This is a guest post by Manzi. Manzi is a UX Designer for the University of California, Irvine. He also moonlights doing Social Media for iO West, an improv comedy club in Hollywood. This article was originally posted on The Verge Android forums but has since been edited and enhanced with illustrations created for Android Police.
In a presidential memorial library somewhere out in the Sunnyvale area, cell carriers, hardware manufacturers, and innovators all came to dance in a single hall. The lights were dim. The music was passionate in the John Hughes kind of way.
It was the November of 2007, and together they comprised the Open Handset Alliance. And boy did they dance!
Google was a smart and awkward kid. He had a lot of years under his belt but couldn't compete in the consumer market as well as the other guys. For all his abilities, he was still a nerd. Constantly bullied and called names by the other hardware giants, Google came to this dance alone.
HTC had been working with other companies for years. However, after dating one too many assholes, she gave up on herself and lost her identity. She only came to the dance because her friends made her. HTC would have much rather been at home working on new designs for phones she thought were cool, but often ahead of their time.
The music played strong. Bodies swayed. The two stood on opposite corners of the hall, slowly walking towards each other.
Then suddenly, Samsung came stumbling through in a drunken stupor shoving Google towards HTC. They bumped.
"HEY WHY DON'T YOU GUYS GET A ROOM?!!! HA!!! HAHA! HA! HA!" he said before he stumbled towards his buddy, Timothy Zen, passed out on the floor.
Google, apologizing profusely for Samsung's antics, saw a small smile grow on HTC's face.
"Wh-what? What's so funny?" asked Google.
HTC just smiled and replied, "Nothing, you just look cute."
Kenny Loggins began playing, and Google performed the riskiest query ever by asking, "Will you dance with me?"
After a pause, HTC took Google's hand and whispered in his ear, "Of course."
Thus began the first phase of their relationship. Google and HTC became official. Love has a way of making you feel proud and confident – like you can take on the world.
Together, they created the HTC Dream and the Nexus One, two children that HTC loved but made Google feel increasingly distant. He couldn't take the pressure and began blaming his shortcomings on HTC. Google felt that he could do better. No. Google knew he could do better.
People began to wonder if there would be a Nexus 2. Google kept saying that there wouldn’t, which only made HTC feel horrible.
Their relationship was rocky, to say the least.
Then, a short while later, Google came out publicly to say that he had conspired with Samsung and released the Nexus S.
Google didn't give a shit. He had this. He was better. He was better than HTC.
After spending a couple of years hanging around Samsung's posse, he was let down immensely by Verizon, Samsung's buddy who partnered with Google to release the Galaxy Nexus, a terrible collaborator with whom he vowed never to work with again.
Google unveiled it at one of Samsung's wild and crazy parties. They tried to say how awesome it was, but were constantly coming across issues. Verizon wasn't playing nice and became withholding. They wouldn't let Google push any updates.
Google, frustrated and jaded with his experiences, began to cheat on Samsung by seeking out others in the dark hours of the night. LG approached him, and together they made the Nexus 4 and 5. Later, Asus helped him put out the Nexus 7 – twice. Google was just getting by. Samsung, concerned with Google's distance, grew worried about their fading bromance.
"Dude, what the FUCK?" said Samsung.
"Fine... how about we make a tablet? Will that make you happy?" replied Google.
"DUDE, THAT'S AWESOME. LET'S PARRTTTTAAYY!!!" shouted Samsung.
And so the Nexus 10 was released.
Google was not doing well. The constant partying and isolation from the high life was making him feel low. He hated himself. He felt trapped and used.
One day Google was walking down a dark alley. In the corner, he found Motorola. She used to be the prom queen, but now she fought for garbage.
"I used to be just like you, living like a rock star. Partied so hard with Verizon and AT&T... it was amazing... but now... no one will even look at me. I just want to make something good again," she said.
Google was drunk, angry, and just wanted to get revenge.
"How much..." Google muttered to Motorola.
"I'm not for sale?.." said Motorola.
"I SAID HOW MUCH!!!" said Google.
Motorola, down on her luck, reluctantly obliged. Anything had to be better than being on the street.
Google bought Motorola, but Motorola couldn't make Nexus devices. She wasn't good enough, and Google didn't want people to start talking.
Making the most of the situation, Motorola made the Moto X while Google watched closely. It was the best thing Motorola had done in years. With a bit more confidence, she made the Moto G and Moto E. She was finally feeling like herself again.
Google started second-guessing himself once again. Had he made a bad decision? How long could he milk this relationship? Google didn't love Moto, he was just in it for the patents. So after bringing Motorola up, he sold them to Lenovo.
Google needed time to think. Motorola, knowing she was just being used, accepted her new owner. All she wanted to do was make phones again with whomever would have her.
While Google continued down this path of self-destructive discovery, HTC was rebuilding herself. Following her Dream, she became quietly brilliant. Those old designs she had been working on kept her going.
She made them by herself. Beautiful pieces of hardware that the world grew to love. HTC was coming back... or so she thought.
For all her hard work, they just didn't sell well with the likes of Samsung looming overhead. But that didn't faze her. She kept on trying.
"Hey," texted Google to HTC.
Three days passed.
"What do you want?" replied HTC.
"I want to apologize for being an asshole." texted Google.
No response for one week.
"I can't forgive you for what you did," she replied.
"I understand, and you shouldn't. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I was wrong," replied Google.
Six months later, Google, humbled after admitting his problems, began working on himself. He was ironing out a new version of Android in a coffee shop. Codename Love, or "L" as he called it in memory of the first girl that loved him: HTC.
He heard the door jingle as a woman's heels clicked in and stopped by his table. Google, disheveled and deep in thought, didn't notice.
"Hey," said HTC.
Google looked up, shocked.
"You're here?.." he replied, then paused for a moment before blurting out, "I'm sorry, I'll go if you want."
HTC paused, then a smile grew on her face.
"Let's try again."