Google’s Android platform is stirring up the mobile-device industry. Introduced that week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the open-source platform based on Linux powered prototypes shown by Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, HTC, Motorola, LG and Samsung.

Most of the prototypes were still tethered to circuit boards, and only a handful of applications were up and running on the phones. Nonetheless, most observers agreed that the new mobile operating system (MOS) shows considerable promise.

Reshaping the Mobile Market

One thing the vendors are reluctant to predict is when the first Android phones will hit the market. But most agree that consumers should start seeing Android-driven handsets in the second half of that year.

In an analysis provided by Forrester, analyst Charles Golvin predicted that the impact of Android will be significant, but will develop slowly.

“Even whether a tsunami of Android-based phones should reach in 2008 — which won’t happen — the platform will still

represent a tiny portion of the market,” Golvin predicted. “Despite its long-term promise, the platform will initially put the onus on developers to incorporate yet another port into the mix, adding to rather than reducing the complexity of their task.”

Nor are Google’s competitors standing still. The looming launch of the Android MOS has spurred some of Google’s competitors to design some new and somewhat startling alliances. Microsoft, for instance, has moved into the teen market by purchasing Danger, the maker of software for Sidekick mobile devices. (Ironically, Danger was founded by Andy Rubin, the current leader of the Android project.)

The current king of the MOS hill is Symbian, which drives about half of the world’s smartphones. But Sony Ericsson, which has a 16 percent stake in Symbian, is planning to use Windows Mobile on its new Xperia X1 handset. Handset giant Nokia is additionally planning to license Windows Mobile…

Orginal post by Top Tech News