Thu, Feb 19, 2009 page11

• HTC’s new ‘Google phone’ gains momentum in Spain

  MOBILE WORLD Android-powered HTC Magic will be sold by British operator Vodafone and its subsidiaries in the UK, France, Germany and Italy, beginning this spring

  • AFP
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  Google’s bid to dominate the mobile phone operating software market got a boost on Tuesday when Taiwanese handset maker HTC (宏達電) unveiled the third phone based on the US Internet giant’s technology.

  The touch-screen HTC Magic is to be sold by British network operator Vodafone and its subsidiaries in Britain, France, Germany and Italy, the companies said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

  Rival developers are battling to create the dominant operating system for mobile phones, with Google and its Android system competing with Microsoft, Nokia, an open-source Linux-based project and Blackberry.

  “We are very excited to be introducing our first Android-powered smartphone in the spring,” said Patrick Chomet, global director of terminals for Vodafone.

  On Monday, Chinese manufacturer Huawei (華為) had revealed its first mobile phone that will run Android, meaning there are at least three “Google” phones now developed. LG and Samsung have promised their versions this year.

  The first phone to use the Google software was launched by HTC last October in partnership with German network operator T-Mobile.

  “For a new platform with open source, I am impressed with the momentum growing behind Android,” said Gavin Byrne, an analyst at telecom research group Informa.

  Android is “open-source,” meaning that the basic code is free for phone manufacturers and is available to other software developers who are encouraged to build applications to add on.

  Byrne said he still expected the system by Nokia, called Symbian, to remain dominant in the next five years, but that Android would establish itself as an alternative.

  Google is hoping to establish its operating system as an industry standard, which would help drive users to its services, which include Internet search, maps and chat.

  HTC chief executive Peter Chou (周永明) stressed that people would increasingly access the Internet from their mobile devices rather than in an office or at home — particularly in the developing world.

  Google has recognized this, which is the reason it is so keen to establish itself and its applications in the mobile industry, analysts say.

  “There is a generation of people from various parts of the world who have never experienced Internet on a PC yet, but they will experience Internet on these mobile devices,” Chou said.

  Andy Rubin, head of Android at Google, said the project had gone from concepts and prototypes to realization in the last 12 months.

  The first prototypes for Android were put on display at the World Mobile Congress last year, creating a buzz among the crowds.

  “Last year there was a lot of promises and expectations. We delivered on those promises,” Rubin said.

  He said that Android could reduce the manufacturing cost of a handset by 20 percent because the operating system is free.

  “Sometimes we don’t even know it when they [manufacturers) announce phones with Android. They don’t need to sign a contract with us,” he said, adding that he did not judge success “by the number of handsets.”

  The HTC Magic is a slim, tablet-shaped device with touch-screen control that, like other high-end phones launched at the Mobile World Congress, has a resemblance to the top-selling Apple iPhone.
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