Up to 20 Android phones could be launched by 2010

29th May 2009

At least 18 new Android-enabled mobile handsets will be launched worldwide by the end of 2009, Google has said.

Speaking at the I/O developer conference, Andy Rubin of Google said that up to 20 such devices could be on the market by 2010.

These are likely to be produced by eight or nine manufacturers that will focus more on Europe than the US due to the competitiveness of the domestic market, he explained.

Mr Rubin went on to discuss the three different versions of Android that will become available to users.

All of these are free, with the first allowing manufacturers to download the Android platform and install it on their devices to offer access to a range of apps, although Google's own apps cannot be preinstalled on these phones.

The second option is similar to the first but sees manufacturers sign a distribution agreement to install Google apps on their devices, while the third version is Google-branded and contains apps from the search engine that cannot be removed.

Google also revealed at the same conference that there are now 4,900 Android apps currently available for users to download from Android Market.

 

Category: Mobile Web Applications

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