Report: No Android until fourth quarter

A look at Google's Android mobile operating system.

(Credit: Google)

Last we heard, we'd be seeing phones powered by Google's Android open-source software in the second half of 2008. A report Monday from The Wall Street Journal has narrowed that down somewhat: Those handsets will start appearing in the fourth quarter of this year, a later time frame than expected.

And according to the Journal, some handset manufacturers are "struggling" to get Android on track even for a fourth-quarter launch. Sprint Nextel and China Mobile, the world's largest cell carrier, reportedly won't be able to put out Android-powered phones until next year. Other carriers, like T-Mobile, claim their Android phones are still on track.

Some developers of mobile applications, on the other hand, have been sidetracked by the announcement of the iPhone 3G, the second-generation version of Apple's ubiquitous handsets. With a lower price point, a developer kit already released, and a concrete launch date of July 11, not to mention faster Web access and a built-in GPS chip, the appeal of the new iPhone may have pushed Android to the back burner for some companies.

[kyle5434]

I haven't lost interest in Android. There are some elements that attract me to the iPhone, but the Apple "walled garden" approach to everything is enough to make me want a device without having to wear the handcuffs. And I tend not to rely on my gadgets as a source of self-esteem, so the "hip factor" of the Apple products isn't as big of a draw for me.

[Unknown2You]

Android phones will be on 3G networks and most likely have GPS. Android is going to blow the iPhone out of the water.

[mementh]

would rather spend $200 on a android phone that will do 10x the iphone and i would use a ipod for music

[mwenn1]

How is the 4th quarter of 08 different from the second half of 08, seems to me the phones are right on track.

[BigJayDogg3]

Probably because most were expecting them to come out in the mid-late 3rd quarter.

I have a feeling we aren't going to see the android phones for another 6-8 months.

[holzfaller]

Competition is good, it will make all of them better in the end.