T-Mobile Reported Developing New Android Devices

Android, Google's open-source operating system for mobile devices, is beginning to spread to other devices. According to a report in Sunday's New York Times, T-Mobile is planning to take the lead in that migration, rolling out Android on a variety of new consumer devices.

In the first wave, T-Mobile, which released the first Android-based phone last summer, is said to be planning an Android-based tablet computer and a home phone. A docking station will enable the user to synchronize data on the T-Mobile G1 smartphone as well as recharge it. The tablet computer will reportedly have a seven-inch touchscreen, but no physical keyboard.

'Confidential Documents'

The Times attributed its information to "confidential documents obtained from one of the company's partners." T-Mobile has declined to comment.

Android has begun to attract more attention from manufacturers in recent months, with a variety of carriers saying they will release Android-based phones sometime this year. The current list includes Samsung, Sprint and Motorola.

Major carriers, with T-Mobile among them, are developing products that go beyond phones to include various, other home- and business-based devices -- and Android provides a open platform to do so. Besides phones, these devices could include cameras, digital photo frames, home-based hubs, and small, mobile computers.

AT&T, for instance, recently announced it would offer netbooks at the ground-breaking price of $50 for customers who sign two-year contracts. And there are reports that PC makers, like Hewlett-Packard and ASUSTeK, are considering using Android for new netbooks.

'A Lot of Flexibility'

"The fact that Android is open source gives manufacturers a lot of flexibility" on how to use it, noted Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at NPD Group.

But, Rubin pointed out, the applications that are being developed for Android are designed mostly for the functionality, interface and screen size of a small portable device like...