InfoGear

[1] The company's history can be divided into four distinct phases: Phase 1 – May 1995 – The original iPhone product concept was developed as part of an internal innovation project at National Semiconductor – code named Project Mercury.

Ackerman worked with his colleague Jeff Oscodar and the National team to spin the project out into a start-up company in 1995.

It also explored the "J-Phone" concept, and ported InfoGear Networks to GSM mobile phones (code named Ducati).

Phase 4 - 2000 – Present – InfoGear was acquired by Cisco Systems on March 16, 2000.

It was ultimately distributed in the United States, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.