Speaking at a conference in New York on Tuesday, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said that there will be more than a billion smartphones running the Android software within the next six to nine months. Android is the world's No.1 mobile phone software, with more than 750 million mobile devices featuring Android in use across the world. At the current rate, Schmidt said that Google should cross the 1 billion mark within six to nine months and will be "nearing 2 billion in a year or two."

Commenting on Facebook Home, a new apps that replaces the homescreen on Android phones, Schmidt said that that Google had no intention of blocking access to a new app.

CUstomizing the Android Open source OS is typical for mobile companies. However, Facebook's Home app prominently displays Facebook's newsfeed and messages on the homescreen, potentially stealing the spotlight from Google's own services.

Schmidt made these comments at a conference organized by the technology blog AllThingsD.

Seperately, a Microsoft top mobile-phone executive today said its Windows Phone operating system has an opportunity to lure away Apple and Google users because it offers a more exciting and smoother experience.

Terry Myerson, vice president of the Windows Phone division, described Apple's iOS software as "boring," with icons across the bottom that offer little information or flexibility. He added that Google's Android is "a mess," with too many different versions of the operating software in use.