Officials at the telecommunications meeting in Beijing outlined a number of plans to promote Android in a range of devices, from smartphones and e-readers to netbooks and tablets. The software is already popular among gadget makers in Taiwan such as High Tech Computer (HTC), which built the first-ever Android-based smartphone, the G1.
The two countries plan to develop an organization to promote Android and the Ophone, develop product specifications and reference designs and more, according to Ho Pao-chung, a director at Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry. Work will also be done on standard user interfaces for devices, as well as new products and services for mobile cloud computing.
A product testing and certification center will also be built to help companies bring gadgets, applications and services to market more quickly.
Taiwanese cellular service providers Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone Telecommunications said they do not have any immediate plans to adopt Ophone technology and will stick with Android.
"We will mainly focus on Android phones for now, but will keep monitoring the Ophone and other new developments on a regular basis," said Alison Kao, a Far EasTone representative. Her company is already working with China Mobile in a number of areas, including TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE. China Mobile has said it will buy a stake in Far EasTone as soon as permissible by Taiwan law.
IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau)