Googlemania: Three more Androids for NZ

After a year of New Zealand being almost totally left out of the Google phone action, suddenly it’s all Android, all of the time.

A recent survey by respected market tracker NPD put phones based on Google’s Android operating system ahead of Apple’s iPhone in the US. 

Sure Apple can sell 8 million phones a quarter, but in the US and other markets it's tied to a single carrier. And while only Apple, of course, makes iPhone OS based phones, every major phone maker - bar Nokia - is making a Google Android based model. And Android Marketplace - the Google world's equivalent to the iTunes Appstore - is getting stronger every day.

A great tussle is shaping up.

On the other side of the ditch, the chattering classes* are already starting to see Android phones as a serious alternative to Apple’s all-conquering handset.

Although of course the iPhone 4 is yet to come. The new iPhone, already receiving blockbuster reviews, will hit US stores tomorrow (a second wave of countries will get it in July, a third in September; Vodafone NZ - whose lock on Apple is likely to be strengthened by iPhone 4's 900MHz support - still has no release date).

And back in Android land, things are already getting snippy, with one Vodafone NZ insider referring to the (now six-month old) Motorola Milestone on XT as the “Millstone” (Motorola fans, do check out the Droid X, unveiled today in the US - See Computerworld's report here).

Here’s a guide to the fun to come:

The new droids
Last week, Telecom announced its first A-list Android release, the Motorola Milestone (known as the Motorola Droid in the US), joining an LG model already in its line-up.

Later today, Vodafone will announce four mobiles based on the Google Android operating system.

They are the:

Sony Ericsson X10i Mini Pro ($699 off contract)
The Pro - whose NZ release was exclusively revealed by NBR last week) - is the world’s smallest Android, barely larger than a packet of matches - or at least BBQ matches. Features include a 2.6-inch touchscreen, slidedown keyboard and 5mP camera.

Like other Sony Ericsson models, the Mini Pro runs Android 1.6 (the latest version, which adds turn-by-turn map navigation smarts, is 2.1, with 2.2 in alpha). However, Sony Ericsson promises a free firmware upgrade to Android 2.2 later this year for anyone who buys now.

Most Androids (from Motorola, Sony Ericsson, HTC and allcomers) have taken months and months to reach our shores.

But we’ll be getting the Pro almost simultaneously with the rest of the planet.

Like the fullsize X10i ($1099), the Mini Pro also comes in a 850MHz version suitable for XT - and NBR happens to know Sony Ericsson would love to be on both networks - so hopefully, for the sake of choice, competition and keener pricing - Telecom will shake a leg and become a carrier for this Android as well.

The HTC Desire ($999 off contract)
The Desire (left) replaces the HTC Magic (much beloved by NBR), which has been quietly phased out.

It sports a 1GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon processor, a 3.7-inch OLED display (the iPhone, by contrast, is 3.5-inch) and "Friendstream" which aggregates social media updates from Twitter, Flickr and Facebook.

The Desire, which runs on Android 2.1, is many Google aficionados’ pick of the pack.

LG Optimus, aka the GT540 ($399 off contract)
This more keenly-priced Android (pictured top of story) sports a 3-inch touchscreen, a 3mP camera with auto face tagging (a face-recognition feature getting mixed reviews overseas), Version 1.6 of the Android OS, and support for DivX and Xvid video playback (that is, two video formats popular with certain services that sometimes - cough - allow you to download movies without paying for them.

Cheaper droids like the Optimus have been key to Android mobiles, as a class, moving ahead of the iPhone in sales - so it’s an interesting development to see one released in these parts.

Like the HTC Desire and the X10i Mini Pro, the GT450 is scheduled to be released during July.

* The geek chattering classes, that is.