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Yesterday, a la Mobile became the first company to demonstrate a working gPhone prototype, a HTC Qtek 9090 running actual applications built on Google's open source Android application framework. With yesterday’s demo, a la Mobile may have successfully shown companies a way to make money through the development of smartphones on Android, which is itself free.

A la Mobile's Android applications include a browser, phone dialer, audio player, maps, camera, games, calendar, contacts manager, calculator, tasks manager and notes. Some run on a graphical user interface developed by a la Mobile.

HTC, long known for its Windows Mobile devices, happens to be one of the first smartphone manufacturers to throw its support behind Android. While it is a member of Google’s 34-member strong Open Handset Coalition, a la Mobile, interestingly, is not.

The startup introduced its own Linux-based operating system for cell phones and smartphones, the highly-customizable Convergent Linux Platform, back in June of 2006.

A la Mobile President and CEO Pauline Alker says Google's backing of mobile Linux and development of Android in particular as substantiating "the position of Linux as a major mobile operating system alongside Windows Mobile and Symbian."

She views it as her company's responsibility to allay concerns and skepticism about Android's readiness and viability and answer questions regarding technical details. While Android is free to use and provides an application framework, Alker says you need additional software to make a device built on it usable.

Hence, a la Mobile's gPhone demonstration, which includes complete mobile Linux kernel, drivers and mobile middleware (such as security, device management, provisioning, etc.), in addition to a suite of Android-based applications running on an existing smartphone, according to Alker.

A la Mobile asserts it can provide all the components necessary to simplify the creation and development of new Linux-based cell phones and smartphones that support Android, cutting the development of these so-called gPhones by half. And, by extension, earn a piece of the Android pie for itself.