Google Epects 18 Android Phones by Year-End

Google anticipates that there will be at least 18 new Android based smartphones by the end of this year. Google's senior director for mobile platforms, Andy Rubin told a conference that the number might creep up to twenty handsets, but that 18 were certainly under development.

Without naming them, he added that eight or nine handset vendors are currently working on phones which will use the Google backed Android operating system. The figure only applies to Google based Android phones. As the OS is open-source, companies are free to launch Android handsets without any Google approval process.

Although HTC is currently the only company shipping Android phones, Samsung has shown working prototypes which are due to be launched next month. Sony Ericsson and Motorola have also confirmed they are developing smartphones based on the Android OS.

Google is planning to offer three options to handset vendors who want to offer Google applications.

The basic version allows users to download applications onto a clean handset. The second allows handsets to be distributed with preloaded links to services such as Gmail or Google Calendar. The most detailed version will be known as the "Google Experience" and in exchange for tighter experience to the Google platform, will be allowed to carry the Google logo.

It is expected that the majority of phones will be launched with the second of the three options that Google is offering.

Posted to the site on 29th May 2009