The Advent of Android

Like millions of others, you probably rely quite a bit on Google’s search engine, and possibly other online features such as Google Maps, Gmail, Chat and Calendar as well. Thanks to its innovative mobile platform Android, you might soon be relying on the Internet giant to power your phone too.

The obvious main advantage of the Android is its integration with Google. This means, among other things, the ability to auto-sync your phone with your contacts and calendar data online. Another distinctive feature is that it’s an open source platform, with an ever-expanding library of downloadable apps. Manufacturers are also provided with a flexible framework on which to build handsets that vary widely in functionality and work on different networks.

While the launch of the Google-branded Nexus One mobile in January did not set off the “must have” furore that greeted the launch of the iPhone worldwide, part of the Android’s strength and appeal also stems from the fact that its success doesn’t depend on any one manufacturer. Motorola, HTC, Acer, LG, Samsung and Lenovo all carry Android smartphones. Other devices, including tablets and e-readers, also run on Android.

Sony Ericsson has also joined the Android bandwagon with the recently launched Xperia X10. As might be expected from the Japanese-Swedish joint venture, this beauty has both brains and brawn, running a customised version of Android with a blazing 1 GHz processor.

While Apple’s iPhone takes up roughly half of the world’s smartphone market share, up from a third last year, it was Google’s Android that saw the most startling growth – jumping from 2 to 24 percent in a year.

So get ready: the Androids are coming, and they’re definitely not letting up.