Thinking back, it's hard to believe that with so many Android phones on the market today, that the first version of the Android OS was released only 3 years ago, but the full story starts a few years earlier.

It all began in October 2003 when Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears and Chris White founded Android Inc. in Palo Alto, California. Rubin was quoted by saying the purpose of Android was to allow "smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences", though at that time not much else was known about what type of phone software it would turn out to be.

Two years later, Android Inc. was acquired by Google in 2005 (though the amount has never been disclosed) and became a wholly owned subsidiary, but key employees were kept during the acquisition. In the two years that followed, the first Android SDK Beta was released to developers and phone manufactures. This was based on the Linux kernel to allow a flexible and upgradeable system. During this time, Google also helped form the Open Handset Alliance, along with a dozen other software and hardware companies, with the purpose to develop open standards for mobile phones.

Then in September 2008, the HTC Dream G1 was released by T-Mobile as the first device to run on the Android 1.0 operating system, which brought us the Android Market, full HTML web browser, GMail and E-Mail connectivity, as well as Google Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Sync, Search, and Media Player. The HTC Dream G1 featured a 3.2" display with 480x320 resolution, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 528MHz processor, 192MB of RAM, and a 3.2MP autofocus camera.

In February 2009, the HTC Dream G1 was updated to Android 1.1, which added more details in Maps, a longer screen timeout in the dialer, and the ability to save message attachments.

By mid year, there was Android 1.5 Cupcake that added the all important desktop Widgets, on-screen keyboard, faster camera response with video recording, browser copy & paste, and being able to upload videos directly to YouTube. In September 2009, Android 1.6 Donut was released, though there was still only a handful of Android models on the market. Not only did it bring many bug fixes, but also expanded the Voice & Text Search capabilities to include bookmarks & history, contacts, the web, a new Text-to-Speech, support for WVGA displays, and also CDMA/EVDO cellular network support.

When Android 2.0 Eclair hit later in 2009, that's when things started to heat up. It was a more advanced and refined operating system, with updates to almost every aspect of the user interface, including multiple E-Mail accounts, Exchange support, new Browser interface, and Bluetooth 2.1 support. Not only that, but it is also when the original Motorola DROID came to the market from Verizon Wireless. The device featured a 3.7" display with 480x854 resolution, EVDO Rev A for data, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 600MHz processor, 5MP autofocus camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This is also when we started to see many more Android devices being manufactured and sold world-wide.

The next major release was Android 2.2 Froyo in the first half of 2010. This brought new internal optimizations to improve the overall speed, memory, and performance of the operating system. This, along with a new V8 JavaScript allowed the browser to work faster. We also saw an improved Application Launcher, more Widgets, USB tethering, Voice Dialing over Bluetooth, and Adobe Flash support in the Web Browser.

Later that year, Android 2.3 Gingerbread was announced, bring an updated user interface, support for larger and higher-resolution screens, improved power management, redesigned on-screen keyboard, enhanced copy/paste, support for Near Field Communications (NFC), audio effects in the music player, updated download manager, and support for more hardware sensors (gyroscope, barometer). It was then followed by service-updates to Android 2.3.3, 2.3.4 (voice/video chat in Google Talk), and 2.3.5 (for the Nexus S 4G).

Google has also spread its wings into the Tablet market as well. Even though there have been Tablets running Android 2.x since 2010, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system released in early 2011 is designed specifically for Tablets. The resigned holographic user interface still has an "Android feel" to it, and features a System Bar for accessing notifications, Action Bar, and Multitasking icon for bringing up a thumbnail view of open apps. There are also new desktop Widgets that were introduced in Honeycomb.

Android 2.3.x Gingerbread is still the latest iteration that is in currently available for Android smartphones today (mid-2011). Though the next version has already been announced: Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which is expected to combine elements of Gingerbread and Honeycomb together. Due for release later this year, little is know about it, but it will no longer require phones to have function buttons below the screen, as they will be on the bottom of the screen as icons (similar to how it is done in Honeycomb).

As of August 2011, Canalys research claims that 51.9 million Android devices shipped just in second quarter of this year (five times that of Q2 2010), which now accounts for 48% of all smartphones shipped world-wide. In the U.S. alone, Nielsen Ratings research found that 39% of smartphones were Android, followed by Apple's iOS at 28% and RIM's BlackBerry OS at 20%.

