Google made a special computer program called Android that helps phones work. This program lets many different kinds of phones be made, some cheap and some expensive. Google bought this program in 2005 from a group of people who created it. They wanted to make phones better than BlackBerry, but then Apple made the iPhone and changed how people thought about phones. So Google changed Android too to compete with the iPhone. Read from source...

- The title is misleading and clickbaity, implying that Google launched the first smartphone ever 13 years ago today, which is false. Many smartphones existed before Android, such as BlackBerry, Nokia, Palm, Windows Mobile, etc.
- The article fails to acknowledge the historical context and background of how Android was developed as a response to the iPhone's launch in 2007, which shows a lack of research and understanding of the industry dynamics.
- The article also fails to mention any of the competitors that Google faced or still faces in the smartphone market, such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, etc., which makes it seem like Android is the only player and dominator in the space.
- The article uses vague and subjective terms like "a wide range of options" and "starting right at $100 and going all the way up to $1,600", without providing any data or sources to support these claims. How are they measuring the range and prices of Android devices? What are their criteria and methodology?
- The article also implies that Google's acquisition of Android was a key driver for its growth, but does not provide any evidence or analysis to back up this claim. How much did Google pay for Android? How much revenue and profit has Android generated for Google since the acquisition? What are the costs and benefits of owning versus licensing an operating system?
- The article ends with a question that is irrelevant and off-topic, asking about how much a $1000 investment back then would now be worth. This has nothing to do with Android or Google's smartphone strategy, and seems like a desperate attempt to generate interest and engagement from the readers.

Overall, this article is poorly written, lacks credibility, and does not offer any valuable insights or information about Android or its impact on the smartphone industry. It relies on sensationalism, oversimplification, and omission of important facts to attract attention and drive traffic.