Samsung is planning the launch of new Android phones codenamed Spica and Bigfoot in Q3. Specifically September. Both of these phones will be built on Android OS version 2.0, which is codenamed Donut. Except for the size and shape, both phones have roughly the same specs:

115.7×53x16.3mm, GSM Quad-band, HSDPA 900/1700/2100, 3″ QAVGA LCD display, 3Megapixel Camera, 1500 mAh battery, 100MB + Micro SD slot, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS+Compass, OS: Android “donut”, Accelerometer. Supposedly the Samsung Bigfoot will be more of a gaming oriented device, while the Samsung Spica will be an affordably priced mass market device.

Android got off to a very slow start with the only handset being offered for a long time being the T-Mobile G1. Android has its share of early teething woes that were fixed for the most part with updates and patches. Android is now picking up steam in the market.

Analytic firm Strategy Analytics says that this year Android smartphone shipments will grow by 900%, making it the fastest growing mobile OS in the market. The second fastest growing Os is expected to be the iPhone OS growing 79% over the year.

Nokia’s Ovi Store will start out with a large catalog of items compared to their direct competitors, like the iTunes App Store and the Android Market. They’ll start out with about a stunning 20,000 apps. The Ovi Store is scheduled to open in late spring, just in time for the release of the Nokia N97 in July.

The store items are said to include games, general apps and even short videos. GPS will be used to filter content by city and locality. This marks a sharp contrast to the first app stores. The iTunes App Store started with only 500 apps and the Android Market started with about 50 apps. App stores are here to stay.

It’s Friday. That means it’s time to take a look at the week that was in robotics news. We saw all of the usual suspects over at Botropolis this week. Those that can kill us, those that can’t kill us but want to, those that clean up after us and those who plan to clean up after the last of us are dead. Here’s just some of what we covered this week.

DustCar Garbage Robot: He’s no Wall-E, but it’s a start.

RX-64: Servos that break bones.

KASPAR: Helping Kids With Autism.

Robot Sheep shearing: Do androids dream of shearing electric sheep?

Japan has received their first Android-powered phone from DoCoMo. It’s known as the HT-03A, and it will run on Android 1.5 Cupcake.

If you think that the HT-03A looks familiar, that’s because this is actually the HTC Magic. There’s also some word that DoCoMo has a surprise for smartphone lovers up its sleeve and will be revealing it in about two weeks.

Bsquare, a mobile software developer, will apparently be porting Adobe Flash Lite to Dell netbooks. Interestingly, they let slip that these Dell netbooks would be running on Android. Bsquare mentioned the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 specifically and noted that Android will most likely be appearing on that netbook.

In what capacity Adobe Flash Lite will be appearing is anyone’s guess. And we don’t know when the Adobe Flash Lite port will be available on these netbooks or when Android will be making its appearance, though it’s likely it will all happen at once.

WiPC, created by BlueRadios, Inc., is a wireless mobile broadband device that supplies access to Internet-based information and entertainment content as well as voice, data, and video communications. It uses a high-resolution color liquid crystal micro display, superior magnifying optics, and video technologies to create a virtual 15 inch image equal to a standard notebook display.

WiPC systems provide a full PC color image perfect for viewing standard web pages and HD media.

Someone created an application to detect metal using the Android G1. This isn’t because the G1 is so much more awesome than other smartphones. It’s done through clever use of the built-in compass. A compass detects the magnetic field of the Earth.

Sadly it won’t help you find treasure at the beach. Think of it more like the ones they use in airports. The kind that let you magically pass your hands over someone’s body to see if they are hiding metal somewhere. Which is great I guess. If you are security in the lowest budget airport ever.

T-Mobile G1 users will be like well behaved kindergarten children in that they will be rewarded a new cupcake. The Android Cupcake 1.5 update is now available. Just realize that custom ROMs will make it so that the G1 will not have the ability to receive the update notification.

Lucky for you it’s easy to remove those ROMs. Once that’s done, the official Cupcake update can be applied. With sprinkles on top.

Everybody is jumping on board the android wagon. Acer is already hard at work on several different devices using the operating system and software, and they plan to launch a smartphone using the software later this year.

Acer doesn’t want to be left in the dust, what with Samsung recently outing the I7500 and HTC pimping the Magic overseas. Gianfranco Lanci (President and CEO) says that “the entire industry is looking at Android,” and that the company “is testing Android on a lot of different solutions.”

Android is the hottest netbook OS around. All the cool kids are doing it. And today it looks like we can add another cool kid to that list. Averatec CEO Tae-Hyun Cho says that the company will ship a new netbook with a “surprise” OS.

One that combines “cell phone and PC technology”, which we should see in August or September. That’s all we know, but it looks like it will be cheap since Averatec is positioning itself to take advantage of thrifty consumers.

Motorola’s Calgary really looks awesome and makes you take notice. And it’s on Verizon. According to BGR, the QWERTY slider will be focused on social networking much like the new Sidekick. The only thing we’re unsure about is that flat keyboard. Will it be finger friendly or not?

It looks absolutely sexy. Moto could really have a hit on their hands, with this well-designed Android phone. No word yet as to whether this is slated for Q2 or not.

The online collaborative applications suite, Zoho, is expanding its mobile territory to Android, BlackBerry, and Symbian. It was initially for the iPhone and Windows Mobile. The new Zoho Mobile includes all the new platforms and is accessible from http://mobile.zoho.com/.

You’ll get Zoho Mail, Zoho Calendar, Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, Zoho Show, and Zoho Creator. Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, and Zoho Show files are in read only mode while Zoho Mail lets users compose, and send email and can access their Zoho Creator applications. The company plans to expand the feature functionality and the portfolio of Zoho applications.

In a surprise announcement, Vodafone Spain is set to launch Magic, HTC’s 2nd Android handset, in just an hour or so. The countdown timer appeared early this morning. Vodafone Spain subscribers will have an 8 day head start on the rest of us.

That may seem like forever to Android lovers, but somehow you’ll manage. It’s free with applicable contract on Vodafone UK, but it’s gonna cost you in Spain. Spanish users describe the rate as “outrageous.”

Skytone has just released some more info on their forthcoming Android-powered netbook. When we heard about this Android packing netbook known as the Alpha 680, it was thought that it might sell for as little as $100, but that was just wishful thinking.

According to Nixon Wu, Skytone’s co-founder, they are aiming for the $250 mark. And assuming everything goes according to their devious plan, they should have prototypes ready by June, with final products a few months later. So definitely in 2009.