Samsung Pushes Back Android Release
The as-of-yet unnamed Samsung Android phone will sport a touch screenno word if it'll have a keyboard like the G1. Rumor has it it'll be similar in form factor to Samsung's Omina and Instinct models, which are currently being offered by Sprint.
Android, as a platform for mobile development and an operating system, falls under the auspices of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which is mostly composed of major mobile telephony, semiconductor, and mobile handset players, in addition to Google, of course.
Android is supposed to make it easier and less costly to develop applications for mobile phonesby removing the often complicated pre-qualification regimens and hoops mobile operators often make developers jump through. It is also supposed to offer more flexibility in the devices carriers support and in the kind of phones manufacturers create.
In theory, all of this (more freedom, less cost, greater flexibility) should be experienced by consumers as a result of Android as well. How? By making more advanced cell phones, smartphones and (even) applications cheaper to buy and easier to use, and giving consumers a greater say in the mobile handset they choose to buy and use on their carrier's wireless network.
With only one handset available so far, and in only one market, its too early to tell if this will be the case.
James Alan Miller contributed to this article.