MORE PHONE makers appear to be opting for the Android mobile operating system ? an open source platform developed by Google to run their new smartphones.

Since Nexus One, Google?s flagship smartphone running on the Android system came out about six months, smartphones from different phone makers have started to populate the marketplace.

According to research firm Gartner, Android smartphones have been gaining more and more market share, leaving behind older smartphone platforms.

The Gartner report published in May said the Android OS had already surpassed Microsoft?s Windows Mobile in sales during the first quarter of the ongoing year.

Google?s new mobile OS platform moved to the fourth position in the world market, accounting for 9.6 percent of smartphones sold during the period.

Phone vendors that have launched Android smartphones include Acer, Motorola, HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG.

Lately, Samsung came out with its second Android phone called the Galaxy S.

It features a 4-inch super AMOLED touch screen display, 5-megapixel camera, and is powered by a 1 GHz mobile CPU.

The device is now available exclusively through Globe.

Samsung?s Galaxy S boasts of improvements in the touch UI and applications ? features that its previous Android handset sorely lacked.

Due to a new technology that allows phones to be exceptionally brighter, the Galaxy S display manages to be clearer with less reflective images even when the screen is viewed under the sun.

With 16 GB internal storage coupled with the 1GHz mobile CPU, the Galaxy S is a multimedia powerhouse that can play feature-length movies in high definition, as well as DivX and Xvid movie files.

Installed with Android 2.1 OS (Eclair), the phone is a multitasker, able to handle multiple programs running at the same time.

The Galaxy S features a notable enhanced touch UI with the incorporation of the TouchWiz 3.0 ? Samsung?s application that allows animation, such as live wallpaper, to work easily on the phone.

The TouchWiz, which is present in the Samsung Wave (a new Samsung smartphone running on Samsung?s own mobile OS called bada), also features the Social Hub ? an integration of social network sites (SNS), emails, and calendar to the contacts page.

Other smartphone features include eBook app, ThinkFree app for viewing and editing, Microsoft Office files, and Daily Briefing, which accesses weather, news, stocks and the scheduler.

As an Android device, the Galaxy has access to the Android Market, Google?s online apps store, which contains over 50,000 downloadable applications.

The Galaxy S is available for free to Globe subscribers who avail of the P2,499 plan.

The offer also comes with free one month Super Surf Internet plan for users who wish to take advantage of the phone?s fast Internet connection through HSDPA 7.2 Mbps.

For prepaid option, the Galaxy S retails at P32,995 and comes with free five days Super Surf Internet plan from Globe.

?Adoption of Android-powered devices is growing globally by leaps and bounds. We want our users to have the enhanced experience that the Galaxy S Android 2.1 offers, whether for browsing the Web or tracking important tasks on your phone,? said Cathy Santamaria, Globe brand head.