Now to make things even more interesting, Google announced earlier this week that it is positioning itself to purchase Motorola for $12.5 billion. It is unclear what the future will bring from this alliance, but we're now more likely to see Nexus and DROID type devices being produced by them down the road. Not only that, but it positions Android to be an even more viable alternative to the Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBerry, and Microsoft Windows Phone.

[Rumor] New Leak Regarding Samsung Nexus Prime; Will Have a Super AMOLED HD Screen

The Samsung Nexus Prime just had another tidbit of info leaked about it. This new leak continues the rumor of a possible October release date. Also, from what we understand the screen will be Samsung's new Super AMOLED HD that will have an astonishing resolution of 720x1280 pixels on a 4.5" form factor. Supposedly, it will also be a Pentile screen but the deficiencies of that will be made up for by the HD resolution. Another bit of info from this leak suggests that it will come to several different carriers when it is finally released, which will break with tradition a bit.

Super AMOLED HD Details Rumors Begin

Samsung really made gold when they developed the Super AMOLED display technology that powers all their high-end smartphones. The Super AMOLED display has saved Samsung from a lot of licensing fees and allowed them to make more unique phones with screens that are unmatched. Knowing the success the technology has brought Samsung, they have invented a new and improved version of the display called Super AMOLED HD. This new display is rumored to cut cost by 20% in-comparison to a similar S-LCD display. It will have full HD, with a 720p down resolution. Lastly it will allow Samsung to develop larger screens, so tablets and 5 inch phones can finally have some Super AMOLED goodness.

Before you hold out for this to come to the next line of Samsung devices don’t forget this is just a rumor at this point.

Report Indicates AT&T and Budget Carriers Steal Android Market Share from Verizon

A new report from marketing research firm Chitika suggests that Verizon's Android marketshare has been eroding lately, and that AT&T and the budget carriers (like US Cellular, & Virgin Mobile) are to blame. Verizon used to hold a commanding 50% share of the Android market, but in just the last five months they have dropped considerably to 40%. AT&T has almost tripled their marketshare in that time-frame, up from 3.5% to 9%. The budget carriers together used to make up 3%, and now they hover near 8.5%.

Reading between the lines of this report doesn't make it look as bad for Verizon as it initially appears. Keep in mind that during this time the Android market has been exploding and so some of the market erosion from Verizon is simply increased competition. Furthermore, the budget carriers tend to carry much less expensive Android devices, which is another important factor to consider, especially since you can't really call Verizon's plans "budget friendly." Verizon can sit fairly comfortably at the high-end of the market for a while, but if this trend continues, they will need to start getting competitive again.

Motorola Mobility Sued by Shareholder to Stop Sale to Google

Here is a story that could either be a tale of extreme corporate greed, or one of an individual investor protecting his investment. We will give you the facts and let you decide which it is. Recently, Google announced that it would be purchasing Motorola Mobility for the price of $12.5 Billion dollars. That figure comes to $40 dollars a share to current Motorola Mobility shareholders, which is an instant profit of 63% on their investment. However, this amount didn't go over very well with one investor, named John W. Keating.

Mr. Keating, filed a complaint in a courthouse in Chicago against Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. and its chief executive officer, Sanjay Jha, along with Google and nine members of Motorola Mobility’s board, claiming that they failed to get a better price. “The offered consideration does not compensate shareholders for the company’s intrinsic value and stand-alone alternatives going forward, nor does it compensate shareholders for the company’s value as a strategic asset for Google,” Keating claims. He further added, “Motorola has experienced an economic resurgence since separating into two separate companies. The Android smartphone technology it relies on continues to gain ground on Apple’s iPhone.” He indicated that shareholders will no longer be able to share in the future success of the company. Here's a quote from the Bloomberg article with the final details,

Keating accused the individual board members of breaching their duty to investors and claims Motorola Mobility and Google aided and abetted that breach.

He is seeking class-action, or group, status for the case, an order declaring the agreement is unenforceable and an order barring the completion of the sale.

Jennifer Erickson, a Motorola Mobility spokeswoman, said the company hadn’t yet had an opportunity to review the complaint and that she and couldn’t comment on it. Google declined to comment, Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg, a company spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

What do you guys think? Does he have a legitimate concern, or should he have just been satisfied to "take the money and run?"

