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," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at the technology research firm Gartner.
"This means that we should be on track to see commercial devices in the second half of 2008," she said.
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 be a frustrating experience, with clunky software and slow download speeds.
"There are few phones that provide a compelling Web experience," Google spokesman Barry Schnitt said. "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.
Milanesi said that "the road between a prototype and commercial handset is a long one" and that 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 optimized 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.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft