Android takes over the world, or at least 50% of it

In a report released by Canalys, Google’s Android mobile operating system has captured almost 50% of the global market share, making it the largest smartphone platform in the world.

According to the report, Android managed to ship 51.9 million devices in Q2 2011, up 379% over the same period last year. Samsung now is the largest Android manufacturer, responsible for the 17 million devices out of that 51.9 million.

Despite the wonderous numbers, Canalys noted that Samsung failed to capitalize on Nokia’s apparent “weaked state” worldwide, as it prepared to board the Windows Phone ship in Q4 of this year.

Speaking of Windows Phone, Canalys reported that Microsoft’s new mobile operating platform only managed to sell 1.5 million devices during Q2 2011, despite aggressive marketing to promote the platform. Microsoft is now betting on Windows Phone 7′s Mango update and Nokia’s superb reach and resources to propel the platform to bigger numbers. Windows Phone 7 Mango is expected to release in September.