Android Phones
Over the last year there have been many changes to Android and many more phones being produced using the Google operating system. By the end of 2010 there are expected to be over 3 million Android phones in circulation and many of the biggest mobile phone companies are looking to release their own Android phones.
What is Android?
The Android operating system is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, founded by Google, and aims to bring internet style development to the mobile phone arena.
From the official Android site:
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It was built to be truly open. For example, an application can call upon any of the phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that was designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.
The phones
The first phone manufacturer to developer an Android phone was HTC, they made their own versions and also re-branded them for T-mobile under the names G1 and G2. There are now confirmed phones being created by Motorola, Samsung and LG as well as smaller companies Lenovo, Huawei and Dell.
| Manufacturer | Name | Carrier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Mobile | General Mobile DSTL1 | World’s first Android dual-SIM mobile on the market. Released in August 2009. | |
| Highscreen | PP5420 | Formerly Windows Mobile phone, released on 11 July 2009 in Russia. | |
| HTC | HTC Dream (also marketed as T-Mobile G1, Era G1 in Poland, Rogers Dream in Canada) |
T-Mobile USA, T-Mobile UK, Telefónica, T-Mobile Germany | On sale October 22, 2008 as the first phone on the market to use the Android platform. The phone is part of an open standards effort of the Open Handset Alliance. |
| HTC | HTC Magic/HTC Sapphire (known as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G in the US and the docomo HT-03A in Japan) | T-Mobile USA, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone UK, Vodafone Spain | Similar to the Dream but without the slide-out keyboard, instead using an on-screen keyboard. |
| HTC | HTC Hero (also marketed as T-Mobile G2 in the UK, The Netherlands and Germany) | T-Mobile USA, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile UK, Orange Mobile, Telecom Italia Mobile Brazil | Similar form factor to the Magic, uses HTC’s customised UI called HTC Sense which look considerably different compared to HTC Dream and Magic phones. |
| HTC | HTC Tattoo (also known as the HTC Click) | Bouygues Telecom, Vodafone | A lower-end Android phone, includes the HTC Sense UI, similar form factor to the Magic. A 3.2MP camera. |
| Huawei | Huawei U8230 | T-Mobile UK | |
| Lenovo | Lenovo OPhone | ||
| LG | Etna | Vodafone | |
| Motorola | Motorola Heron, Motorola Sholes | ||
| Motorola | Motorola CLIQ / DEXT | T-Mobile USA, Orange UK | |
| Philips | V900 | ||
| Qigi | i6 | (formerly Windows Mobile) device running Android in December 2008. The device is manufactured by Chinese ODM TechFaith. | |
| Samsung | Samsung I7500 (Samsung Galaxy), Samsung InstinctQ | Bouygues Telecom, O2 (UK), Telecom Italia Mobile Brazil, O2 Germany, Cellcom Israel | |
| Sony Ericsson | Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3 |