Open Handset Alliance welcomes 14 new companies
With the way technology and software have been moving, nothing beats open source anything. From open source browsers to operating systems, it seems the trend is going to become the standard very soon. So, the Open Handset Alliance has just announced the addition of 14 new members to its growing community. Powered by the sacred Google-juice, Android seems to be the platform or mobile OS of choice these days, and why wouldn’t it be given its open source goodness? In addition to those already part of the alliance, AKM Semiconductor Inc., ARM, ASUSTek Computer Inc., Atheros Communications, Borqs, Ericsson, Garmin International Inc., Huawei Technologies, Omron Software Co. Ltd, Softbank Mobile Corporation, Sony Ericsson, Teleca AB, Toshiba and Vodafone are jumping on the bandwagon. The more the merrier indeed as all of these companies will now be actively developing handsets, hardware and other goodies powered by the Android OS. The G1 is getting lonely fellas, get moving!
My thought is the G1 was deleberately design like crap and 3G locked to T-mobile just to see how many people REALLY wanted andriod. The phone is ugly, (banana phone status) and T-mobiles reception is the equivalent of cups attached using a strings. (you know you all remember that growing up). I hope with this growth we will see android phones on other carriers (A.K.A AT&T, because verizon wouldn’t allow open handset, they love lock and load + charge. and sprint said it isn’t “advanced” enough for the sprint brand… oh please do you guys even look at the crap phones you guys release?) don’t get me wrong I’m deff not an AT&T fanboy, I hate that carrier too. But we have the G1 and the second android phone coming from australia at a decent price. can google pull off domination of another market?
This is good, very good, I love seeing competition invited for HTC. It keeps them at their best.
David A – i’ll give you the phone is ugly but Tmo reception is completely subject to your location just like all carriers. Sprint and others have passed on it because its not far enough along in its design and they are not alone in this decision (AT&T). Sprint moving forward with wimax and VZW opening up BB GPS is giving hints that the carriers are changing their models. And no google will not dominate the cell market imo.
I agree with pheer – this is good news because of the competition it brings.
Ahh. the goodness that Open Source can bring. Hopefully, Android will be making some serious progress with more competition, better design and enhanced functions coming to the platform.
~Eric
things are getting more interesting
SE and Ericsson join OHA
does it mean the end of UIQ?
@ David A
Vodafone just joined.
Vodafone owns Verizon.
Verizon owns Alltel.
Looks like AT&T is the only hold out in the U.S.
@ PHug
Doesn’t Vodafone own 45% of Verizon Wireless with Verizon Communications owning 55%?
Kinda throws off your chain a bit.
if it takes off with vodafone around the world and then hell kinda freezes over a bit then verizon will carry it
First off Verizion isn’t really owned by Vodafone. That statment is very misleading, Vodafone is large share holder of Verizion and they are members of the Board of Directors but that’s still a long streatch from owning them. A forign company cant just simple buy stocks in a US utility company the size of Verizion and be allowed to own it. The goverment won’t allow it to be that simple. Do you have any idea how hard it was for tmobile to have coverage in the US. It wasn’t easy at all and they still have it much harder then the others when working with the fcc then the other US wireless providers do. Now even if Verizion became Vodafone USA I doesn’t mean they would be getting the same phones as their parent company just look at the phone line up for T-mobile UK and you can see what I mean
@mingkee
UIQ died a long long long time ago. I can assure everyone that the next Sony Ericsson Android phone won’t be until late next year… the upcoming lineup of phones are from Windows Mobile and S60 Touch.