I’ve been hearing about the Google Android platform for mobile phones and I’d like to know more about how and where to get a phone that uses Android. Also, I’d like information about how to explore developing applications that can talk to our services from an Android phone.

Prototype phones are beginning to make appearances at trade shows. Last month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Wistron showed a PDA smart phone running Linux and said that it would be running Android by March. This month Texas Instruments, ARM, and Qualcomm demonstrated Android prototype phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Dell is said to be developing an Android phone, and Samsung is also said to be interested in deploying Android phones within the next year. The Open Handset Alliance seems to be gaining real traction. For those interested in developing software for the devices or just seeing what the interface may look like by using an emulator on a PC, the Google Android Software Development Kit is available for download. Google has also established the Android Developer Challenge, which will provide $10 million in awards for mobile applications built on the Android platform. Details are available, and the submission deadline is April 14. The top 50 applications chosen will receive $25,000 in development funds and an opportunity to compete for additional $275,000 awards. Even if you are not a developer the software development kit provides an opportunity to review sample applications and get a first look at what the interface on Android handsets may look like.