Remember the fanfare when Google announced that it was coming out with Android, its wireless OS? Well, maybe not so fast. It seem that Android’s system has been delayed and it could be year end or later before it actually comes out. As a result, T-Mobile USA reportedly won’t deliver its Android-powered phone until fourth quarter, Sprint and China Mobile will likely be delayed with their Android-powered phones until late 2008 or early 2009.

The main point here is not so much thast its being delayed, but that Google didn’t realize just how tought the wireless business can be.As a journalist who covered many new, innovative companies for Forbes Magazine - during the early days of the Internet - I can tell you that so many aspiring companies came in to my office to tell me their big plans. And so many of them are no longer around today. Breaking into new businesses is tough.For Google, one of the big challenges is getting the OS to work across many different operating systems and handsets.

Of course, Google isn’t some upstart company. But even big companies such as Disney, with Disney Mobile and ESPN with its Mobile ESPN ran into big problems. I wouldn’t underestimate Google yet - but I do think that the company didn’t quite realize the challenges it faced with it debuted Android.