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Google says 850K Android devices activated each day

Google's Android chief drops the statistic via his Google+ page during a stroll through the Mobile World Congress trade show.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
Android has a big presence at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Roger Cheng/CNET

BARCELONA, Spain--The momentum for Android continues to build, with 850,000 phones and tablets getting activated each day.

That's according to Google Android chief Andy Rubin, who unveiled the statistic on his Google+ page today. Like most other major wireless players, he was in attendance at Mobile World Congress, the world's largest wireless trade show.

"Walking around Mobile World Congress and seeing the Android ecosystem at work is quite impressive," Rubin said.

He also dished on a few other impressive stats, including the activation of 300 million Android phones in total so far and the arrival of more than 450,000 applications on the Android market to date.

In December, the Rubin said that 700,000 Android phones and tablets were getting activated each day, a hop from the 550,000 just a month earlier. In November, the company said 200 million Android devices had been sold. The company only counts each device once, meaning re-activations don't figure into its calculations.

The Mobile World Congress, which officially kicked off today, has already seen a number of impressive Android smartphones debut, including the HTC One series of smartphones, as well as LG's Optimus 4X HD.

Many of the phones feature Android's latest iteration, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The phones that stole the show on Day 1 of MWC 2012

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