Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC (High Tech Computer) has almost doubled its projected shipments for the first commercial device to be based on the Android operating system.

By the end of 2008, the gadget maker now expects to shift 1 million units of the G1, available on T-Mobile networks in the US and Europe. This is up from earlier projections of 600,000.

The device, which is a showcase for Google’s Open Handset Alliance (OHA) mobile operating platform, only launched in the US in late October, and hit UK shores in November. Sales will expand into a number of other countries including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands, in early 2009.

In related news, a software developer has hacked the G1 to give its touchscreen multi-touch capabilities like the iPhone.

Software hacker Ryan Gardner has modified a finger painting application on the device to handle multi touch gestures. While not particularly useful at the moment, the work is a proof of concept that the open source software of the Android platform could be modified to support multitouch applications across the board.