Google: 500 million Android devices activated

Google won't be able to compete with the attention lavished on Apple for the launch of the sixth-generation iPhone, but it did announce the notable milestone late tonight of half a billion device activations.

"Today is a big day for Android... 500 million devices activated globally, and over 1.3 million added every single day," said Hugo Bara, Android's director of product management, in a Google+ post. It's not clear how many devices are replacing older ones, though.

Barra said in June at the Google I/O show that 400 million Android devices had been activated and that the rate was 1 million per day.  He also noted that the Jelly Bean statue, which commemorates Android 4.1, is back on the Google sculpture gallery that shows off the various dessert-themed versions of the mobile operating system. The statue had to go back into the shop for repairs shortly after its debut.