Confirmation that Google has booked two stands at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona in February 2008 has prompted suggestions that Android-based handsets will be in strong evidence at the event.  Extrapolating from the sighting of an HTC-designed reference handset spotted by Gizmodo earlier this month, APC Magazine believes that Google will be looking to make a definite showing at the mobile-focused event so as to whet the public and industry appetites prior to commercial Android-based models launching in the second half of the year.

“You can bet that if Google’s handset partners lift the covers on their Android phones during the Mobile World Congress expo, which kicks off on February 11th in Barcelona - or if Google itself trots out a flock of phones to impress this annual powerhouse gathering of the global mobile industry (the company has booked two stands on the expo floor) - that these will be shiny snazzy models endowed with a very high ‘cool’ factor” David Flynn, APC Magazine 

Nonetheless, some are doubtful of the nature of any particular models Google might display, with Crunchgear’s Doug Aamoth predicting that working versions won’t be on-show until March at the earliest.

More likely, perhaps, is an opportunity at MWC for users to get some hands-on time with API reference designs, probably similar to the HTC model obviously being field-tested.  Google and its manufacturing partners have undoubtedly learnt from cases where new devices have been announced early and then seen public interest wane after a long period before actual availability.  The focus at present seems, rightly, to be on the software environment rather than specific examples of cellphones it will run on, and Google will likely be looking to counter criticism that the Android toolkit is “not ready for primetime“.