Google Android is poised to dominate the
smartphone and mobile phone markets in 2009 with at least 18 devices based on the open-source
operating system due out by the end of the year,
Google has said.
According to the New York Times, Google's Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms and the mastermind behind Android, said 18 is a conservative number and there could be as many as 20 devices on store shelves globally by the holiday season.
The influx of Google Android devices will be from eight or nine separate manufacturers. Currently, HTC is the only Android game in town, with the T-Mobile G1that was released last year and the HTC Magic, which is available in Europe and expected to hit the U.S. in the near future. Other device makers such as Garmin, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and more also have vowed to join the Android invasion and expect to have devices available sometime this year. Motorola also has said it will hitch its wagon to Android in a bid to stem slumping mobile device sales.
As for which carriers will support Android devices, Rubin said that remains in question. He told The Times that U.S. carriers will be slower to roll out Android than European carriers because of the high level of competition in the domestic market.
The flood of Android devices will come as the smartphone market heats up in the latter part of the year to entice holiday shoppers. The new swath of Android phones will go up against new models from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM), Palm, Apple and a host of others. Already, Palm is set to release the Palm Pre next month, while rumors continue to swirl around the prospect of a new Apple iPhone model that could be unveiled as early as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that kicks off June 8 in San Francisco.
Along with Android devices going up against competing hardware, the Android charge also will fuel stronger competition between mobile software and operating system makers. Android is poised to go head to head against Microsoft's latest version of Windows Mobile, Apple's iPhone 3.0 OS and any advancements RIM conjures up for its BlackBerry line. Android also will square off against Palm's new webOS, which will make its official debut on the Palm Pre, Nokia's Symbian platform and a smattering of Linux-based handsets that also are due out by the end of 2009.
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