Android will power your Google

What is it? Android is a recently announced subsidiary of Google that will create a free operating system for mobile phones based on the Linux operating system.

Which phones will work on Android? Some big-name handset vendors such as Motorola, Samsung, LG and HTC have come on board as part of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). Nokia, Microsoft and Apple have not.

Will Android make phones even cheaper? One myth is that Android will bring prices of smart phones (capable of connecting to the internet and sending email) down to under Rs 5,000 within two years. But smart phones are already available for under Rs 8,000; so, in two years time, prices will have come down in the normal course of events.

Will Android come to India? Google plans to make Android an ad-supported service and will need high-speed over-the-air data networks, and those seem like a pipedream in India currently; so, even if Android comes to India, it will require a new business model.