AT&T to Sell Smartphones Using the Android System

By JENNA WORTHAM

LAS VEGAS — AT&T said on Wednesday that it planned to sell smartphones running the Android mobile operating system by the second half of the year, including Dell's first smartphone.
The company said it expected to sell five new devices created by handset manufacturers that also included Motorola and HTC.
AT&T is the last major wireless carrier in the United States to add an Android-powered smartphone to its lineup.
Jeff Bradley, senior vice president of devices at AT&T, said that the carrier had been slow to adopt the Android system.
"We hung back and watched the market very carefully," he said during an interview after the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show here. "When we saw the demand was there and the product was ready, we decided to bring it out."
AT&T is expanding its stable of smartphones even though it has the exclusive rights to sell the popular Apple iPhone in the United States.
"AT&T needs another leg to stand on beyond the iPhone, which has been this pillar of strength for the company," said Roger Entner, at telecommunications analyst at Nielsen. "If and when the iPhone exclusivity goes away, they want to have a well-rounded portfolio."
Mr. Entner said the announcement also was an indicator of how powerful Google, the developer of the Android mobile operating system, had become in the smartphone market. "If consumers want an Android-powered device, it doesn't matter which carrier it's on. AT&T doesn't want to be left out," said Mr. Entner.
In addition, AT&T said it would also introduce two devices running on the Palm mobile operating system, though it did not reveal specifics. Palm currently offers two phones running on that software, the Palm Pre and the Palm Pixi, which have been available only on Sprint's wireless network.
Recently, AT&T has faced considerable criticism by iPhone owners for delayed text and voice messages, sluggish download speeds and other network problems. Android phone users are also prodigious users of network resources.
Mr. Bradley said the company was repairing its taxed network by upgrading software to increase data delivery speeds and by erecting new cell towers.
"We have been extremely focused on the challenges that the network has faced," he said. "We are going to make sure the network is ready and capable to handle all the new devices announced."

H.P. Working on ‘Half-Pint’ Android Tablet

By NICK BILTON

Update | 7:33 p.m. Includes Hewlett-Packard's response.
Hewlett Packard is working on numerous tablet devices that will come in a variety of sizes, shapes and operating systems, including Windows 7, Google's Android, and possibly the open-source operating system Linux.
The company has so many different tablet-related projects in the works that a variety of coming publishing partners were surprised to see a Windows 7 version of the Hewlett-Packard slate announced at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.
A senior editor of a major magazine publishing empire working on an internal corporate project, and speaking on the condition of anonymity because of a nondisclosure agreement, told me of an array of H.P. tablets. He said, "I've seen a much smaller version of H.P.'s tablet that works exclusively with Android. It's smaller than the Windows 7 version, almost like a half-pint size, or about twice as large as the iPhone." But this may be one of many projects in development. He added, "I've also heard mention of a Linux version in the works, but I haven't seen the hardware for this device."
Erick Schonfeld, a TechCrunch writer, also reported on Thursday about H.P'.s involvement in an Android slate.
The magazine company employee added that H.P. was working diligently to create unique content for these devices, but he cautioned that partners worry about H.P.'s understanding of the media landscape. He said, "H.P. is a great hardware company, they make excellent hardware experiences, but I worry about their ability to introduce and work with media."
H.P. is also working with software developers including Microsoft and Adobe to create magazine content for these devices.
Marlene Somsak, an H.P. media relations Director, responded to questions about a possible smaller Android tablet. Mrs. Somsak said, "I'm certain that we will be announcing new Slates in the future as they are a very interesting area for us. There are also tons of HP Labs activities looking at a numerous different areas. As of now we are not announcing a new Android-based slate."
According to numerous sources at Adobe and Wired, H.P. is also talking with countless publishers including Bloomberg's BusinessWeek, Wired, and a number of other Condé Nast publications.
Collectively, they are testing a new form of magazine on these slate-like devices that will include color images, a variety of typography and full-motion video.