The momentum continues: Android has surpassed Microsoft on a global scale in terms of smartphone market share. Reuters reports that research firm Gartner shows Android became the 4th-biggest smartphone operating system in terms of market share, last quarter, on a worldwide scale.

While Android still has a long way to go to beat Nokia’s Symbian, RIM’s Blackberry, and Apple’s iPhone OS, this is still a major milestone: Android truly is the new Windows Mobile. Thanks to an open distribution model that allows any and all willing manufacturers to use Android how they like, many of the world’s top handset and embedded devices manufacturers are helping Android along to become the de-facto manufacturer-independent smartphone OS that Windows Mobile once was.

In Q1, Android alone was responsible for 10% of all smartphone sales. They did this while beating out the iPhone that quarter in the US, and Gartner expects Android to catch up on a global scale soon (which is in tune with what venture capitalists out in Silicon Valley are expecting).

This is tremendous growth for an operating system that has had to fight an uphill battle against four major players from its slow and ambitious beginnings. I just can’t wait for the inevitable end-result that will directly impact the end-user: more apps, and more phones. Bring all of it on.