Numbers. We cannot live without them; we cannot talk, speak, and orate without them. Elizabeth B. Browning, one of my favorite poets, needed numbers when she promised her love would come in many ways.

Scientists and other seekers of knowledge live and breathe numbers — from the infinitely small to the mind-bogglingly large figures. Even philosophers and theologians have struggled, wrestled, and romanced numbers.

Of course, doomsayers, end-of-the-world alarmists, and other apocalyptic freaks have been messing around with numbers to come up with the silliest predictions on when this world’s finally going to croak.

In the IT world, numbers also tell a story (Some would say, “the only story.”). Everything boils down to numbers — number of users, number of units shipped and sold, number of licenses purchased, number of companies supporting a certain standard or technology, even the number of followers on Facebook and Twitter.

Numbers matter. Only numbers count.

65,000 Ways

Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently said at least 65,000 Android-flavored mobile phones are shipped daily. He divulged this figure while addressing an audience that matters most to him and his company — the shareholders. Schmidt added that the Android operating system is currently being used on 34 mobile devices in 49 countries.

Data from market research firm NPD revealed that sales of Android phones in the U.S. outpaced those of the Apple’s iPhone in the first quarter of 2010. NPD said that Android phones accounted for 28% of consumer sales in the U.S. market, while the iPhone came in with 21%.

Research In Motion, maker of BlackBerry, remained at the top with about 36% of the smart phone sales in the American market.

Kind of reminds you of the bitterly fought battle for the second most powerful post in the country.

California Bar in Vietnam

Remember that Apple guy who misplaced his phone at a bar in Silicon Valley? It seems there was a repeat of the tale. This tale, however, had a rather unexpected setting. It happened in Vietnam.

A mobile phone accessory vendor, the kind you normally see in Greenhills, Recto, or any similar places where gadget-selling tiangges have sprouted, was seen brandishing a mobile phone that was purportedly a next-generation iPhone prototype.

The guy dismissed talks of his prize being a phony, saying his Mac computer readily recognized the device as an Apple gadget.

Hmm. The brew gets thicker.

That’s all for the meantime, folks. Join me again next time as we keep on watching IT.