Android's Open Handset Alliance adds Sony-Ericsson, 13 others

The Open Handset Alliance (OHA), the industry group behind Android, this week gained 14 new members, including smartphone makers Sony Ericsson and Huawei, Eee maker Asustek; and Toshiba, another netbook producer.

With this week's addition of 14 new players, the Google-spearheaded OHA now has membership totaling 47 companies. In the smartphone category, Sony Ericsson and Chinese manufacturer Huawei now join HTC, the maker of the G1 Android phone; Motorola, a vendor that's acknowledged plans for an Android device in 2009; LG Electronics; and Samsung.

Coming on board, too, are two netbook manufacturers: Toshiba and Asustek, a company best known worldwide for the Eee. For its part, however, Asustek also produces phones. In September, for instance, the company announced plans for the industry's first dedicated Skype phone.

Also this week, two more wireless carriers -- Vodafone and Japan-based Softbank Mobile -- join existing OHA members that include T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel; Telefonica; Telecom Italia; NTT DoCoMo; KDDI; and China Mobile Communications Corp.

Interestingly, Vodafone has also been a prime mover behind the LiMo Foundation, another effort to build a mobile open source platform. The 48 member companies of that foundation have already produced 15 LiMo-enabled handsets.

Vodafone also sells Apple's competing iPhone for use on its networks in a variety of markets, ranging from Italy to India.

Other new OHA members named this week include GPS navigation specialist Garmin; chip makers ARM, Atheros, and AKM Semiconductor; mobile software vendors Borqs and Omron; component manufacturer Ericsson; and Teleca, a systems integrator.