Danger

Danger, Inc. was a company founded in early 2000 by Andy Rubin, Matt Hershenson, and Joe Britt. The founders, who had previously worked at companies like Apple and WebTV, networked and formed relationships before establishing the company. Their collective experience in hardware and software engineering was foundational to Danger's product development.

The company's core offering was a holistic mobile platform that included hardware design, the Danger OS operating system, and back-end services. This integrated approach provided services like email, instant messaging, web browsing, and a catalog of downloadable applications. Danger's business model focused on selling these services to wireless carriers, enabling them to offer the physical devices at a lower cost and generate revenue from ongoing service fees. Their primary client was T-Mobile, with whom they partnered closely to launch their flagship product.

Danger's most notable product was the Hiptop, famously marketed by T-Mobile as the Sidekick. Unveiled in 2001 and launched the following year, the device was recognized for its distinctive design, where the screen would swivel or flip to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. This design made it particularly popular among younger, socially-inclined consumers for messaging and internet use. The Sidekick was one of the first smartphones to offer features like multitasking and a flat-rate data plan.

The company went through several product iterations, releasing updated versions of the Sidekick with manufacturers like Sharp and Motorola, which included improved cameras and 3G support. In 2002, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak joined Danger's board of directors. A significant milestone occurred in February 2008 when Microsoft announced its acquisition of Danger for a reported $500 million. The acquisition was completed in April 2008, with co-founders Matt Hershenson and Joe Britt joining Microsoft's Premium Mobile Experiences team. Andy Rubin had already left Danger in 2003 to found Android Inc., which was later acquired by Google. The Danger data services for the Sidekick were ultimately discontinued on May 31, 2011.

Keywords: mobile platform, Sidekick, Hiptop, wireless data services, smartphone, Danger OS, QWERTY keyboard, mobile messaging, Microsoft acquisition, Andy Rubin