If you’ve been following Android for long, you probably have pretty pleasant memories of the original Motorola Droid.

The 2009 device was by no means the first Android phone to come out, but it was arguably the first one that mattered. Up until its arrival, Android was a small-scale project known mostly by techie-type folks (you know, like us). The Droid rocketed into America with a massive marketing campaign that took on the then-untouchable iPhone in a then-unthinkable way — and boy, did it ever deliver.

Suddenly, Android (or “Droid,” at least) was a household name. Suddenly, Android device sales were something worth watching. Suddenly, Android itself was a gold mine waiting to be tapped.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here