Google Android is taking off in the UK

This is according to figures from retail watcher GfK reported in the Guardian, and appears to show that new devices like the HTC Desire have been taken up by users after being well reviewed.

Other Android devices out include the Xperia X10, the HTC Hero and the Google Nexus One. Android handsets now account for 12.3 per cent of all phones sold to customers in the week ending April 18, compared to 3 per cent in the last week of March.

Smartphones account for 37.6 per cent of the total mobile handset market and 63.9 per cent of the contract market, which has remained stable showing that Android is taking market share from rival platforms.

"It's not down to one particular handset," said a spokesman for GfK. "More and more of the major handset manufacturers are viewing Android as a useful solution and using it in their smartphones".

There have been other announcements, such as a Vodafone-branded Android phone, the upcoming LG GT540 and the Samsung Galaxy S to offer more choice to smartphone users.