GLOBAL - Android, the Google initiative in the open source mobile OS domain has been breaking ground over the last couple of years.

Announced in late 2007 by Google, Android heralded the birth of Open Handset Alliance- a consortium of manufacturers, operators and developers supporting Android as the next-generation mobile OS.

While HTC and Samsung are the present market leaders in this segment, an increasing number of manufacturers are awakening to the potential of this platform. Every major handset manufacturer now have an android device up their sleeve.

Taiwanese electronics giant HTC has been the pioneer in the Android-powered smartphone segment ever since its inception in late 2007.

In addition to launching the first Android-powered device, Google-branded G1 or the HTC Dream late last year, the manufacturer has been largely pro-active in this market segment.

HTC Magic  (Google-branded G2) followed HTC Dream in early 2009 and its latest Android device - HTC Hero (which will miss Google branding) is the best Android smartphone in the market today.

With Hero, HTC incorporated an all-new HTC Sense interface which is widely considered to be the best interface for a smartphone, beating even the likes of the mighty iPhone and HTC's very own Windows Mobile series devices by a considerable margin.

Further HTC are believed to be sailing in uncharted waters with its budget Android device HTC Click.

The year 2009 has been a busy year for the world's second largest handset manufacturer - Samsung. The Korean electronics giant has not only revamped all of its previous offerings but also entered the Android smartphone segment, with the launch of Samsung Galaxy in mid-2009.

In addition to Android, Samsung is also a member of the Symbian Foundation where the manufacturer has been largely active in the recent years. Going by the market offerings, Samsung seem to be betting on Symbian platform with the rumored launch of Samsung's very own Application store to supplement the manufacturer's Symbian line-up.

Sony-Ericsson, the Japanese-Swedish joint venture known best for its Walkman series handphones joined the Open Handset Alliance late last year and has announced its first Android-powered smartphone Sony Ericsson Rachael.

One of the most aesthetically-appealing Android smartphones announced, Rachael is also well endowed in the hardware department. Being powered by Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and 8 megapixel camera, this is the most impressive of all the Android smartphones announced to date, considering the hardware specifications.

Following in the footsteps of HTC, Sony Ericsson have also added its own interface above the Android core to appeal to the demanding smartphone consumer.

Lenovo, China's largest and the world's fourth-largest PC manufacturer is widely rumored to be entering the Android smartphone segment. Inspired by the immensely popular iPhone, Lenovo is believed to be launching  the O1 Ophone, powered by China Mobile's Android-based open mobile OS. The device is all set for a China release early next month.

Huawei, Chinese-based blue chip company best known for its modems is another heavyweight entering the smartphone segment with its Android-powered Huawei U8230. The device which was first announced at CommunicAsia 09 early this year is believed to be going  under T-Mobile branding as the T-Mobile Pulse.

Powered by Android 1.5, the U8230 features GSM, GPRS, and HSDPA (up to 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA up to 5.76 Mbps) in connectivity. Other standard smartphone features include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. With a 3.5" touchscreen of 480x320 pixels in resolution, and a 3.2 megapixel camera, the device doesn't pack any surprises with its hardware specs but is quite appealing considering the aesthetics and overall design.

Philips, the Netherlands-based electronics company is targeting the Chinese handset market with its v900. Powered by China Mobile's Android-based Open Mobile OS, the V900 features Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 3.2 megapixel camera. While detailed specifications are not known yet, the device bears a striking resemblance to HTC Touch Diamond 2.

Dell, the second-largest PC manufacturer of the world is also lured by the Android-powered smartphone segment. The Texas-based manufacturer is competing with the likes of Lenovo and Phillips for a share in the China's smartphone market with its open mobile OS based device codenamed-Benzine.

Some of the leaked specifications of the device include quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE class 12,  a 3.5" nHD screen with a 640×360 pixels in resolution, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, A-GPS, On-screen QWERTY keyboard, handwriting recognition, multitouch UI, and microSD memory card slot.

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