Time flies when you’re having fun, and you can’t say the last fifteen years haven’t been fun. This weekend — literally today, actually, if you’re reading this when it’s scheduled to go live — the T-Mobile G1 turns 15 years old, marking another big milestone in the history of Android. We’ve got abig, fun retrospective live on the site right now(also written by yours truly), but timed with this anniversary, I thought it’d be fun to ask just how long our readers have been using Google’s mobile OS.
A lot has changed in the last fifteen years, both inside and outside the world of mobile technology. It’s so funny to look at the current — and, foldables aside, generally stale —lineup of smartphones you’ll find at Best Buyor carrier stores and compare them to their weird, wild predecessors. Depending on when you jumped on the Android train, your first experiences could vary wildly. Some readers probably started out on sluggish budget devices, while others likely picked up an early Nexus and never looked back.
Personally, my first Android phone was theHTC Thunderbolt, a relative flop of a device that I nevertheless loved very dearly. It was chunky, it ran hot, and the battery lasted about half a school day — I was fifteen — but damn it, it was my very first smartphone. Since then, I couldn’t tell you how many devices I’ve had, especially after starting my job as the Phones Editor at AP. But my earliest experiences with Android still hold a dear place in my heart. I’ll never forget accidentally bricking my LG G2 at two in the morning, only to get it back up and running three hours later. What a close call.
Our polling system is only limited to five choices, so I’m keeping things a little broad here, but I’m hoping the comments become a big forum for discussion this week. How long have you been an Android user and, maybe even more importantly, what was your first phone? I’ll keep an eye on everyone’s experiences over the week — I need something to keep my eyes off the Bills game on Sunday. Otherwise, sound off in the comments below, and maybe light a candle for the G1’s birthday. It’s a big one.
