TechFaith Working on Android Phone

With Android mania officially in full swing, and one phone already in the pipeline, its no surprise that every phone maker on the planet is at least considering, if not pursuing, an Android-based phone.

Chinese ODM TechFaith is one such handset maker, who promises an Android phone sometime in the first quarter of 2009. “The development of a prototype Android phone has basically been completed. However, the launch of commercial products is unlikely to happen before the end of this year,” Ji Changxi, a senior vice president of TechFaith, told Interfax.

Normally, an ODM working on a new phone wouldn’t be a big deal. However, TechFaith has been designing phones for Motorola, an Open Handset Alliance member, for years. And with Motorola’s recent commitment to Android, going as far as to hire over 300 people to work with the software, the Moto-branded Android device may be coming out of TechFaith’s Chinese factories.

Because of the recent hirings at Motorola, a TechFaith/Motorola phone based on Android seems like a distinct possibility. However, TechFaith also works with companies like LG, Amoi, Bird and CECT, as well as directly with telecom companies such as France Telecom, Sprint and SK Telecom. So while Motorola seems to be the front runner, there are several others in contention for an Android device.

HTC seems to be in a similar boat. While working with T-Mobile on the G1, the first Android device to hit the market, they also create phones for a number of other carriers, including Verizon. In the coming months, especially after we enter 2009, the Android race should heat up with a number of products hitting the market at once. While there will be the usual competition to see what phone becomes the hot commodity, more Android phones will only be good for consumers.

Even after the typical price drops, the Android OS should see a massive influx of applications. Independent developers as well as companies across the globe are reverse engineering iPhone applications, or making an Android equivalent. Jeff Shakey, winner of the Android Dev Challenge, recently showed off his iTunes remote app for Android. With projects like this in the pipeline for a phone that isn’t even on the market yet, the Android ecosystem is already promising.