I gotta give a hand to Steve Ballmer. He always gives great copy. Like here at Web 2.0 where he colorfully described Microsoft's fight with Google over search. Or the big B.'s candid dismissal of Google's Android.

Here is what the Ballmerino had to say about Google's Android:

"Well of course their efforts are just some words on paper right now, it's hard to do a very clear comparison [with Windows Mobile]."

"Right now they have a press release, we have many, many millions of customers, great software, many hardware devices and they’re welcome in our world."

It's obvious that Microsoft is scared of Android. And so too is Nokia , despite the Finnish phone giant's apparent flip-flop on the issue.

For now Ballmer is right. Android is little more than a set of press releases. Android could either create a new industry standard, or further fragment a market that is already far too splintered. Of course, all this will change on Monday once the SDK hits the Web.