14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier AT&T announced on Wednesday plans to start offering to its users five handsets running under Google's Android operating system during the first half of the ongoing year. According to the company, the new phones will come from Dell, HTC and Motorola, and three of them will be available exclusively in the US via AT&T. At the same time, the carrier also unveiled plans to be actively involved on the development of applications for the platform, and for other platform, as well as the launch of the AT&T SDK for interested developers.
According to AT&T, the future mobile phones running under Android that will come exclusively to it will be “a Motorola smartphone, powered by MOTOBLUR, with a unique form factor,” which might be none other than the Motorola BACKFLIP, which has been just unveiled officially by its maker; “Dell’s first smartphone, based on the Android platform,” probably the Mini 3i, which has been officially unveiled not too long ago; and an HTC smartphone, of which no details are known at the moment.
“AT&T customers with these devices will benefit not only from the nation’s fastest 3G network but also the ability to simultaneously talk on the phone while surfing the Web or reading email,” the carrier stated, adding that it also aims at delivering carrier billing for the Android Market. AT&T is set to provide its users with access to “all major smartphone OS app stores,” the company also noted. We've already learned that it signed an agreement with Nokia for Ovi Store support, and it also “expects to announce more app store agreements in the near future.”
During the 4th annual AT&T Developer Summit held in Las Vegas, the carrier announced other future plans as well, including: - An agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development for mid-range Quick Messaging Devices using BREW Mobile Platform. These devices are used by millions of customers who historically have not had the same convenient access as smartphone customers to the market’s hottest apps - A significantly enhanced developer program and new relationships with global carriers that are intended to make it easier for developers to distribute apps in markets outside the U.S. - Future initiatives to enable developers to create more apps for AT&T’s U-verse TV, emerging consumer electronics devices, and businesses - A new AT&T Virtual Innovation Lab and two new Innovation Centers, which will help developers and spur apps development