ChoChoPK: The Chronicle (Drama) of Mobile 2010

This chronicle is *NOT* to document important technological break throughs that matters to the consumers in 2010, but to record the dog-fight between these tech companies from the eyes of someone who follows tech news.

This article is U.S.-centric, and the dates are in a U.S. time zone unless specified otherwise. Even with my best effort, the dates may still be off by a day or two.

1/5 – The Nexus One is released, along with Android 2.1 (Eclair). Multi-touch was not available and it is believed to be a gentlemen's agreement between Google and Apple.

2/2 – Android 2.1 gets an update with multi-touch.

2/16 – Google CEO Eric Schmidt says 60,000 Android devices are activated per day.

3/2 – Apple sues HTC, the manufacturer that makes the Nexus One and many other Android devices for 20 patents. It is speculated to be a retaliation against Android's update with multi-touch.

3/10 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25.1% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Jan. 2010, while Google has 7.1%, and RIM has 43.0%.

4/5 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25.4% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Feb. 2010, while Google has 9.0%, and RIM has 42.1%.

4/8 – iOS 4 announced.

4/8 – Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber points out that article 3.3.1 of the iOS4 SDK license agreement basically rejects Flash or Adobe Air on iOS 4.

4/12 – Microsoft unveils KIN.

4/15 – Apple App Store rejects Pulitzer-Winning Satirist Mark Fiore's app.

4/16 – Millennial Media, a Mobile ad network, reveals that iOS has 70% share of impressions, while Android has 6%, and RIM has 14% in the previous month.

4/17 – Engadget reported an iPhone 4 prototype.

4/19 – Gizmodo reported the lost iPhone 4 prototype. For some reason, media direct their attention at Gizmodo and not Engadget.

4/19 – Gizmodo reported how they obtained the iPhone 4 prototype that originated from Gray Powell, an Apple employee.

4/19 – Apple formally acknowledges the lost iPhone 4 prototype is their property and demands it back from Gizmodo. Gizmodo complies.

4/19 – Apple CEO Steve Jobs allegedly says in an email, "Folks who want porn can buy and [sic] Android phone."

4/23 – Law enforcement raided Jason Chen's house. Chen is the Gizmodo editor who reported the iPhone 4 prototype.

4/26 – Motorola plans to use Skyhook's XPS (a location software) instead of Google's.

5/7 – Nokia sues Apple over iPad and iPhone-related patents.

5/10 – NPD survey shows that in Q1 2010 in the U.S., Android has 28% U.S. market share, Apple has 21%, and RIM has 36%.

5/12 – HTC counter sues Apple.

5/20 – Google Vice-President of Engineering Vic Gundotra quotes Andy Rubin, "if Google did not act, we faced a Draconian future, a future where one man, one company, one device, one carrier would be our only choice."

5/20 – Android 2.2 (Froyo) and Google TV announced. Google says 100,000 Android devices are activated per day.

5/20 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 62% share of impressions, while Android has 10%, and RIM has 17% in the previous month.

6/7 – Steve Jobs announces iPhone 4 at WWDC 2010.

6/18 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 48% share of impressions, while Android has 15%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

6/15 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Apr. 2010, while Google has 12.0%, and RIM has over 40%.

6/23 – Andy Rubin says 160,000 Android devices are activated per day.

6/23 – Apple sues HTC again.

6/24 – iPhone 4 released.

6/24 – iPhone 4 reception problem reported. Steve Jobs allegedly tells a complaining user "Just avoid holding it in that way."

6/24 – Brian Maupin (tinywatchproductions) uploads an "iPhone4 vs HTC Evo" (NSFW) video on YouTube, featuring 2 cartoon characters with synthesized voice. Maupin also uploads an opposite video "HTC EVO vs iPhone4." Both videos become viral shortly. The former that bashes iPhone outpaces the latter that bashes EVO at a 5:1 ratio in terms of click rate.

6/30 – Microsoft discontinues KIN.

