Anticipation over the launch of Android-powered mobile phones is so great that analysts are predicting sales of up to 400,000 by 2009.
That would equate to over 130,000 a month given that most of the year is behind us... and considering the teeny amount of marketing for these phones compared to the iPhone pre-launch, it would certainly be a feat to achieve.
Market research firm Strategy Analysts says that Google and T-Mobile (which is carrying the phone in the US and likely the UK) wants around four per cent of the smartphone market by the end of the year.
We want more!
However, there is talk that HTC and Google are thinking even bigger than that. It's thought that 700,000 handsets are to be shipped worldwide to avoid any shortages.
While 400,000 is an ambitious figure, the Google brand is anticipated to be a big seller. Don't forget, Apple hopes to have sold 10 million first and second gen iPhones by 2009, but with a huge marketing campaign and nearly a year and a quarter headstart.
And if the open-source Android really captures the minds of users and developers as its multi-coloured search engine backer hopes it will, then sales could even outstrip the iPhone next year...
