Android 2.1 Eclair Reaches 60% PenetrationAndroid 2.1 Eclair Reaches 60% Penetration

Google has offered up another report on Android's current level of fragmentation. Android 2.1 Eclair now accounts for 59.7% of all Android devices, which is up by 4.2% when compared to last month.

Android 1.6 Donut users now account for 20.3% of Android handsets and Android 1.5 Cupcake users account for 15.3%. Each has dropped a bit since last month, when 22.1% were still using Android 1.6 and 18.9% were using Android 1.5. In June, the numbers were 51.5% for Android 2.1, 25% for 1.6, and 24.6% for 1.5.

Perhaps the most interesting metric to come from Google's latest report is that 5.5% of Android handsets are now using Android 2.2 Froyo. That's up from 3.3% last month.

Google has distributed Android 2.2 Froyo to the Nexus One handset. Sprint has begun distributing Android 2.2 to the HTC EVO 4G, and Verizon Wireless has begun distributing Android 2.2. to the Motorola Droid. I'd expect to see the number of Android 2.2 devices climb sharply the next time Google reports these numbers.

A number of phone makers and wireless network operators have committed to offering Android 2.2 to handsets already in their lineup. For example, the HTC Droid Incredible and Motorola Droid X will receive Android 2.2 at some point later this summer. Likewise, the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate and Vibrant will also receive Android 2.2 updates. (The same is assumed for the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate for Verizon Wireless and the Galaxy S Epic 4G for Sprint.)

Most new Android handsets are shipping with Android 2.1 at the moment. Reports suggest, though, that devices will ship with Android 2.2 pre-installed as early as this summer. The Motorola Droid 2, in particular, will run Android 2.2 out of the box. It is reported to be available as early as August 12.

Google said it came by these numbers by evaluating what handsets visited the Android Market during a 14-day period ending August 2. The information was published on the Android Developers Blog.