Second 'Google phone' to rival iPhone unveiled

(HTC)

The second in what industry commentators believe will be a long series of phones based on the Google-backed Android mobile phone operating system has been announced by Vodafone at the Mobile World Congress.

Manufactured by HTC, who also produce the first Android phone handset, the G1, the touchscreen phone, known as 'Magic', will feature Wi-Fi, a 3.2 megapixel camera and GPS capabilities, as well as an update to the Android operating system.

It will incorporate an onscreen keyboard rather than the slide-out keyboard of the G1, a feature many believed gave it the edge over Apple's iPhone, though the saved space also translates to a thinner design than its predecessor which was criticised as 'clunky'.

Vodafone's announcement will be seen as something of a coup by the mobile phone industry, where expectations were high that T-Mobile, who have exclusive distribution rights for the G1 in Europe and the US, would maintain the monopoly on distributing Android phones. The Magic will be available in the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy, although an exact release date is yet to be confirmed.