06 April 2009
T-Mobile is planning on introducing a new range of home communication devices that will use Google's Android software - which is currently relegated to the mobile phone world.
The company, which currently uses Android on one of its mobile phones, is planning to market a home phone next year. In addition, the New York Times reports the company is also planning to release a tablet computer that will also run the Android system.
The newspaper cites confidential papers from the company which report that the phone will plug in to a docking station and will come with a separate attachment that charges the phone's battery and handles data.
According to the newspaper, a T-Mobile spokesman refused to talk about the subject, but confirmed that the company did have plans for several Android-using devices.
In the United States, T-Mobile was the first carrier to provide Google's Android-using mobile phone, the G1. Though the software for the operating system is open-source, Google retains some control over Android.
The system is currently in stiff competition with other systems pioneered by firms including Apple, Microsoft and Nokia. However, Android's system has stretched beyond mobile phones in vision and can apply to other home-based communications devices.
The Times remarked that: "T-Mobile's use of Android to advance its ambitions also shows how blurry the line has become between phones and computers."
The popularity of Android has been steadily rising, though it met somewhat mixed reviews when it first appeared last year. Electronics manufacturer Samsung has since committed to developing a mobile phone that will use the software and Motorola is expected to follow suit.
A smaller California-based firm is also planning to develop an office phone that uses Android, noting that the technology could offer uses functions that go beyond cell phones.
Experts are saying that the offer is meant to keep people interested in landline services. In fact, it's not the first sophisticated offering from T-Mobile. The company already offers a phone that can receive photos through email and mobile phones.
Google's Android to be used for more than just mobile phones
T-Mobile is planning on introducing a new range of home communication devices that will use Google's Android software - which is currently relegated to the mobile phone world. The company, which currently uses Android on one of its mobile phones, is planning to market a home phone next year. In addition, the New York Times reports the company is also planning to release a tablet computer that will also run the Android system.
The newspaper cites confidential papers from the company which report that the phone will plug in to a docking station and will come with a separate attachment that charges the phone's battery and handles data.
According to the newspaper, a T-Mobile spokesman refused to talk about the subject, but confirmed that the company did have plans for several Android-using devices.
In the United States, T-Mobile was the first carrier to provide Google's Android-using mobile phone, the G1. Though the software for the operating system is open-source, Google retains some control over Android.
The system is currently in stiff competition with other systems pioneered by firms including Apple, Microsoft and Nokia. However, Android's system has stretched beyond mobile phones in vision and can apply to other home-based communications devices.
The Times remarked that: "T-Mobile's use of Android to advance its ambitions also shows how blurry the line has become between phones and computers."
The popularity of Android has been steadily rising, though it met somewhat mixed reviews when it first appeared last year. Electronics manufacturer Samsung has since committed to developing a mobile phone that will use the software and Motorola is expected to follow suit.
A smaller California-based firm is also planning to develop an office phone that uses Android, noting that the technology could offer uses functions that go beyond cell phones.
Experts are saying that the offer is meant to keep people interested in landline services. In fact, it's not the first sophisticated offering from T-Mobile. The company already offers a phone that can receive photos through email and mobile phones.
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