It has been a little over five years since Android burst on the scene with the purchase of a mobile operating system first developed by Android Inc.,  now proudly owned and developed by Google. It is pretty much the only mobile open-source system out there with a published code made available to the public, paving the way for developers to make tweaks that dramatically enhance the users’ experience. In essence, they have allowed developers to breathe fresh air into a product that already has the lung capacity of Lance Armstrong!

HTC and T-mobile were the fortunate recipients of the first Android mobile platform deployed on the Dream/G1  in October of 2008. In the first 6 months, HTC sold over a million handsets. Needless to say, floodgates were opened. Nobody in the industry was or is seemingly capable of building a dam big enough to contain Google and its mobile platform, not even the boys in Cupertino named after a forbidden fruit which I won’t mention. Now some two years later, the reincarnate G2 is making its debut and what a great way for Android to celebrate its two year anniversary!

The progression of Android has been rather amazing these past two years. They have brought us 1.5 (Cupcake), 1.6 (Donut), 2.0,2.1 (Eclair), 2.2 (Froyo), and coming soon will be the highly anticipated 3.0 (Gingerbread) and 3.5 (Honeycomb). With each new update, Android seems to get infinitely better, providing users with more capabilities, transforming their device into something that is way beyond just a mere cellphone capable of only making calls and sending texts.

At what point did the cellphone cease being just a phone and morph into the 21st Century device that made even the greatest minds turn their heads in disbelief at the endless possibilities and capabilities? The short answer to that very question is when applications hit the scene.

I am pretty sure if you handed Albert Einstein any of today’s greatest cellphones, it might take him just as long to figure out all its potential as it did for him to discover his theory of special relativity! In layman’s terms, applications are to Android, as designer fashion garments are to runway supermodels. In bare bone form they are both exquisite, but dress them up a bit and they expound on their beauty exponentially!

If you need fuel in the form of food, you simply head to the local market, pick out what you need, take it home and consume. It is no different with Android, simply navigate to applications on your phone, tap on the Android market icon, and you are suddenly overwhelmed with more choices than a Swedish smorgasbord. The market is where it’s at. It is the local hot spot, hangout, most frequented pub, the place where everyone likes to gather; it’s basically Starbucks on your phone!

With all that being said, Android does not live in a utopia- although it seems as close in proximity to Eden as any of us have been able to procure. It does in fact have its downsides, but they are minimal. I am pretty darn sure the guys at Google, namely the sheriffs in town Larry Page and Sergey Brin, have it all under control.

Even with a bit of conceded fragmentation, you would be hard pressed not wanting to join in on the party and celebrate the glorious achievements Google has accomplished with its mobile platform in such a short amount of time. With their two year anniversary coming to fruition next month, we have a lot to be excited about! If Google’s past is any indication of what is yet to come, none of us will have anything to be disappointed about.

These are exciting times in the tech industry and we owe a great deal of gratitude and thanks to the Android community for creating a communicative world that broadens our horizons with dreams and expectations we never knew existed.

Happy Birthday Android!