I can’t quite believe that the android platform is already four years old. (well I can, since the recent Android 4.0 (Ice-Cream Sandwich) announcement.)
Google were expected to make an announcement about the pending gPhone to take on the iPhone, but instead announced the Open handset alliance, and the Android operating system as a core part of the platform.
Since then we have seen various tasty Android platforms, such as Eclair (1.6), Froyo (2.2), Honeycomb (3.0 for tablets), and others.
The hardware platforms have included the Google Nexus, Motorola Droid, HTC Incredible, and the more recent HTC Desire HD, Samsung Galaxy II series, and Google Nexus S.
My opinion is that the Google platform has some challenges to face. Handset manufacturers are going to be challenged to deliver differentiation between their handsets, as the struggle to build, debug and maintain a UI layer over the top is going to be a challenge; Google’s recent acquisition of the Motorola mobile phone is going to potentially cause splits within the Open Handset Alliance; and the biggest issue is the Apple vs Samsung IP battle.
The next few years are going to be fun for Android!
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