Even before Android phones have been released in any numbers, the operating system is making a rapid name for itself.

Figures just in for last month show that Android can be found on four per cent of smartphones which means that people were buying them like crazy in December. A ChangeWave analysis reports that Android use increased by  200 per cent since the previous quarter.

In December 21 per cent of surveyed respondents state that they would consider Android as their platform. This is an increase from 6 per cent wanting to purchase a handset with the platform from the previous quarter. The Motorola Droid is leading the charge with the Nexus One following behind.

All this seems to be at the expense of Microsoft. It seems users greeted the release of Windows Mobile 6.5 with a yawn and Windows Mobile has declined from 9 to 6 per cent.

Motorola and HTC are doing well on the boom as most users are hoping to buy their Android gear from those two firms. Motorola is seeing an increase in market share from 1 to 13 per cent and HTC an increase from 5 to 9 percent of future smartphone buyers selecting a smartphone device.