When Motorola joined Google’s Open Handset Alliance under former CEO Ed Zander, there was speculation that Motorola would develop a smartphone using Google’s Android mobile operating system.
Today, with CEO Greg Brown at the helm, it’s no longer speculation. Motorola is working on an Android-based smartphone that will have an iPhone-like touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard, BusinessWeek reports. The report said the smartphone will be aimed at social networking, but will not be available until the second quarter of 2009.
Motorola would not confirm any details in the report, but spokesperson Charles Kaiser said the company is excited about innovation possibilities on Android and that Motorola is looking forward to “delivering products in partnership with Google and the Open Handset Alliance community.”
“Motorola is pleased to see the industry enthusiasm and support of the Android operating system,” Motorola’s Kaiser said in an e-mail. “As a pioneer in mobile Linux and a founder of OHA, Motorola believes Android promises to be one of the most powerful, flexible and customizable open platforms, enabling truly integrated mobile hardware, software and Web experiences.”
The news Monday comes just two days before the first Android-based smartphone is slated to launch. T-Mobile, handset maker HTC, and Google have partnered to launch the T-Mobile G1.
Cole Brodman, chief technology officer at T-Mobile, said the partners believe there needed to be a compelling set of applications and devices that take advantage of mobile broadband networks. The companies announced the device starting at $179 in September.
T-Mobile’s G1 includes one-touch Google search, an iPhone-like touchscreen, a three-megapixel camera, Google Maps Street View, and a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. There will opportunity for third-party developers to work with the G1, but it will be SIM-locked to T-Mobile, according to the company.
Motorola moving into the smartphone market would be…