18 to 20 new Android phones coming this year, says Google
By Ilinca Nita on 28 May 09We’ve recently learned that Android phone shipments are expected to grow at least 900% by the end of 2009.
Andy Rubin, Google’s senior director for Mobile Platforms, comes to confirm this by saying that there will be 18 to 20 new Android phones released this year.
According to The New York Times, the phones will be manufactured by “eight or nine” different companies.
These will most likely include HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Huawei.
Reportedly, manufacturers have three options when making an Android handset:
- the obligation-free option, where a manufacturer installs the free-to-use Android on its phones but it cannot provide access to Google apps like Google calendar or Gmail.
- the “small strings option”, where the manufacturer has to sign a distribution agreement with the big G in order to include the above-mentioned Google apps (12 to 14 of the phones prepared for this year will use this option).
- the “bigger strings” option – manufacturers have to include Google’s logo on the phone’s case, as well as an array of apps that cannot be removed. 5 to 6 of the upcoming 2009 phones will apparently belong to this category.
Via Engadget
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