• Reuters, Friday, February 8, 2008 11 AM

At the world's biggest wireless fair in Barcelona next week, British chipmaker ARM is scheduled to unveil a new handset model loaded with Google's Android mobile platform. Details about what the device looks like or who would supply the parts were not provided. Neither Google nor ARM would commented for the article.

Android is set to become commercially available in the second quarter of this year. Research firm Strategy Analytics estimates that by the end of the year, Android will be loaded in 2 percent of smartphones. Google has signed on more than 30 carriers, handset makers, software developers and chipmakers since its November unveiling. Android is expected to make the Internet work better on mobile devices. Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile, Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp., China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and Telefonica are all working with handset makers to develop Android-based phones.

However, details about Android and the Open Handset Alliance have been few. CNET (link: http://www.news.com/Is-mobile-really-a-sure-thing-for-Google/2100-1039_3-6229619.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-5&subj=news) reports that Google's mobile efforts aren't going as smoothly as planned, while analysts worry the company may be overestimating the mobile market's potential.

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