Sony Toshiba ASUS Garmin Plus 10 Others Want to be Androids

The Open Handset Alliance which develops Android announced 14 more members today including Sony, Toshiba, ASUS, Garmin, and Vodafone bringing the total membership to 47 including Google.

Speculation is that the long delayed Nuvifone from Garmin may have been intentionally delayed so that it embeds Android as its mobile software stack.

The companies joining The Open Handset Alliance are:

1. AKM Semiconductor
2. ARM
3. ASUSTek
4. Atheros Communications
5. Borqs
6. Ericsson
7. Garmin
8. Huawei Technologies
9. Omron Software
10. Softbank Mobile Corporation
11. Sony Ericsson
12. Teleca AB
13. Toshiba
14. Vodafone

This is a very compelling group and shows that companies can see where the wind is blowing after the somewhat surprising demand for the first Android enabled phone, The G1 or Dream from HTC.

Most claim to have an Android device, not necessarily a mobile phone, scheduled for market in 2009 as ASUS affirms:

“ASUS is a leading handset manufacturer that will soon deliver high quality, innovative Android devices and technology for world class carriers and consumers.”
–HC Hung, General Manager of Personal Mobile Device, BU, ASUSTek Computer Inc.

I am very curious to what ASUS comes out with, if its in fact a smartphone as we know it or finally that happy medium between netbook and smartphone – so perhaps a NETPHONE.

Looks like a LOT of people will have get up to speed on programming in Android for this expanded market.