On a whole, handset manufacturers haven't done an especially good job living up to the promise of Google's open-source Android operating system. In the United States, T-Mobile's G1 remains the only phone running the OS. Google yesterday, however, assured everyone that more handsets are the way--18 to 20 devices will be available by the end of the year.

The comment came from Android head Andy Rubin, speaking at Google I/O in San Francisco. Rubin declined to mention any specifics about the handsets, including manufacturer names. He added that, not surprisingly, US manufacturers will be slower to introduce the phones than their European counterparts.