it was launched in 2007. Without it, the smartphones of today may have been completely different.
Take Android, for example. It’s the biggest competitor to the iOS operating system that powers the iPhone, and it’s now the world’s largest mobile platform — but the iPhone is the reason Android is what it is today. Google started work on the software way back in 2005, but it scrapped everything and started again the day after iPhone was revealed to the world.
Earlier this year, the leader and visionary behind Android, Andy Rubin -—the man Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once called an “arrogant f***” — stepped down as head of Google’s mobile OS. What’s he been doing since?
Well, if there’s any accuracy to claims Rubin ripped off Apple to make Android, then this time, it looks like Rubin intends to steal inspiration from Skynet. Rubin’s latest project for Google? Frickin’ robots.