Asus Transformer To Be First With Kal-El

For months now we've been with the impression that Motorolawill be making the first Kal-El powered tablets, well the rumor mill is brewing.The latest rumors have it that Asus’ next generation Transformer will be thefirst to make use of NVIDA’s latest creation. The first generation AsusTransformer was very successful, and the CEO of the company said before CESthat their next generation tablet will be impressive. I’m not sure if upgradingthe processor from a dual core to a quite core will make that already-awesometablet even better, but we’ll just have to see.
This tablet is set to be released around November, so wehave more than enough time to speculate about what Asus has up their sleeves.

First Look at Unannounced Droid HD Arrives Online

Engadget has scored a gallery-sized collection of images for an unannounced Motorola handset known (for now) as the Droid HD. The pictures arrived as part of a larger group of photos that also included the Droid Bionic. And since we're not too keen on posting one leaked Bionic image after another, we're going to skip right on by to the Droid HD.

Looking at the pictures we can see that the phone offers a massive screen size, presumably in the range of 4.5-inches. Normally we'd expect a qHD (960x540) resolution for something in this vicinity but we're hopeful that this could be a 720 HD display. It is a Droid HD after all. Flipping the device over, the camera on the back is marked as 8-megapixels with capability of recording 1080p video. Toss in microUSB, micro HDMI-output, external SIM and microSD card slots and we're beginning to drool on our keyboards.  Engadget surmises that the Droid HD has a thickness of between 8.5mm-9mm, putting it on par with the Galaxy S II and its 8.49mm.
There is no indication as to who will offer this phone nor what it's model number is, but the aesthetics and 'Droid' moniker smell an awful lot like a Verizon phone.  Maybe we're looking at the Dinara? Aside from the 13-megapixel camera, everything else lines up.

Verizon Intros $20 Data Plan for DC, VA, and MD

Verizon Wireless has introduced a $20 data plan for its customers that live in either Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia. The plan is aimed towards first-time smartphone users, who may not be ready to gobble up data at the speed of light just yet. The plan gives users 300 MB of data for just $20/month and is available for all smartphones in the Verizon lineup. Yes, even 4G phones. While most of you probably aren't exactly the data-sipping type, the plan will be a hit for those don't want to pay $30 for 2G of data. However, if you go over that 300MB limit, Verizon scoops another $20 out of your wallet, in exchange for 300 more megabytes of data.

The promotion starts on August 18th, and lasts until September 30th. Hit the break for the full press release.

Verizon Wireless Introduces New $20 Data Plan in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia

LAUREL, Md., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting Thursday, existing Verizon Wireless customers in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia will be able to add a 300 MB data plan to their smartphone or basic phone for just $20 monthly access when added to a voice plan.  All new and existing customers are eligible for the promotional data plan that will be available from Aug. 18 through Sept. 30.
Customers in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia and North Carolina can choose from an array of 3G- and 4G LTE-enabled devices that include top sellers on all mobile operating systems including BlackBerry, Android, iOS, Palm and Windows Mobile. The plans are not restricted to specific phones but are geared to customers whose data use falls within the 300 MB allowance. Customers who go over their monthly allowance will automatically receive an additional 300 MB for an additional $20 per month.
"This is a great introductory plan for customers who have been contemplating moving from a basic phone to a smartphone but were hesitant because of cost," said Mike Maiorana, regional president in Maryland, Washington, DC and Virginia.  "The $20 monthly access promotional plan is an opportunity for customers to learn the many benefits of having a smartphone with email and calendar functions, as well as Internet access and apps, at their fingertips."
Data Plans and Pricing
In addition to the new $20 monthly access data, customers can also choose from an array of existing data price plans that begin at $30monthly access for 2GB.
Before purchasing any data plan, customers are encouraged to examine their data use by going to their My Verizon Account online or by estimating their monthly data use with the Data Usage Calculator, available at:  www.verizonwireless.com/datacalculator.

Steve Kondik a.k.a 'Cyanogen' Hired by Samsung

Last night the Twittersphere and the internet was abuzz with word that Steve Kondik, Mr. 'Cyanogen' himself, was hired by Samsung. At first there was speculation that Samsung may be creating there own custom version of CyanogenMod, and there was also rumblings that Kondik was simply walking away from the Mod he helped create. But, it turns out, Kondik simply got a great job offer as a software engineer at Samsung, and will continue to work on CyanogenMod as a side-project. Here is a quote from Steve Kondik himself,

...it's a job and I'm glad that I can use what I learned from all this to do something cool in the real world  I'll still be doing code review and some leadership for CM, but I'll be keeping it legit like always...I think we really broke away from the modding community. Most of us are professional engineers or in the field some way or another.

