Google’s Android OS got off to a slow start with its share of bugs on the T-Mobile G1. Many of the major mobile phone makers played a wait and see game with Android and once the teething problems that surfaced on the G1 were fixed, we started to see more Android-powered smartphone hit the market. One of the most recent Android phones announced is the Samsung I7500.

The I7500 won’t be the sole new Android phone on the market. According to the New York Times, there are no less than 18 new Android-powered handset coming to the market this year alone and the number could be as high as 20 new handsets. According to Google’s Andy Rubin, the devices will be produced by eight or nine different makers.

According to Rubin, Android phones will hit the market at a slower pace in the U.S. than they will in Europe. The reason for that is that the domestic mobile market is very competitive and mobile phone makers want to launch very distinctive handsets in America.

Rubin says that there are three methods that a mobile phone maker can use to get android on their devices. The first is the obligation-free method where the maker simple downloads the free OS and installs it on their handsets. The second option requires a signed distribution agreement with Google and will include some Google software. The second option is the option most manufacturers choose because it allows for customization of the Android OS by the makers.

The third option puts all the features of Android onto a mobile phone along with the full Google software arsenal and allows the inclusion of a Google logo on the phone. The third option also requires open access to the Android market. Of the 18 or so handsets coming this year, Google expects five or six of them to use the third option.

[via The New York Times]