Google to Push Android Deeper into Asia

Google (GOOG) plans to push its Android mobile software in India and China, and is exploring ways for developers to make more money from applications, stepping up competition with Apple (AAPL) and Nokia (NOK).

To attract programmers to its Android operating system, Google may offer tools that help them sell subscriptions, virtual goods, and other items from within applications on mobile phones, Andy Rubin, vice-president of engineering at Google, says in an interview.

The company also aims to put its Android operating system on lower-priced phones made by Huawei Technologies (2049:TT) and LG Electronics (066570:KS) in parts of Asia and Europe, where it's taking on Nokia, the mobile market leader. "The down-market opportunity is about to happen," Rubin says. "It's actually quite a revolution."

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100629_585738.htm