Let's congratulate Steve on proving that with hard work and commitment, the dream of turning a hobby into a career really can work! Share what you think this could mean for the popular mod in the forums.

MIUI Music Player Extracted For All

Previously, we shared info about the MIUI powered phone that will be coming out later this year. Now we have a little piece of the action. The MIUI music player is by far one of the best I've ever used. If you're not aware of the ROMs, MIUI is one of the most popular cross-platform ROMs available. The ROMs feature an iPhone like UI and a fully customized user interface; it's almost like you're not using Android anymore. The music player is like the iTunes music player on iOS devices, it's smooth and I have never had a problem using it on my device.

Due to the player coming as a package with the ROM, I made the hard choice of giving up both. Now thanks to some hackers, you can download and install it with whatever ROM you're using

HTC Ruby Specs Revealed; Will be a 'Big Brother' to HTC Sensation

Earlier last night we received word that the forthcoming HTC Ruby might actually have an official name, and that it will possibly be the HTC Amaze. Now, a new exclusive bit of news is coming from BGR that the phone is destined to be the big brother of the HTC Sensation and that it will be a new "flagship" phone. A few more details on the specs have been released as well:

• 4.3-inch display
• 1.5GHz processor
• The first smartphone to run on T-Mobile’s incredibly fast 42Mbps HSPA+ network

This is pretty exciting info. The tiny little factoids and rumors that have been trickling out about this phone for some time didn't hint at it being this powerful. What do you guys think?

BTW... the pic doesn't really fit the story, but BGR included it, and since Eliza Dushku is very nice "eye-candy", we included it as well. 

Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE Network Available To More Than Half The U.S. Population

It appears that Verizon has really outdone itself with nation-wide 4G LTE coverage. According to this press release, they have already reached more than half the U.S. Population. Here's a chunk of the press release:

On Thursday, Verizon Wireless Turns on 15 Additional 4G LTE Markets and Expands Its 4G LTE Network in 10 Cities

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless is turning on the world’s most advanced wireless network in 15 additional cities and expanding its network in 10 cities on Aug. 18, bringing the blazingly fast speed of 4G LTE to more than 160 million Americans – more than half the U.S. population – in fewer than eight months. Consumers and businesses can choose from an array of 4G LTE-enabled smartphones, tablets, notebooks and netbooks, and hotspots to connect to the fastest 4G LTE network in the country, now available in 117 cities.

On Thursday, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network will be available in Tucson, Ariz.; Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, Ark.; Bakersfield and Salinas/Monterey/Seaside, Calif.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Frederick, Md.; Worcester, Mass.; Omaha, Neb./Council Bluffs, Iowa; Albany, Ithaca and Syracuse, N.Y.; Altoona and Johnstown, Pa.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Provo, Utah. The company is also expanding its 4G LTE network on Thursday in Washington, D.C.; Tampa, Fla.; Atlanta, Ga.; Baltimore, Md.; Boston, Mass.; Lansing, Mich.; New York, N.Y.; Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio; and Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah.

“In eight short months we’ve introduced our 4G LTE network to more than half of the U.S. population, while continuing to offer the nation’s most reliable 3G network coast to coast,” said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless. “This matters to millions of Americans because they can take advantage of faster 4G LTE speeds both at home and when they travel throughout the country – today and in many more markets to come this year. Each new market and expansion is significant as it brings us closer to delivering on the promise to bring our 4G LTE network to more than 185 million Americans by the end of 2011.”

4G LTE Devices

Consumers can choose from 10 devices to access the blazingly fast speeds of the 4G LTE network, including:

· Smartphones: Revolution™ by LG, DROID Charge by Samsung and ThunderBolt™ by HTC

· Tablets: Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 with 4G LTE

· Notebooks and Netbooks: HP® Pavilion dm1-3010nr Entertainment PC and Compaq™ Mini CQ10-688nr with built-in 4G LTE

· Hotspots: Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi™ 4510L and Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11

· Modems: Verizon Wireless 4G LTE USB Modem 551L and Pantech UML290 USB modem

In real-world, fully loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink. For details on all 4G LTE devices visit www.verizonwireless.com/4GLTE.

When customers travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, the devices automatically connect to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast. Verizon Wireless’ 3G network is