This Thursday, Reuters had a news about ARM to demonstrate a prototype of Google Android mobile phone platform in action during the Mobile World Congress 2008 this monday in Barcelona. ARM, the British chip designer, got 7 billion from 10 billion chips shipped into mobile devices.

ARM will be showing advanced technology enabling the “Full Web in Your Pocket” experience, including the latest ARM® Cortex™ family of processors; the ARM Mali™ graphics stack; and the newest RealView® development tools. ARM technology is powering over 90 percent of the handsets on display at Mobile World Congress 2008, including graphics-rich, large-format, low-power Mobile Internet Devices.

We got the confirmation from ARM, if there will be really an Android phone to be shown Monday :

“ARM will have a demonstration of an ARM Powered prototype of the Android platform from the Open Handset Alliance.” an ARM spokesperson told Open Handset Magazine.

Currently there is no image or photo to show, but visitors of the Mobile World Congress 2008 will have the chance to see the first Android-based mobile phone powered by ARM. We will keep you updated as soon as we get more information.

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Japan is one of the most interesting market for mobile marketing, a market which is expected to grow to over $24 billion worldwide in 2013, jumping from just $1.8 billion in 2007, according to ABI Research. NTT DoCoMo and Google partnership announcement came mainly to reinforce Google position in this mobile advertising market, and possibly to bring Android based handsets to the Japanese market.

NTT DoCoMo is one of leading mobile communications companies worldwide, Headquartered in Tokyo, and is owner of i-mode, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet service, used by nearly 48 million people.

The company provides already a set of Handsets in collaboration with handset manufacturers such Fujitsu, including : Raku-Raku PHONE Basic, Secure 3G FOMA F903iBSC, 3G FOMA 703i Series, D800iDS and SO903iTV.

According to a new study by Mobile Consumer Behavior, outlining key challenges and success factors for the Open Handset Alliance :

Google’s Android is the first legitimate attempt to re-create the success of Japan’s “Wireless Ecosystem” model within the context and realities of international mobile markets. If successful, Google could spark unprecedented innovations within mobile content, service and application development, yet a number a critical factors stand in the way of such success.

Google is facing a big challenge in the Japanese Mobile Marketing Market first, then to reproduce this wireless ecosystem worldwide. Dr. Philip Sugai, Director of the Mobile Consumer Lab at the International University of Japan and lead author of MCB report, stated :

“Although Symbian and Microsoft have offered the most stinging criticisms of Google’s Android, Google’s next (and most) critical challenge at this early stage of development actually lies in how it will address MontaVista, and galvanize the mobile Linux development movement. Without successfully accomplishing this goal, Android will become obsolete within 2008, never ever leveling a substantial competitive threat against either Symbian or Microsoft.”

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Monday January 21, 2008, Buglabs launched its first gadgets to assemble and create your own mobile phone in the same way we create mashups for the web. BUG inlcude a BUGBase and modules that you can assemble like a lego. The BugBase is a fully programmable GNU/Linux computer with 4 expansion slots for inserting modules, and you can find currently four modules available :

• UGview, a full-color, hi-res, touch-sensitive LCD screen.
• BUGmotion, a motion detector and an accelerometer.
• BUGlocate, a GPS receiver.
• BUGcam2MP, a 2 megapixel digital camera.

We asked about runing Android on BUG devices, and Jeremy Toeman, “the marketing guy” for Bug Labs, told us : “While we are not 100% sure Android runs natively on the BUG platform, from everything we’ve read it seems like it should. When we have the final production hardware we’ll find out quite quickly - I have a feeling the developer community will get fairly active in this area!”

This will be defintely a great gadget if we could get Android running on it.

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