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There is no doubt that the demand for smart phones that use Google’s Android operating system are in demand. In fact, a recent study by retail research firm GfK, has shown that just here in the UK, the market share of Android devices has gone up to a massive 13% from the previous record of just 3%.

This momentous growth is spurned on by many different aspects, and here is a quick list of the things that have affected the Android’s growth.

The first thing on the list, is ironically, Apple and Steve Jobs. The Cupertino based company and their CEO has such an odd habit of antagonizing almost anything that comes their way that Google is starting to look quite like the quiet protagonist of the mobile industry. Google has stood beside HTC with regards to the Apple lawsuit and they have also taken in Adobe as well.

Another major reason why the Android OS is so in demand right now is because of all the big fuss about it. This is officially the first mobile platform that Adobe is supporting directly (though they have announced that Flash is indeed coming to other mobile platforms as well). The Google Goggles augmented reality application is also at the cutting edge of the technology. At the rate that the Android is moving forward, it has become one of the leading pioneers among mobile platforms.

Of course, the biggest reason why the Android OS is so successful is none other than the handsets. From simple mid range devices to the most powerful high end smart phones, the Android OS is used in a wide range of devices –with that range, almost any kind of smart phone user would find a great match.

With the upcoming launch of version 3.0 Gingerbread later this year, we can only expect the market share for the Android to keep on growing.

A rumor has been started from a Russian tech podcast that speaks of the upcoming Android 3.0 operating system. While the new features that were detailed are definitely impressive, there is a large part of the news that would have many Android smart phone owners worried regarding the arrival of the new OS. According to the rumors, the new OS will only be compatible with high-end smart phones.

Considering that Microsoft has already taken this route with the Windows Phone 7, one would think that Google might also try the same approach –determine a minimum hardware requirement for a new OS. In this way, the overall user experience is standardized throughout all devices. At the moment, the Android OS is suffering from cross-handset compatibility issues for some features and apps due to the fact that the hardware used for Android handsets vary depending on the manufacturer.

The podcast goes on to point out that the new OS will only be compatible with mobile phones that have 1GHz CPUs or higher.

While this move makes sense, it is unlikely that Google would actually go in that direction. Unlike the Windows Phone 7 which is an entirely new OS from Windows Mobile, the upcoming Gingerbread is still an update of the current 2.1 Éclair and 2.2 Froyo. Jumping to an entirely new OS would leave a vast majority of Android’s users alienated and that is something that Google cannot risk. After all, it would very likely upset a large number of people if Google brought out an update that made, say, the Samsung Galaxy S obsolete, but supported the HTC Desire.

One of the key topics that Google discussed in the I/O conference and is constantly tackling is the compatibility issue with the Android OS. Their goal is to make the upcoming Gingerbread a standard OS for all the Android smart phones –to set a compatibility standard so that apps and features have no problems running.

Naturally, Google’s newer operating systems would indeed adapt to newer technology, but right now, cutting off any smart phone with a CPU slower than 1GHz is not a viable solution for Google.