How can I forget when I got the Verizon Motorola Droid from the UPS deliver in February of 2010. I was so happy when I powered it on for the first time and the phone let out a very geeky sounding “Droid” as the iconic red eye faded into view and opened into the Android OS “Froyo” homescreen. I found that I enjoyed the ease of movement and the exceptionally customization abilities that the Android platform afforded its developers and users alike. Quite frankly, I didn’t even realize what kind of gem I truly was holding in my hands.
The screen on the Moto Droid was beautiful for a Smartphone in that era. Most people were still walking around with Blackberries and the iPhone. But, I stuck to my guns and kept testing and trying out the features of my Droid. I found that Gmail and Google Talk became my go-to applications and I enjoyed their use as I still do today in the form of Gmail and Google Hangouts. However, back then, all you could do with Google Talk was sending messages and little emoticons. But for some, those cute little green Android faces were enough.
Navigation took a boost as Google kept updating and improving on Google Maps. Users could punch in an address and count on Google and the power of the internet to do what for a long time, stand alone GPS units used to do. Android OS effectively kept the competition in the hot seat as the After a time I transferred overseas for a while to work and I noticed that people in Italy were carrying around Samsung Android phones and various entry level Androids. These phones were sleek in design and had much more power under the hood than my original Droid had. It was the time where the iPhone 3 and 3GS were making headlines and Android phones were still being called the inconvenient copy cat that was trying to steal the spotlight. The Android heavy hitters Samsung and HTC keep pouring more and more energy into their skinned versions of Android until they started getting the attention of consumers. The rest is history. Samsung Galaxy S2 was starting to pick up some significant steam. I had the pleasure of trying out my friends Samsung Galaxy S2 and loved it.
Fast forward to late 2011, I was in the market for a new Android phone as my Droid was on its last legs. I saw a commercial about a family where the dad had an Android phone he was using to take 3D pictures. This interesting technology piqued my interest. So, I decided to go down to the local phone store and see this little wonder for myself. Into my life walks the HTC Evo 3D. What a joy it has been to own this phone as I still have it and it still works today. But unlike the days when I had the original Moto Droid (which I still have collecting dust on my desk), my Evo 3D gets the job done. Sitting at Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Evo 3D is still capable of running the latest apps on Google Play. But, being completely honest, it’s about time for a new phone.
Why? Because Android as a Smartphone OS and as a platform has evolved and changed into something amazing. My current phone is obsolete when it comes to having impressive specs. The latest phone from Samsung, the Galaxy S4 literally blows my Evo 3D away, as does the current newer heavyweight hitter from HTC, HTC One. Android has begun to perfect itself entirely between the Over-the-Air updates and the other carrier updates that Android gets. You see, at the start people thought that Android was looking too much like the iPhone. However, after a few years and a few much needed refreshes of the OS, Android is looking and working better than ever.
Now here we are in 2014. We have so much to look forward to from Google and their Smartphone baby, Android. With the addition of Google Now, todays’ Android phones can do much more than just play a few games, send texts and read email. People can now have Google update them every day via Google Now about the things that matter to them. All the information is put on info cards on the Google Now page of the user’s phone. But that’s not all, as some people other great things they can say about Android’s OS. When you look at phones like the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, the HTC One, The Samsung Galaxy S4, the Google Nexus 5 and others, you can see that Google and the other OEMs have decided to up the ante with better specs and hardware and nearly constant refreshes to application. Seriously, in recent news Google and Samsung have reached an agreement that will allow them to position themselves even better for domination of the Smartphone battle.
What we can expect to see in the future is Android OS continuing to mature into a powerhouse even more robust and amazing and awe-inspiring. You may wonder how I say that. I say that because if you look at Google’s latest acquisitions and agreements you can begin to see a glimpse of the awesomeness that is coming for Android users. Android has grown up from the glitchy product of the past into the way of the future that shows Android’s hold over he collective minds in the mobile space. When you look at Apple, who has been the basis of competition for Android, you quickly realize that Android isn’t an OS that others should underestimate. In the past, there were many, many attempts to make the Android OS look like it has been just like the iPhone. But yet here we are and Android has been holding its own and winning against the competition. I hope it continues as I see Android getting even better thanks to the latest tech and phones that are getting released. Android will hit the sweet spot with consumers more so than Apple who have begun to realize that their OS hasn’t changed or modified its underpinnings that much as of late.
I love Android and I want to see it continue to succeed as it reaches that point where the OS gets updated again and brings even more features to the table for developers to play with and for consumers to be happy with.
