The Android platform is packing some serious heat these days in the mobile marketplace and gaining traction worldwide. The platform has seen numerous advancements in terms of SDK functionality, handset availability, and feature set. A wide diversity of Android handsets and devices are now shipping and (finally) in consumers’ hands—and we’re not just talking about phones: Android has begun to ship on netbooks, Internet tablets (such as the ARCHOS 5), ebook readers (like the Barnes & Noble nook), digital photo frames, and a
variety of other consumer electronics. There are even proof-of-concept appliances such as an Android microwave and washer/dryer combo. (Hey, why not? See http://bit.ly/bGqmZp.) Mobile operators and carriers are taking the platform seriously and spending gazillions on ad campaigns for Android phones—like Verizon’s Droid campaign.
In the past year or so, the Android platform has transitioned from a “gearheads-only” platform to providing some serious competition to more established platforms. (Yes, we’re talking about platforms such as the iPhone.)