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The first mobile phones fitted with Google's Android
software platform made their debut at an industry trade show on
Monday, a milestone for the Internet giant as it looks to dominate
the wireless world.
A handful of chip makers -- ARM,
Marvell, Qualcomm, NEC, Texas Instruments and ST Microelectronics --
showed off prototype handsets at the Mobile World Congress in
Barcelona.
Google launched Android last
year, hoping to establish its software as the standard operating
system for mobile phones and to improve the quality of web-browsing
for handset users.
"It's definitely very
promising," an analyst for technology research firm Gartner,
Carolina Milanesi, told AFP. "This means that we should be on
track to see commercial devices in the second half of 2008."
The idea is that Android will
lead to radically improved functionality, notably for web browsing,
meaning more people will use their mobile phones for Internet
surfing and other applications.
Internet use on mobile phones can
currently be a frustrating experience, with clunky software and slow
download speeds.
"There are few phones that
provide a compelling web experience," explained a spokesman for
Google, Barry Schnitt. "As people use the web more, they'll use
Google more and we'll be able to sell more relevant
advertising."
Android is being developed by a
coalition of 30 handset manufacturers, chip makers and software
groups and is based on open-source code, meaning programmers are
able to build compatible applications for free.
"The future ability of
Android is exciting because it's open-source so it allows developers
to come up with the next killer application," said a spokesman
for US chip maker Texas Instruments, which demonstrated Android
software in a prototype phone.
The Apple iPhone, for example,
runs on Apple software and uses Apple applications, while an
Android-enabled phone would incorporate applications from any number
of developers.
But Google software faces fierce
competition from the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia, and
its Symbian system.
US software giant Microsoft also
has a Windows system for mobiles and a separate consortium is
working on an open-source Linux solution.
Android was on display for the
first time in only prototype phones. The first handset for consumers
from either Taiwan's HTC or US group Motorola is expected in the
second half of this year.
Google announced the "Open
Handset Alliance" in November last year to develop Android,
including China Mobile, HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, T-Mobile,
Telefonica, LG and eBay.
Gartner's Milanesi stressed that
"the road between a prototype and commercial handset is a long
one" and said the ultimate test of Android's success would be
how easily applications could be used.
"It should have everything
that we see on the PC, not just shrunk down to work on a mobile
phone, but really being optimised for a mobile phone," she
said.
The interest in a new software
platform from Google also stems from the company's desire to
establish its brand in emerging markets.
"If you look at emerging
markets, people are more likely to have their first browsing
experience on a phone not a PC (personal computer)," said
Milanesi.
Google surprised analysts when it
unveiled Android last November. They had expected the Internet giant
to announce the launch of its own Google-branded G-Phone to compete
against Apple's popular iPhone.
"Imagine not just a single
Google phone, or G-phone, but thousands of G-phones made by a
variety of manufacturers," said Google chief executive Eric
Schmidt at the time.
This could be Android's weak
spot, however.
HTC and ailing US manufacturer
Motorola, which has announced it might break-up its businesses, are
the two main handset manufacturers in the Open Handset Alliance.
"For it to become a
worldwide platform and drive uptake, they need more manufacturers
onboard," said Milanesi.
 --AFP
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