While the first Android-powered phone hit the market in late 2008 and was followed by several others, Google have yet to see their operating system hit a true ‘killer app’ model. The recent line of innovative phones put out by Samsung have created progress for the OS, but few have reached the level of popularity or cultural awareness that Apple’s iPhone has achieved.

Until now. HTC’s latest creation, the Desire, hit the market towards the end of March and by all accounts failed to make a splash. In fact, when compared to the iPhone’s successful 2007 launch, it’s barely even managed to cause a ripple. But over the past two months things have changed hugely, with Google’s Android operating system gaining market share and HTC’s mobile phones growing more and more popular.

Boasting a 3.7 inch touchscreen display and a sleek black HTC case, the Desire is one of the most physically imposing mobile phones out there. The screen is truly massive, beating out rival phone handsets from Apple, Samsung, and Nokia. Yet at the same time it doesn’t seem unusually big; all functions are handled normally, and the phone is compact enough to easily fit inside a front pocket.

With a monstrous processor, Flash video support as standard, and a five megapixel built-in camera, it seems hard to fault the Desire’s extensive list of functional hardware. Applications run smoothly and steadily, performance is well beyond adequate, and unlike other smartphones the Desire could quite easily replace a point-and-shoot camera for your next holiday.

Unfortunately, this immense power comes at a price. The Desire’s battery life is abysmal; a weak power unit more at home in an ancient PDA than a high-end smartphone. Mobile broadband usage and multimedia cut down battery power dramatically, with the former dropping a three-day battery into something that is unlikely to last twenty-four hours.

But with 3G disabled, broadband internet browsing limited, and multimedia viewing eliminated, the Desire becomes quite a competitive unit. Battery power isn’t quite as good as the iPhone 3GS, but it certainly lasts through a twenty-four hour charging period without falling flat. Third-part apps can improve the battery life further, but we feel slightly uncomfortable customizing a phone for the sole purpose of improving on its power usage.

All in all, the HTC Desire is a hugely powerful phone, something that’s equally at home processing complex applications as it is making basic phone calls. Amazingly, that power isn’t just useful for technology fans and serious geeks either; just about anyone can pick up the Desire and grow used to the interface in minutes.

While we’re hesitant to call it an ‘iPhone killer,’ we will give credit where it’s due – the Desire is a phenomenal phone, and one that’s likely to convert thousands of users over to Google’s powerful new mobile platform.

Apple’s second quarter results are in, and they’re just as impressive as one might expect. The Silicon Valley technology giant enjoyed 41.7 percent margins across the quarter, seeing massive growth in iPhone sales and converting many ex-PC users to their platform. Total iPhone sales increased over 130 percent from 2009, making the iPhone 3GS the world’s most popular smartphone.

However, while the iPhone appears to be the winner in the global smartphone race – at least in terms of units sold – it’s facing increasing heated competition from rivals HTC and Sony Ericsson, two manufacturers embracing Google’s Android phone operating system. Android handsets have seen a huge increase in sales across the last two quarters, gaining ground on Apple’s ultra-popular mobile phone.

Relations between Apple and Google have heated up in 2010, which the two technology giants fighting a patent war surrounding mobile phone touchscreen technology and operating system features. While CEOs Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt remain in touch, public words between the two companies have bordered on aggression.

Google’s February press release noted an impressive increase in Android phone sales – over 60,000 Android-enabled mobile phones ship daily. When compared to early sales of Apple’s original iPhone, the success of Android is quite clear. Industry analysts believe that sales of Android handsets could soon rival those from rival RIM’s Blackberry devices – a line of popular business phones.

While Google manufacture no mobile handset of their own, the potential income from mobile advertising has made Android a potentially profitable operating system. Profits (and revenue) from Android are currently limited, although as the operating system gains users it appears that mass marketers may embrace Google’s mobile phone advertising options. Apple’s iAd system – due for release later this year – aims to capture the same mobile advertising market.

Local services have seen massive development in the world of search, with Google and Yahoo each offering geo-targeted search results, specialized map listings, and integration with Google Earth and Maps for optimum business exposure. Now, leading social network Facebook appears to be taking the same steps, aiming to integrate local businesses and locations into its mobile application.

Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 400 million active users. With the local networking space currently controlled by small applications such as FourSquare, Facebook’s move into local networking and communications could change the way mobile users find and choose businesses.

Marketing publication Ad Age reported that McDonalds is in the process of developing an application which will allow Facebook users to alert their friends whenever they dine at a McDonalds restaurant. Other location-based businesses plan to do the same, gaining exposure and potential viral coverage whenever their activities are reported online.

Facebook has been available as a mobile application for several years, with mixed results for the company. While advertising revenue is reportedly lower from the mobile phone platform, involvement levels and usage is significantly higher, with mobile users sending the bulk of messages and engaging in applications more frequently than PC-based Facebook users.

The potential implications for local businesses are endless, the most obvious of which is the increased exposure caused by Facebook’s new local platform. Businesses are currently forced to use services such as Yelp, which have recently been questioned on their direction and business model. A free alternative offered by Facebook could see businesses quickly adapt.

The service is currently unreleased, although technology industry reporters believe it will appear on Facebook’s homepage and mobile platform within the coming month. Smartphone users will be able to access location-based features through GPRS and 3G, or by using wifi at local business points.

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