Android turns 5 and what a ride it has been so far

 November 5th, 2007 was an important date in the history of mobile devices. On that date, 5 years ago, the Open Handset Alliance introduced Android. The goal of Android was "fostering innovation on mobile devices and giving consumers are far better user experience than much of what is available on today's platforms". The platforms in mind included the oft-criticized Windows Mobile, Symbian and others. A little over a year later the T-Mobile G1 was introducing the public to Android and suddenly, smartphone users had a real choice.

Of course, it wasn't until Android 2.0 showed up on the 2009 Time Magazine Gadget of The Year, the Motorola DROID, that people started getting swept up in the platform. Now, 1.3 million Android devices are activated daily and Android is the most used OS in the global smartphone market. Not too long after the Motorola DROID made Android a household word, the Google Nexus One was launched and a device aimed at developers has become a three-headed monster with the LG Nexus 4, the Google Nexus 7 and the Google Nexus 10. The Nexus line has become more than just a way for buyers to get the stock Android experience.

In the New York Times, Android's director of business development, John Lagerling, said that Google has constructed a firewall around Motorola. While many of you have been hoping that Google would give its wholly owned subsidiary a crack at producing a Nexus model, Lagerling said that Motorola has to bid on producing a Nexus model just like any other OEM.


So it's 5 years in the rear-view mirror for Android. While the platform has gone far beyond where anyone thought it would, what will the next 5 years bring? Will Android remain as relevant as today, or will something new, something that is not on the radar screen now, surpass the green robot?

source: MobileSyrup, CNET