7/1 – Reports suggest that the end of KIN is a result of ugly workplace politics at Microsoft.

7/1 – Best Buy, the employer of Brian Maupin, puts Maupin on suspension, which further contributes the viralness of the videos.

7/6 – Best Buy decides not to fire Brian Maupin. But he decides not to take the job back.

7/8 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.4% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending May 2010, while Google has 13.0%, and RIM has 41.7%.

7/12 – Consumer Reports can't recommend the iPhone 4.

7/14 – Paramount Pictures shows interest in hiring Brian Maupin.

7/14 – Microsoft COO Kevin Turner says "It looks like the iPhone 4 might be their Vista."

7/15 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 56% share of impressions, while Android has 11%, and RIM has 17% in the previous month.

7/16 – At a emergency press conference, Steve Jobs says 1.7% of iPhone 4 were returned, compared to 6% of iPhone 3GS, the perceived signal drop is a result from a miscalculating formula, and Apple will be giving away free Bumpers. Apple also makes a web page that shows the signal drop problem also occurs on BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid X, Nokia N97 mini, Samsung Omnia II, and its own iPhone 3GS.

7/16 – RIM's co-CEO's Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie states "Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. … During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls."

7/17 – Nokia says "Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design."

7/17 – HTC's spokesman Eric Lin says the support rate of Droid Eris is approximately .016% of customers.

7/19 – Samsung defends their Omnia 2 phone "Reception problems have not happened so far, and there is no room for such problems to happen in the future."

8/4 – Eric Schmidt says 200,000 Android devices are activated per day.

8/5 – NPD survey shows that in Q2 2010 in the U.S., Android has 33% U.S. market share, Apple has 22%, and RIM has 28%.

8/6 – HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns for inappropriate business conduct found in an investigation into a claim of sexual harassment. (I know this isn't mobile-related.)

8/9 – Oracle CEO Larry Ellison comments on Hurd's resignation, "The H.P. board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago."

8/12 – Oracle sues Google over Java patent infringement in Android.

8/18 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 55% share of impressions, while Android has 19%, and RIM has 16% in the previous month.

8/27 – Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sues Apple, Google, Facebook, AOL, eBay, Netflix, Yahoo!, Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and YouTube over patents

9/1 – Steve Jobs announces the 2nd generation of Apple TV

9/2 – Samsung Galaxy Tab announced in Berlin. Galaxy Tab runs on Android 2.2 and a 7" display.

9/6 – Oracle hires Mark Hurd.

9/6 – HP sues Oracle over hiring Mark Hurd.

9/9 – Apple relaxes its restrictions on iOS app code.

9/15 – ComScore reports that Apple has 23.8% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Jul. 2010, while Google has 17.0%, and RIM has 39.3%.

9/16 – Skyhook sues Google for strong-arming of Motorola.

9/28 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 48% share of impressions, while Android has 26%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

10/1 – Microsoft sues Motorola because of Android.

10/3 – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says Android isn't really free.

10/6 – Motorola sues Apple.

10/6 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.2% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Aug. 2010, while Google has 19.6%, and RIM has 37.6%.

10/11 – Windows Phone 7 announced.

10/18 – Apple announced financial results for its fiscal Q4 2010 (ended 9/25). Steve Jobs says iPhone sale surpasses RIM 14.1 to 12.1 millions, Android's openness is disingenuous, 7" tablet is an awkward size, and 275,000 iOS devices are activated per day. Jobs also quotes TweetDeck's statistics to show the alleged fragmentation problem of Android.

10/18 – Andy Rubin tweets, "the definition of open: "mkdir android ; cd android ; repo init -u git://android.git.kernel.org/platform/manifest.git ; repo sync ; make""

10/18 – RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie says, "For those of us who live outside of Apple’s distortion field, we know that 7″ tablets will actually be a big portion of the market and we know that Adobe Flash support actually matters to customers who want a real web experience. ... We think many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple."

