The Open Handset Alliance, which promotes the use of Google's Android mobile operating system, added 14 new members this week, including Vodafone, the world's largest mobile operator.
(Credit:
Open Handset Alliance)
In addition to Vodafone, new members of the alliance are AKM Semiconductor, ARM, ASUSTek Computer, Atheros Communications, Borqs, Ericsson, Garmin International, Huawei Technologies, Omron Software, Softbank Mobile, Sony Ericsson, Teleca, and Toshiba.
Members in the alliance are expected to either "deploy compatible Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the ecosystem through products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices," according to the alliance's press release.
Google started the alliance a year ago when it officially unveiled Android, the open source operating system it created. The Android software is designed to provide handset makers and wireless operators an open platform on which they can develop new and innovative applications.
The alliance was formed to help support the creation of these applications, resulting in richer features that are less expensive to develop and deploy. Thirty-four companies initially signed on to the alliance. And now the group boasts 47 members.
Nearly all the major handset makers have signed on, including HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung. U.S. wireless operators T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel are also members. Neither AT&T nor Verizon Wireless is an Open Handset Alliance member. But Verizon has said an Android phone could find its way onto its new open wireless network, which offers a more streamlined certification process.
T-Mobile and HTC announced in October the G1, the first phone to use the Android operating system. And more handsets are expected to come on the market from a variety of handset makers in 2009.
Adding new members to the alliance should help boost Android's presence in the mobile market. But the operating system has a long way to go in terms of gaining significant market share. Nokia's Symbian operating system still dominates the global market. And Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry operating systems are becoming tough competitors in the smartphone category.
China Mobile, China's largest cell phone operator, plans to establish a research and development facility in Silicon Valley in 2009, according to a report from ChinaTechNews.com.
This is the first overseas research and development facility that China Mobile has set up, the news site reported.
Like mobile operators throughout the world, China Mobile is looking to add new data services to its offerings. The president of China Mobile's Institute of Research, Huang Xiaoqing, told the news site that it sees most of its revenue today coming from voice services, but the company recognizes that data services are the future. And it's looking to Silicon Valley for innovation.
China Mobile is already working with Google as part of its Open Handset Alliance. And many people believe that the carrier will soon launch an Android phone into the Chinese market. There's also been speculation recently that China Mobile will be the first Chinese operator to offer Apple's iPhone. But reports say a deal may fall through as China Mobile has asked Apple to strip down the phone and remove its 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities.
The talk of the tech town lately has been Android, Google's cell phone operating system. Last week, Google and T-Mobile showed off the forthcoming G1--the first phone that will be powered by the open platform.
But the plan was never about just one Google phone, as Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in a statement last fall: "Our vision is that the powerful platform we're unveiling will power thousands of different phone models." Thus, Google formed the Open Handset Alliance--big players in the wireless industry charged with helping form the development community for Android devices.
So it's not surprising that Motorola, one of the original members of the Open Handset Alliance, would be beefing up its ranks working on Android, according to a post on TechCrunch. Motorola reportedly has about 50 people on its current team but is expanding it to 350, according to the post. Its source is an Android developer who was contacted by a headhunter to become part of Motorola's team.
TechCrunch reported that the same source spotted Nokia and Verizon people at an Android developer conference not long ago, though neither company is listed as a member of the Open Handset Alliance.
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