Google's Android operating system is finding traction with T-Mobile customers, who have snapped up a million Android-powered smartphones from the carrier since the device's debut in October 2008.
Deutsche Telekom announced its stateside subsidiary, T-Mobile USA, has sold one million G1 Android smartphones since its debut six months ago. The phone is powered by Google�s open-source operating system, Android. The announcement was made during the parent company�s earnings announcement earlier this week and was first reported by the blog Telephony Unfiltered.
T-Mobile, the U.S.�s fourth-largest wireless network operator with 32.1 million customers, first began selling the G1 smartphone on Oct. 22, 2008. The phone�s hardware, built by HTC, is also marketed as the HTC Dream. T-Mobile USA is also working hard to provide 3G service capability to more of its customers; it currently reaches 107 million, far behind competitors such as AT&T or Verizon but far ahead of where the company was half a year ago.
The revelation comes just as the Android operating system is beginning to gain traction after a shaky start. Earlier this month, a report surfaced that T-Mobile is planning to move more of its communication devices over to Android. The New York Times quoted T-Mobile spokesman Peter Dobrow, who declined to discuss specific products but said the company has �several devices� planned for Android. Confidential documents obtained by The Times reveal T-Mobile is planning to release a home telephone running on Android early next year, followed by a tablet computer.
In recent weeks, companies such as Samsung and Hewlett-Packard revealed they are also looking at adopting Google�s open-source operating system for various mobile devices, though HP was quick to point out the company might select another operating system.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt certainly feels strongly about Android�s chances this year: During a conference call last week, Schmidt said he thinks it looks like Android is going to have a �very, very strong year." He said the company�s open-source strategy was working and hinted at future announcements.
�There are announcements happening between now and the end of the year that are quite significant from operators and new hardware partners in the Android space, which I won't preannounce except to say that they really do fulfill much of the vision that we laid out more than a year ago,� he said during the call. �On the netbook side, there are a number of people who have actually taken Android and ported it over to netbook or netbook-similar devices.�
Google is also bolstering Android on the application side. On Thursday, Google announced a mobile-friendly version of its Product Search application, emphasizing its utility for iPhone and Android-powered devices. Product Search allows users to type whatever they�re searching for into the search bar and receive results pulled from a variety of shopping sites.
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