HTC Corporation and Bharti Airtel announced recently that the second mobile phone in the world to run under Google's Android operating system, the HTC Magic, was launched in India. The HTC Magic is the first Android-powered handset to become available for purchase in India, the two companies added.

The availability of Android in India is meant to open the gates to innovation opportunities, says the wireless carrier, as it will allow developers to come with fresh applications for the platform, while also enabling users to communicate in new ways. Moreover, the operator says that it will be able to offer a wider range of services to its users, while also creating commercial viability for small developers/entrepreneurs.

“Airtel has been at the forefront of innovation and customer delight in the Indian telecom sector. Being the first to bring the Android powered HTC Magic to India further underscores our commitment to enrich the communication experience of all Airtel users.” said, Raghunath Mandava, Chief Marketing Officer, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel. He added that “The HTC Magic presents a powerful mobile internet and multimedia experience that should drive the uptake of accessing the internet over mobile amongst Airtel users.”

Among the features that the Android device brings to phone users in India, we can count Outlook synchronization, Smart Dialler, soft QWERTY keypad, support for applications like Portfolio Manager, Hello Tune Manager, Weather Channel, as well as a compact and sleek design. The mobile Internet and multimedia experience of users in the country will also be greatly leveraged, says the carrier.

HTC Magic comes to the Indian market with a price tag of Rs. 29,900 at Airtel Relationship Centres and authorized HTC resellers and can be purchased in 17 cities across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Coimbatore, Cochin, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar and Patna. Those who will acquire the device will also benefit from free data download of 100 MB per month for a six-month period.

In related news, we learn that the second Android phone from Taiwan-based HTC was launched in another European state as well, namely Portugal. The phone comes in the country on the airwaves of TMN (Telecomunicacoes Moveis Nacionais), which announced the release on Tuesday. For what it's worth, it seems that mobile phone users in the country will be able to enjoy all the features that an Android handset can offer them.