The extent to which Google’s Android will be found in future handsets became clearer this week, with one of the world’s largest smartphone makers said to be expecting such devices to account for more than half of its shipments starting next year.
Meanwhile Pandora, one of the most popular audio streaming services, promised a version of its app for Android, though it declined to offer a rollout date. The company has already produced versions for the iPhone, BlackBerry and webOS, so it’s natural it would further coverage with Android.
HTC ranks among the top Windows Mobile smartphone makers in the world — notably the popular Touch and Touch Pro. That may soon be changing, however, as DigiTimes reported this week that Android-based handsets will account for more than 50 percent of the Taiwanese company’s shipments in 2010 vs. 30 percent this year. HTC is no stranger to Android, of course; the company has produced almost all of the currently available Android phones to date. Regardless, this would still be viewed as a major shift to its product line, and will no doubt be a wake-up call for Microsoft.
Also this week, the upcoming HTC Hero starting making its way into the hands of reviewers, and so far impressions have been overwhelmingly favorable. The Hero is the next-generation Android phone with the unique HTC Sense interface that augments the standard Android UI. Up next is T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G, which is already viewed as a vast improvement over the original Android phone, the T-Mobile G1.
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