OStatic

We've done a number of posts lately on the incredible momentum that the open source Android operating system has. It's being supported by nearly every major smartphone maker, with players such as Acer and Motorola putting huge bets behind it. Acer's new Liquid Android smartphone has the trendy Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm built in, a sign that the OS could boost the prospects of cutting-edge new processors. Verizon Wireless recently inked a broad-based deal (GigaOm Pro, sub. req'd) with Google that will mean, since T-Mobile and Sprint are also on board, that U.S.-based Android phone users will have solid choice among wireless carriers. Yesterday, Acer announced that it is going to offer dual-boot versions of its popular Aspire One netbooks that run both Android and the upcoming Windows 7 OS. That could potentially help Android spread to many new users who wouldn't otherwise try it.

But, precisely because of the new horizons for Android, there are some unexpected directions it could go in, some good, some bad. Here are two scenarios that I don't think are widely expected.

JKOnTheRun reports this today: As we wait for Motorola?s Android phone, the Cliq/Dext, the company is once again confirming its commitment to the Android platform. Motorola had already stated that it was dropping Windows Mobile to focus on Android, and it?s doing the same with LiMo. Christy Wyatt, VP at Motorola, has vacated her seat on the LiMo Foundation board of directors.

According to a Motorola statement: At this time [Motorola] feels that the Android platform gives it a richer, more consistent foundation with strong support for the ecosystem and developer community.? With Android gaining so much momentum, and wooing handset makers and multiple wireless carriers alike, LiMo's mobile Linux strategy is looking fragile.

Things are looking increasingly bad for Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, and they may be looking bad for Palm, too. As GigaOm notes: Like a desperate gambler down to his last few chips, Palm is ditching Windows Mobile and going all in with its own webOS. That will leave the Pre as Palm's big bet in the smartphone arena, and the company has said that the Pre now accounts for the vast majority of the smartphones that it sells (823,000 units in the most recent quarter, in line with analyst's expectations).

What's more notable to me, though, is that as the heavily fragmented world of operating systems for smartphones begins to whittle itself down to a few competitors, players that rely either entirely or partly on open source are making the best bets.