10/19 – Iain Dodsworth, one of the two developers of TweetDeck, tweets "Did we at any point say it was a nightmare developing on Android? Errr nope, no we didn't. It wasn't."

10/19 – Joe Hewitt, developer of Firefox and FireBug, says that even Android is not "open" by Firefox's or Linux's standard.

10/19 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 46% share of impressions, while Android has 29%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

10/20 – At "Back to the Mac" event, the next generation of MacBook Air was announced. Shortly, people discovered that the new MacBook Air does not have Adobe Flash pre-installed.

10/21 – Android and Me reports a rumor that Samsung will have a Google-experience phone in 2010.

10/22 – Giant Gingerbread (Android 2.3) man arrives at Google HQ.

10/28 – Gizmodo claims that Samsung "Nexus Two" is real.

10/30 – Apple counter sues Motorola.

11/1 – Samsung says the Nexus Two rumor "simply not true."

11/1 – NPD survey shows that in Q3 2010 in the U.S., Android has 44% U.S. market share, Apple has 23%, and RIM has 22%.

11/2 – T-Mobile U.S.A. launches their 4G campaign, mocking A&T and iPhone 4 at the same time. Despite not meeting ITU's specification, most carriers in the U.S.A. still call their new service "4G".

11/2 – Sprint responded T-Mobile's 4G campaign, "Halloween is over–it’s time for T-Mobile to stop dressing up like their favorite super hero–Sprint 4G."

11/3 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.3% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Sep. 2010, while Google has 21.4%, and RIM has 37.3%.

11/3 – AT&T responds to T-Mobile's commercial, "T-Mobile's claims about 4G are based on the same HSPA+ technology we have deployed to 180 million people today, more than T-Mobile’s reported 140 million, and we’ll have it rolled out to 250 million people by the end of this month, substantially more than the 200 million T-Mobile says it will have by year-end."

11/4 – T-Mobile continues the offensive on Facebook, "Hey AT&T – It is easy for us to be proud when we have the 4G network to back it up. We challenge you to show us any data speeds on an AT&T iPhone that can top the speed on T-Mobile’s myTouch 4G. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Check out these amazing speed test screenshots from our T-Mobile fans: http://goo.gl/P0wk3"

11/4 – At&T replies to T-Mobile on Facebook with the same statement said on the day before.

11/9 – Microsoft sues Motorola.

11/11 – Motorola sues Microsoft.

11/11 – Numerous rumors about the alleged Nexus S explode this day.
- BestBuy website leak suggests Samsung Nexus S on T-Mobile.
- Pictures of a physical Nexus S leak.
- BestBuy internal document leak suggests Samsung Nexus S on T-Mobile.
- Samsung "flagship device" (not Nexus S) coming in Feb 2011. Gingerbread.
- Pictures shot with Samsung GT-i9020 (according to EXIF) found on Flickr.
- First Nexus S was scrapped in favor of a new dual-core version.

11/15 – Eric Schmidt shows the Nexus S.

11/18 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 37% share of impressions, while Android has 37%, and RIM has 20% in the previous month.

11/18 – Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak is reported to say that Android will dominate the smartphone market.

11/18 – Steve Wozniak says his pervious statement was quoted out of context.

11/18 – Microsoft Kin ONEm and TWOm are back with lower prices.

11/27 – Apple bans a Danish Android magazine app from the App Store.

12/1 – Verizon announces their "4G" (LTE) network. On the same day, T-Mobile reiterates that T-Mobile has "America’s Largest 4G Network".

12/3 – ComScore reports that Apple has 24.6% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Oct. 2010, while Google has 23.5%, and RIM has 35.8%.

12/6 – Nexus S is officially announced.

12/14 – Millennial Media reveals that iOS has 38% share of impressions, while Android has 38%, and RIM has 19% in the previous month.

12/16 – Nexus S is available from Best Buy in the U.S.

1/6/2011 – ComScore reports that Apple has 25.0% of the market share in the U.S. in terms of 3-month average ending Oct. 2010, while Google has 26.0%, and RIM has 33.5%.