Google Announces 18 New Android Mobile Phones
At the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco on May 27, Google's senior director for mobile platforms Andy Rubin made it public that many new Google phones are expected to appear by end of 2009.
According to an article in the New York Times, Google has a direct scoop on 18 new Android-based mobile phones hitting the market by end of this year, with the number perhaps as high as 20. Four or five of these devices should be real Google phones, that is, they'll have the logo and work with Gmail and other services, such as the G1 from T-Mobile.
A majority of the anticipated phones (12 to 14, according to Rubin) subscribe to Google's "small strings" option whereby manufacturers can load Android for free into their devices, but also agree to include Google applications on them. Another five or six vendors subscribe to the "bigger strings" option where devices need to carry the Google logo, but which includes a "no censorship" clause to protect other Android applications developed on them (no matter the risk involved). The third option is "obligation-free," where the devices have no preloaded Google applications, an environment in which Google has less control and where it is harder to predict how many devices of this type will hit the market.
Altogether eight to nine manufacturers will be producing these devices. Most of the devices should appear in Europe, according to Rubin. It seems carriers and makers in the U.S. want to produce relatively fewer but more highly distinctive Android mobile phones to give themselves a competitive edge.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
-
HashiCorp Cofounder Unveils Ghostty, a Linux Terminal App
Ghostty is a new Linux terminal app that's fast, feature-rich, and offers a platform-native GUI while remaining cross-platform.
-
Fedora Asahi Remix 41 Available for Apple Silicon
If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and you're hoping to install Fedora, you're in luck because the latest release supports the M1 and M2 chips.
-
Systemd Fixes Bug While Facing New Challenger in GNU Shepherd
The systemd developers have fixed a really nasty bug amid the release of the new GNU Shepherd init system.
-
AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta Released
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has announced the availability of AlmaLinux 10.0 Beta ("Purple Lion") for all supported devices with significant changes.
-
Gnome 47.2 Now Available
Gnome 47.2 is now available for general use but don't expect much in the way of newness, as this is all about improvements and bug fixes.