Android Overview

Android Overview:

The first-generation Android phones were released in October 2008. According to Gartner, North American sales of Android-based phones increased 707% in the first quarter of 2010 over the previous year.1 By March 2011, a Nielsen study showed that Android had 37% of the U.S. smartphone market share, compared to 27% for Apple’s iPhone and 22% for Blackberry.2 

In August 2010, more than 200,000 Android smartphones were being activated each day, up from 100,000 per day only two months earlier.3 As of June 2011, more than 500,000 Android devices were being activated daily. There are now over 300 different Android devices worldwide. 

The Android operating system was developed by Android, Inc., which was acquired by Google in July 2005. In November 2007, the Open Handset Alliance™—a 34-company consortium initially and 81 now (www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html)—was formed to develop Android, driving innovation in mobile technology and improving the user experience while reducing costs. Android is used in numerous smartphones, e-reader devices and tablet computers.