December 10, 2008 by James Oliver
Today Google scored a big win in the ongoing Smartphone war. The Open Handset Alliance, the consortium of companies led by Google that developed the mobile phone operating system, Android, announced that they were adding fourteen new members to their number.
The list of the new 14 reads like a ‘who’s who’ of mobile and technology players. The biggest names involved are Telco Vodafone and Sony Ericsson, though all 14 are major players – the number includes Toshiba Corp and Garmin international.
This is very bad news for Nokia and Microsoft, who make rival operating systems, Symbian and Windows Mobile Software, since it all but guarantees more Android phones. In fact, Ericsson has already announced that it plans to release an Android based device in 2009. It aslo amounts to a rejection of their software by the 14 big industry players.
It’s not hard to see why these companies are clamouring to join Google’s collective. The first Android phone, the G1, is selling very well and is expected to reach the 500’000 phones sold mark this year, despite only being on the market since Autumn. Another plus is that phones made with the Android operating system are also much cheaper, which can help to maximise a company’s profit.
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