The first Android powered handset has surely made a mark in the cellular world. In the half year that the G1 has been available, 1 million units have been bought in the U.S. While a strong showing, the device trails behind the iPhone 3G which had domestic sales of 1.6 million in the last three month quarter for AT&T. The G1 does dominate T-Mobile’s relatively new 3G pipeline in the U.S. where 2 out of every 3 phones sending voice and data over the network is that model. When the G1 was first released, T-Mobile restricted sales to stores in locations where the carrier had 3G presence which amounted to just 21 markets, although customers could buy anywhere using the web site. Since then, the restrictions have been lifted and the company’s 3G network now covers as much as a third of the U.S. population.

The next cellphone using Google’s open source OS could be heading T-Mobile’s way. We recently showed you pictures of a HTC Magic passing through the FCC with the T-Mobile logo branded on the casing. As we reported, European carrier Vodafone plans on shipping the Magic on May 5th to those placing pre-orders. No word on if and when the device will be available in the States.

source: TelephonyOnline via electronista, EngadgetMobile

With the G1 already on the market for months, the HTC Magic due out in Europe as soon as next month, and rumors of a new G2 model to be officially revealed soon, HTC is the leader in producing Android powered handsets. But the manufacturer soon could have competition from Samsung as the latter manufacturer wants to start competing with the Korean firm as soon as the third quarter of this year, and at the same time, become a top 5 producer of handsets using Google’s open source OS. To get the ball rolling, DigiTimes is reporting that leaked information from Samsung shows that their first Android based model (is it this one?) will resemble the Magic and both will use Qualcomm’s 3.5G chipset. A launch date, carrier availability, and pricing all were not mentioned. As we reported, HTC won’t be sitting on their laurels as they plan on producing two additional Android models in 2009 besides the Magic, according to company president and CEO Peter Chou who revealed this at a Merrill Lynch technology conference in Taipei. With all of this talk about producing more Android handsets, the winner is certainly going to be cellphone users everywhere.

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