INTRODUCTION

You could argue that the success of the Microsoft Windows OS on the desktop, somewhere over 90 percent of all desktops, is attributable to Microsoft being at the right place at the right time. The rapid evolution and popularity of the personal computer, the rapid advance of CPU technology, and the standardization of PC architecture based on the IBM PC-AT gave Microsoft a market on which to thrive. This is not to say that Microsoft doesn’t deserve credit for its success in its own right or that it didn’t contribute to the success of the personal computer industry.

The same could be said for the rapid advance in technology and popularity of the smart phone and the evolution of the Android OS. In three short years, Android has become the most popular OS on mobile phones in the United States. In the spring of 2011, a Nielsen survey concluded that Android controlled 36 percent of the market, followed by Apple iOS at 26 percent (Feb-Apr 2011 Nielsen Mobile Insights, National). Estimates are that by the end of 2012, Android will control 50 percent of the global smart phone market, the other 50 percent being divided among all other systems. In February 2010, CBS reported that the worldwide number of mobile phone subscriptions was 4.6 billion, and that was expected to grow to 5 billion during 2010. 2011 est....