Android skips Barcelona's mobile-phone party

The GMSA Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona could have been a great place for Google to demonstrate progress establishing Android in the industry, but instead the open-source operating system showed only a slightly larger toehold.

Google has high hopes for Android, which the company launched in an effort to spur smartphone development, mobile use of the Web, and new search advertising. Although Android certainly isn't vaporware, and Google's clout makes the effort a serious challenge to other operating systems, so far Android's potential exceeds its real-world presence.

HTC's Magic is the second Android-powered phone to hit the market.

(Credit: HTC)

The biggest Android news from the show was the debut of the HTC Magic. This new Android model is the second Android model from the Taiwanese company; the first, HTC's Dream, is better known as the T-Mobile G1.

The Magic has a touch-screen keyboard, like the Apple iPhone and unlike the Dream's physical keyboard. Vodafone will offer the Android phone as the exclusive supplier in the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and France, and as a nonexclusive supplier in Italy.

The Magic also made a cameo in a Google demonstration of a high-powered, offline-capable version mobile Gmail.

The next tidbit came with Huawei Technologies' mock-up of an iPhone-like Android model. Although that system wasn't actually running any software, Edward Chen, leader of Huawei's device business unit, said the company expected them to be on the market in the third quarter of 2009.

After that, though, it was slim pickings, though Sony Ericsson, Motorola, and Garmin all have committed to releasing Android devices this year. Samsung decided against showing off its Android phone. Meanwhile, Microsoft showed off its forthcoming Windows Mobile 6.5, due in the fourth quarter.

Rich Miner, leader of the Android effort, wasn't worried about the relative lack of Android phones.

"We think we are very much on track. We only released the open-source code late last October," Miner said in an interview. "We said we'd have the release software out in 2008 and we did. We said we'd have at least one phone out in 2008, and we launched that in October."

Designing phones takes time, he added. "If you understand anything about the design cycle for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to build handsets, it takes a good 12 to 18 months to go from paper to completion. And there are many handsets in development now. The second phone has been announced and we expect to see more throughout the year," Miner said.

Android shows in smartphones with a lot of computing muscle today, but Miner also promised that Android would move into more mainstream phones next year.

"The vision long term is to take this down market, but this is the first version and we wanted it to be best-in-class and to come out with a bang. In terms of going down market, we'll probably start to see lower-end smartphones and higher-end feature phones using it in 2010," Miner said. "The key thing to remember is that this release is 1.0 of the software. We're very happy with the first and second phones that have come out."

CNET News staff writer Maggie Reardon contributed to this report.

[AppleSuxLeo]

They might as well not show up. All they have is a couple of s*** bricks without 3.5mm headphone jacks.

[forever4now]

I really need a new mobile phone and I was hoping to have a few more Android phones to choose from. I guess I'll have to wait a little longer.

I don't understand what all the Windows Mobile hoopla was about at the show. In my opinion, out of all the major mobile OSs (iPhone, Android, Pre, Blackberry, Symbian, WinMo), Windows Mobile is the least interesting. I guess Microsoft must treat the vendors to good dinners.

[iBuzz]

It's interesting that a number of companies have Android phones in the works (Samsung, LG, and HTC), but they were very reluctant to talk about them at this conference. It wasn't until they were asked directly that they admitted that they will be releasing Android phones later in the year. But instead of promoting this and getting into details about their Android phones which are based on an already-shipping OS, these companies presented prototypes and plans about their Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, which are based on an OS that isn't even out of alpha phase yet.

What gives?

Why not tout your upcoming Android product at a big conference like this that is sure to generate lots of buzz and press? And, why talk about a product based on an OS that won't even be completed until many months from now?

My guess: Microsoft money!

This really smells of Microsoft involvement here. Because we've seen so many times that when Microsoft gives companies cash, all of a sudden the companies only talk about their Microsoft-based products. The other non-Microsoft products that these companies offer are suddenly not discussed or even mentioned.

Is it legal for a company to take the money that it makes in a monopoly market and use it, through "investment" or payoffs which amount to exclusive "deals" with other companies, to stifle competition in another market that the company wants to dominate?

[forever4now]

You should give this article a read: "Did Microsoft kill Android at Mobile World Congress 2009?". It provides an interesting take on it.

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/02/18/did-microsoft-kill-android-at-mobile-world-congress-2009/

[kosh77]

" But instead of promoting this and getting into details about their Android phones which are based on an already-shipping OS, these companies presented prototypes and plans about their Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, which are based on an OS that isn't even out of alpha phase yet..."

Your facts seem a little off. WM 6.5 phones will be in market in the 4th quarter (see the article); with 4-5 months of operator acceptance testing for each device, that means WM 6.5 is almost done, not an "Alpha" product.

OEMs care about devices shipping each quarter, not the potential of great devices that might ship. Maybe the reality is that Android is a v1 product, and Google (and the OEMs) are finding that it's much harder to build and ship a high performing phone operating system on other people's hardware than they thought.

[ewelch]

Of course the real reason is Microsoft is pressuring them to only talk about Windows Mobile 6.5.

How can one tell? It's easy. The Android phones are due out long before the Windows Mobile phones are. But if they were to talk about the Android, Microsoft probably would not be pleased. But there are handset makers who are not cowed by Microsoft, and they are showing Symbian phones.

Check this article out:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/02/18/did-microsoft-kill-android-at-mobile-world-congress-2009/

The lead photo is worth the click.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Android is turning into OS/2.

[JCPayne]

Android is just an operating system. The companies are responsible for what they add or don't add onto their phone devices.

[SururD]

Roughlydrafted are filled with paranoid apple fanboys.

I heard the real problem with Android is Google certification, which for example killed the Koogan Agora.

And the big deal about WM is that it sold 50 million phones, and power amazing devices like the Touch Pro 2 or Toshiba TG01.

Android devices are universally ugly and under-featured.

[mofun_cc]

That's splendid news.
I'm very bullish about Android.
http://www.mofun.cc

[mofun_cc]

That's splendid news.
I'm very bullish about Android.

[SeanDuffy]

perhaps everyone is over thinking this, maybe the android phones from major companies simply aren't ready to be shown off.

id also like to note that TI and Haier were both demoing android devices at MWC. (shame on you for not bringing this up stephen shankland)

[priestmachine]

It looks better than the G1 but still isn't the best looking phone. It has improved, but in my opinion, it needs a lot more improving to be in the realms of the big competitors.