SMobile Systems have today launched the first Antivirus software application for the Android platform.

The software, called VirusGuard, will help to protect the Android powered devices from viruses, spyware, and malware. VirusGuard will have the ability to scan the handset along with memory cards searching for any malicious content.

“Android’s open source architecture is fantastic because it allows anyone to develop new applications for the phones running on this system,” SMobile president Neil Book said in a statement. “For SMobile, we believe that creating a virus protection solution is necessary to help thwart the potential for malware attacks that are coming and those that exist today.”

As you might have expected VirusGuard is not a free application and therefore won’t be available from the Android Market until 2009. The software can be purchased from SMobile’s Web site or through Handango priced at $4.99.

Today Opera Software announced a preview version of the Opera Mini browser for Android. It’s compatible with any handset built for Android. “Today we’re glad to deliver our mass-market mobile browser to the Android development groups,” says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera Software. “Opera Mini will be able to empower users of Android-based handsets with access to all of their favorite Web sites with popular features for smooth effects and scalable, tailored viewing.”

“When we first heard about Google Android, we were very excited about the possibilities it presents, and thought it would be very cool to make Opera Mini available on it, plus it would give mobile developers a better choice of browsers to make available on handsets”, writes Opera’s Chris Mills on the company blog. “But it goes beyond just cool factor – one of Opera’s central doctrines is providing the best internet experience on any device – the Android platform is another missing piece of the puzzle for us to fill in.”

Opera Mini currently has more than 40 million users worldwide across mobile platforms. It features a simple user interface and a desktop-like browsing experience. Content is compressed on a remote server before sending it to the phone, thus resulting in fast page loading. You can also zoom, sync bookmarks and use integrated Google search.

You can download the technical preview on labs.opera.com