Over the past month, we’ve written extensively about the early days of Android and mobile technology. Here are some highlights.
Techno-stalgia
Android Central
- The best Android tablet was the Pixel C
- Galaxy S Fascinate retrospective review
- HTC Inspire 4G retrospective review
- Why the Moto X was the best
- Honeycomb: The Android version we all forgot
- Nexus Q was super weird but influential
- NVIDIA Shield is timeless
- The first phones I loved
- Android 10 vs. Android 4.4
- Android phones with physical keyboards
- Admit it, Android sucked before 2017
- The wild early days of Android smartwatches
Windows Central
- The glory days of Windows Phone
- Legacy of the Pocket PC
- PC gaming changed my life
- Best video games of the ’80s
- Why Zune was great
- 35 years of Windows
- Remembering Xbox 360
iMore
- First Mac memories
- Remembering arcades
- Love for LAN
- Lemonade Stand memories
- The classy iPod Classic
- Game manual memorabilia
- Nintendo Nostalgia
- Cassettes vs digital music
I think it’s safe to say that most people are finding comfort in nostalgia right now, in the looking back at times that felt less fraught and perhaps a bit simpler. The early days of mobile technology were not without their share of controversies, but it feels like we approached them with a more open mind — and heart.
It was with that openness in mind that we decided to start Technostalgia, a series about looking back at our favorite technology from the past decade or so. From the earliest Android smartphones to the strange whatever the heck this was of Google’s nascent hardware division, we’re free to examine that impact of that early technology because it feels safe from a distance. Android and Google are now much more mature brands and companies, and as they’ve evolved, our habits have changed with them. During the pandemic, I’ve spent most evenings doomscrolling through Twitter looking at the next terrible thing, but back in 2010, I remember staying up late into the evening rooting my Motorola Milestone or trying out the latest third-party Twitter app in hopes that it would offer something genuinely new and exciting.
Software has changed, too: we compared Android 4.4 to Android 10 and wow has Android flipped almost 180-degrees in terms of usability and aesthetics. It’s hardly recognizable. It’s even safe to admit that Android as we know it wasn’t very good before 2017, at least according to opinion writer, Jerry Hildenbrand.
Our friends over at Windows Central and iMore did the same thing, reminiscing about the simpler days of Windows and the Golden Age of indie iPhone apps.
The Technostalgia series was actually inspired in part by our friend and colleague Michael Fisher, whose When Phones Were Fun series took a lighthearted approached to the gadgets he encountered in his formative years.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u05gxIWYv8k?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Here at Android Central, we had so much fun with the Technostalgia series that we’re going to continue looking back at the early days of Google and Android in a new weekly column called Android of the Week. Expect the first post by the end of July, and every week thereafter. It’s a humbling and rewarding experience getting to guide you through the strange nascent days of mobile technology, and we’re extremely grateful that you’ve come along for the ride with us thus far.
If you want to catch up on some of the Technostalgia columns you may have missed, the retro-styled sidebar to your left (or above you if you’re reading this on your phone) gives you quick links to every post from the series across Android Central, Windows Central, and iMore.
Hope you have a great weekend, and thanks again for your support.
— Daniel Bader, Android Central managing editor
