When news of the first Android powered phones came out last year, many thought it would cause a heap of mobile phone recycling as people dropped their old handsets for a Google-branded phone. Leading the way in the charge was T-Mobile with the G1, but anyone with hopes of manufacturers introducing new models soon were disappointed if the news conferences at the recent Mobile World Congress were anything to go by.

The major players – LG, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson – made no official announcements regarding an Android phone and HTC, a maker of handsets for many other manufacturers, including themselves, said nothing either. The only sign of Android life came from a Chinese company called Huawei Technologies.

Now, just in case the Android platform had passed you by, the Google-developed operating system is based on open source code which means that other developers can see its structure and more easily develop other smartphones and mobile phone applications.
And T-Mobile has embraced the Android code with gusto, using the operating system to power a home phone, complete with docking device, and a tablet computer. T-Mobile’s motives are clear, as they wish to become a major player in the U.S. home telephony market.

But how long before a roster of G1 phones appear, depends on whether customers are likely to embrace the Android platform. Obviously Huawei Technologies thinks so, as according to their Communications Vice President Mr. Li Jilin: “Huawei sees potential in the operator resale market, and is relying on its insight into mobile communication trends and operators’ requirements to further explore the mobile field to meet the varied demands of operators and users… Currently, we’re developing smart phones on the Android platform, which we plan to launch in 2009. We believe that the Android platform will transform the mobile life experience for users around the world.”

Huawei went on to say that by 2011, smartphones are set to account for over 24% of the global mobile phone market, which will be nearer 30% by 2012. They believe that mobile devices are increasingly crucial for people’s daily communication needs, and mobile phones will continue to incorporate ever more compelling features. It further believes that the commercial use of the Android platform will have a major effect on the mobile operating system market.

So when it comes to mobile phone recycling, maybe they won’t be throwing their phones away to get hold of an Android powered beauty, just quite yet.

Tags: Android, Google Phone, Huawei

This entry was posted on Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 2:56 pm by Tim Augustin and is filed under Mobile Internet, Mobile phone business, New Phone Model. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.