A new breed of Androids is about to touch down in Australia as handset makers put the iPhone's dominance to the test with new smartphones built on Google's mobile operating system.
While HTC is the only company to have released Android handsets in Australia, Samsung will unveil its first Android offering next week with the launch of the Icon Galaxy.
The Galaxy taps into the desire to customise and personalise phones and integrate them with applications used elsewhere Tyler McGee, telecommunications vice-president at Samsung Australia, said.
"People are now buying their fifth, sixth or seventh handset, so I'd say, globally, the smartphone category is moving fast into the mainstream," he said.
The Galaxy has an organic LED screen and 5-mega-pixel camera, and 8GB of internal memory (which is upgradeable to 24GB) also helps to boost its smartphone credentials.
The launch of the Galaxy will be followed closely by HTC's Hero, which is due in Australia before October. No stranger to the Android platform, HTC launched the G1 Dream in Australia last February and its HTC Magic followed a few months later.
"We've certainly taken leadership with Android. We believe that in the next 18 months to two years that the cloud [where you store all your contacts and photos etc] will have a determinate factor on what devices you choose," Anthony Petts, HTC's regional sales and marketing director, said.
He said the Hero would offer better functionality and an improved user experience with a new capability, called "scenes", that allows users to group weekday or weekend usage profiles using widgets that are live and intuitive.
"We are continuing to expand the Android portfolio of products and strongly believe end users are looking for different sizes, form factors and keyboards, so we're giving them a variety of choices," he said.
While no other handset makers have formally announced new Android models for the Australian market, Motorola is reported to have two phones close to completion and set for release to some markets in September, although the company declined to provide specific timings.
"Motorola can confirm that we will be launching Android handsets but can't disclose any details at this time," it said.
Like the iPhone, one of Android's key selling features is the mass of third-party applications being created for the platform. The Android market now has 8000 applications for download and the fact that these can be built on open-source technology has made it a popular platform among developers.
Petts said Android applications delivered a unique level of depth, integrating tightly with functions such as cameras and maps, exemplified by the popular Sky Maps application, which can locate a position using the GPS to map out constellations visible from a particular location.
But interesting applications may not be enough to win over the mainstream smartphone market, Robin Simpson, a research director at Gartner, said.
"Success in the smartphone market is all about usablity and cool design. Google doesn't control the hardware so if phone makers don't come up with the good designs, that will make the platform less attractive."
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