Samsung May Launch an Android-Based Smartphone by Mid-Year

Sprint and T-Mobile USA will release a Samsung model running Google's Android OS before the middle of 2009, if an unconfirmed report is correct.

This smartphone will likely have a design similar to Samsung's Omnia and Instinct, according to the Korea-based etnews, who cites unnamed industry insiders. These are tablet-shaped models with prominent touchscreens but without built-in keyboards.

The site also quotes an unnamed Samsung executive saying, "We are accelerating the development process for Google phone in order to meet the specific need of local carriers. We will be able to release Google phone in the second quarter of the next year in the US market."

Like all Android-based devices, this model will offer mobile access to many of Google's services, including Gmail and its mapping and instant message services.

Sprint reportedly hopes to use Android to reverse the negative trend in its subscribers, while T-Mobile already has the G1, the first smartphone running Google's platform.

Via Engadget