My, oh my — how far we’ve come.

Six short years ago, I started an experimental little column about an up-and-coming operating system called Android. At the time, Android was but a niche player in the smartphone game, with a mere 12% of the U.S. mobile market. Apple had 25%, for comparison, while BlackBerry — then still known as RIM — held the top spot with 41% of the pie.

Speaking of pie, Froyo was the cool new Android release of the moment. Google had just announced the software, numbered 2.2, at its 2010 I/O developers’ conference. (For perspective, other groundbreaking 2010 I/O launches included the Chrome Web Store, Google TV, and — brace yourself! — Google Wave.)

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