14 DAY TRIAL // The number of Android mobile phones launched this year seems to be growing exponentially, with more and more handset makers and wireless operators intent on adopting the platform, which is now sported on two devices coming from the Taiwanese company HTC, the Dream (the first Android phone) and Magic (just made available with Vodafone Spain), and which will also come on a handset from Samsung, the I7500.
Other phones running the platform have been announced as well, and now we hear that more Taiwanese companies plan to move in the area, namely the mobile service provider Far EasTone and the IT company Tatung.
According to the news, Tatung's chairman WS Lin stated that the company intended to move into the development of Android-based smartphones, though it hasn't managed to finalize its product roadmap just yet. The news site DigiTimes has it that Tatung might make its handset available through the affiliate company Tatung InfoComm, which is one of the six Taiwanese WiMAX licensees that will roll out its commercial WiMAX services on the Penghu islands by the end of this month. Tatung InfoComm is set to add more than 1 million subscribers during the following five years.
The other Taiwanese company to work on the development of Android devices is Far EasTone, a service provider that announced partnering with a local phone maker for the move. It looks like there will be two smartphones running under the Google Android mobile platform to surface from the cooperation, and one of them is slated for release before the end of the ongoing year.
It seems that work on the two devices started a while ago, as the company plans on offering customized services to its users. In addition, the service provider is reported to have stated that Android would become one of the most popular mobile operating systems on the market this year, given the number of handsets to sport it that will be launched.