By JR Raphael What a long, strange trip it’s been. From its inaugural release to today, Android has transformed visually, conceptually and functionally — time and time again. Google’s mobile operating system may have started out scrappy, but holy moly, has it ever evolved. Here’s a fast-paced tour of Android version highlights from the platform’s birth to present. (Feel free to skip ahead if you just want to see what’s new in Android 12 or Android 13.) Android versions 1.0 to 1.1: The early days Android made its official public debut in 2008 with Android 1.0 — a release so ancient it didn’t ev…