Report: ARM, Google Set to Unveil "Android" Prototype

The British chip designer is reportedly set to show off a device running on Google's new phone platform. Details are sketchy, but the prototype could get its close-up as early as Monday.

ComputerWorld is reporting that the demo is set for next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, while Reuters says the "early prototype device" will be unveiled on Monday. Both ARM and Google have confirmed to ComputerWorld that the demo will indeed happen, but the companies remain tight-lipped on what exactly we'll see; that said, you can check out Google's preview of the Android interface from November.

The ARM handset might not be the only Android prototype circulating at the Mobile World Congress; indeed, an analyst quoted by ComputerWorld speculates that manufacturers such as LG, HTC, Motorola, and Samsung may well have working models of their own. However, there have been no other announcements at this point. (Rumors were flying that Dell would have an Android phone ready for the show, but the buzz has cooled off considerably in the past week.)

If Monday's demonstration goes off as scheduled, it'll surely crank up the heat on Google's wireless, open-source Android platform, which has been simmering since the search giant unveiled it (along with a 30-strong "alliance" of manufacturers) last November. Google says that Android-based phones (made by third-party manufacturers) should hit the market later this year.

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Update: ARM to show off Android platform at trade show next week [ComputerWorld]