(Reuters) – Deutsche Telekom’s (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) T-Mobile USA will be the first carrier to offer a mobile phone based on Google Inc’s (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Android software, the New York Times reported, citing people briefed on the company’s plans.
The high-end phone, which will be made by the world’s top smartphone maker High Tech Computer Corp (2498.TW: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), is expected to challenge Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) iPhone as well as other smartphones that run software from Palm Inc (PALM.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Research in Motion (RIM.TO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (RIMM.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).
The phone is expected to go on sale in the U.S. before Christmas and perhaps as early as October, the paper said.
Neither Google, nor T-Mobile immediately returned calls seeking comment.
Last November, Google introduced its highly anticipated Androidsoftware system for designing mobile phone devices, in a move itpromised could help the cellphone industry make the Internet work assmoothly on phones as it does on computers.
(Reporting by Tenzin Pema in Bangalore; Editing by Paul Bolding)
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