T-Mobile may be set to enter into an agreement with internet giant Google that would make the carrier the first in the US to produce a phone powered by the Android operating system.According to reports in the Wall Street Journal, T-Mobile has said it will release a phone next year based on the search engine provider's advanced new software.
This policy, which indicates that the mobile phone operator believes it has a lot to gain from a partnership with Google, sets it apart from other companies, including Verizon Wireless and AT&T, who have so far chosen not to commit to such a deal.
Reportedly, Google and T-Mobile have been working together for a number of months to develop the specifications for a new device, which would be powered by the Android platform.
Although neither firm has named the manufacturer who will produce the phone, many people in the industry believe it will be the ten-year-old Taiwan-based company High Tech Computer.
The move by T-Mobile is part of its strategy to expand into developing high-end internet and multimedia features available to consumers on cheaper handsets.
According to InformationWeek, a partnership with Google would make sense for T-Mobile, in part, because it "can work with Google to develop cool new mobile phone applications and ride the hype wave for little to no investment on its part".
It will also fit in with the carrier's new aim to be involved in the creation of phones "from the ground up", the publication adds.
