Garmin-ASUS, the joint venture between the GPS (global positioning system) device maker Garmin and PC vendor ASUSTeK Computer (ASUS), has stated today at a conference in Taipey that it expects for its first mobile phone powered by Google's Android operating system to become available on the market in the first quarter of next year.

At the same time, Jacqueline Yang, associate vice president of marketing at ASUSTeK, is reported to have stated that the handset might actually hit the shelves sooner than that, yet she didn't provide any further details and declined to unveil any price expectations for said device.

The company is said to expect the combination between its location services and the Android platform (which comes with enhancements for a wide range of Google's online offerings, such as Gmail and Google Docs) to make its upcoming Android handset a compelling device. On the other hand, it seems that there might be some issues with the technologies the involved companies use.

One of the problems that might surface is connected to the Garmin GPS capabilities that will meet Google Maps, yet it seems that there might be a series of solutions to this issue, at least this is what an ASUSTeK representative is reported to have said. One scenario would involve the use of the Garmin GPS technology for geotagging photos.

As many of you might already know, Garmin-ASUS announced earlier this year two handsets, the Nuvifone G60, based on a Linux OS and boasting a large 3.55-inch touchscreen, and the Nuvifone M20, running under Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and including a 2.8-inch touchscreen display.

The Garmin-ASUS Android phone will join in line devices coming from various manufacturers, including HTC (the first company to launch an Android device), Motorola, Samsung, Acer and others. According to Google, more than 20 devices running under the operating system are expected to come to the market this year, and more will probably surface during the next one.