Fast Company has a great article on how innovation led to the creation of the first phone to run a Google-based operating system. A quick teaser:

Inside Magic Labs there are people from a diversity of different backgrounds. We of course have software magicians, hardware magicians, electrical people, people with mechanical engineering backgrounds, graphic designers, usability experts. One of the magicians used to design jewelry in New York. The whole organization is designed to fail.

Fast Company: What do you mean by designed to fail?

The way to get a great idea is to have many ideas. By definition, most of your ideas will fail. You want to be able to generate ideas very fast, very cheaply and fail very often but at very low cost. Magic Labs is optimized for the efficiency of failure. Among the many ideas, there will be great ideas that bubble up and then we will invest R&D efforts to cultivate the great ideas.

Definitely a worthwhile read, with some interesting ideas on how innovation becomes part of a culture. Check it out, and let me know what you think – leave a comment below.