theregoesdave

Will the first Samsung phones running the Android OS be based on the Samsung Omnia or the Instinct? Will they be unveiled at CES this year? The only thing we know for sure is that Samsung will be releasing its first Android-based “Google phone” in Q2 of 2009.

While the Samsung phone might not be the Omnia Reloaded with Android as some suspect, it’s likely to offer a similar form factor. Samsung and the rest of the industry have discovered the beauty of touch-oriented applications and moved to maximize the screen size of mobile devices.

An Android-based Omnia would raise some interesting questions about Samsung’s open source strategy. Do they intend to lock Android to the hardware? Will they release a version that can be flashed on older Omnia phones? If so, it could incite the passion of open source developers and tinkerers with a homebrew Android phone based on existing hardware.

Once that comes to reality, whether through Samsung or another effort, Android fans will be able to begin creating new applications and uses for Android in earnest. Chances are more likely that the efforts to create an HTC Linux install will result in a homebrew HTC Android phone. Either that or fans will have to wait a generation or two for Android devices to become cheaper and better explored.

• Want an unlocked Android G1? That’ll be $399
• ODROID helps Android get its game on
• The Race is on for an Android Skype or VoIP Client
• Does the T-Mobile G1 deserve detention for not living up to its potential?
• Open Handset Alliance adds 14 members to the Google Android bandwagon