OStatic

Recently, we covered Motorola's confirmation that it will deliver several smartphones based on the open source Android operating system later this year. That's good news, because applications have been proliferating for Android--with more than 3,000 available--and Android now has 6 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, even though it has largely been restricted to one handset: the T-Mobile G1 phone. Now, news about and photos of the upcoming Motorola Android phones are making the rounds online. Here are the details.

We've reported before on Motorola's interest in delivering phones based on the Android operating system. In October, the company was planning to deliver a new Android phone by the second quarter of this year, a deadline it apparently won't make. However, as InfoWorld reports, Motorola is aiming to deliver several Android-based smartphones in time for the holiday season. The company will launch the phones with multiple carriers in several areas around the world, according to chief of Motorola's mobile device division. Isn't it time for Motorola to pick a smartphone platform to concentrate on, though?

Recently, we've covered several new opportunities, including non-phone platforms such as netbooks, e-ink devices, and set-top boxes, for Google's open source Android operating system. Today, GigaOm and Information Week are discussing confirmation of what is likely to be the first fully-realized, non-phone hardware implementation of Android: a set-top box from Motorola called au Box. It's being made by Motorola for Japanese Internet service provider KDDI, and, according to Information Week, it will be capable of playing DVDs and CDs, transferring music and video to a mobile device, and ripping and storing files. That sounds a lot like full-blown computer, and there is another way the au Box will be a lot like a computer. Here are more details.

BusinessWeek has been discussing a new mobile phone from Motorola based on Google's Android platform. It's supposedly going to ship in the second quarter of next year, with a touchscreen similar in size to the iPhone's, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It will be focused on social networking? features. As pointed out on GigaOm, though, Motorola already has two other Linux-based phone efforts going. Check out more in their story,? and some thoughts at JKOnTheRun.