From Cupcake To Ice Cream Sandwich: My Android Journey

(picture from Cnet)

I remember a few years back when I purchased my first Android phone. It was actually THE first Android phone, the HTC Dream aka T-Mobile G1. It had a slide out keyboard, 192MB RAM, 256MB ROM, a 528MHz processor and was running Android Cupcake. I absolutely loved the phone.... AFTER I rooted it. Since then, I've been lucky enough to own quite a few Android devices, and it's amazing to me how much Android has evolved and improved, while at the same time how many of the same old problems still exist.

I'll be the first to admit that with my G1, I really HAD to root it in order to make it live up to my expectations. It didn't run that smoothly at all, and what actually introduced me to the rooting community whas when I Googled "how to speed up T-Mobile G1“. That was the beginning of my addiction, and a different story all together. However, with the help of CyanogenMod, I saw optimized versions of Android Donut and Android Eclair, making me absolutely fall in love with the phone. It was faster, snappier, and had sooooo many more features. I saw right away, even before rooting, the massive potential that Android truly had. It was not however, as snappy as the then current iPhone, which was at times admittantly frustrating.

Then I started hearing rumors about a phone called the huge flop. And that's a pity, as it was an AWESOME phone. When I got mine and opened it up, I was treated to Android Froyo, and oh what a beautiful site it was. A big beautiful screen, 1ghz processor, a cool trackball for highlighting words with ease that fired up different color notification lights when I would get an email or message. When I fired it up, there was a live wallpaper running on it, which impressed the hell out of me. It was then that I began to see that Android was thinking outside the box, with so many more features and customization options then what I previously had on older Android versions. To this day, it's one of the best phones I ever had. Sad that a poor marketing strategy killed its sales numbers. The phone however was a huge success, as it demonstrated Android's true power and potential. 

But, again, I still have to admit that rooting it was what made me keep the Nexus One for such a long time, as it really, again, brought the device to another level. It was again faster, snappier, and feature packed with features that iPhone users could only wish for. But it still had times where it would lag a lot when compared to the then current iPhone. It didn't switch to portrait mode as quickly, or swipe through homescreens as fast. I then learned a bit about how Android distributes memory, which made me understand why that happened. It wasn't that the iPhone was simply a "faster“ phone, but because of the way it managed processes. Android managed them MUCH better, but at a cost of a little speed. Now that I knew, I didn't care as much, as I could blow iPhone users out of the water with TRUE multitasking all the other functions they didn't have at the time (copy and paste anyone?)!

Then something crazy happened...MIUI. It had an 8MP camera that was INSANE. The Sensation, when rooted and stripped down of HTC Sense, delivered a similiar experience. Android was evolving again. It was faster, stronger, and finally keeping up with the iPhone in terms of speed, and killing it in terms of possibilities.

Then they came....tablets. Right off the bat, the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 caught my eye, and I became the proud owner of a Galaxy Tab 10.1 a few months later. Android Honeycomb, the first version of Android optimzed only for tablets, looked AMAZING, but didn't run nearly as smooth as it should of. Rooting helped ALOT, but it simply didn't match the iPad in terms of consistent speed and zero lag. This was also frustrating, considering it boasted hardware superior to the iPad2. 

But now, I'm proud to say that I'm running early Ice Cream Sandwich test builds on my now rooted Galaxy Tab 10.1, and I can honestly say that the speed is finally there. Snappy as an iPad with better multitasking, and an interface so beautiful and customizable that it's hard to imagine how it can get much better. When the final builds come around, I have no doubt that it will kill the iPad 2 in terms of...well...everything actually. My phones are now also running ICS as well (custom ROMS), and I couldn't be happier.

Android has certainly came a long way since Cupcake. My oh my how you've grown up, and I can't wait to see your evolution continue.

What about you guys? Which devices have you personally watched Android evolve on? Share your experience in the comments or on the forums!