The UAE is "a few months away" from getting its first Google-powered smartphone, Emirates Business can reveal.
Kevin Chen, General Manager, Middle East and Africa, of Taiwanese mobile maker HTC said yesterday the company was in the final stages of launching its second handset based on search giant Google's Android operating system. The first Android phone, the G1, was launched last year and is available exclusively with subscribers of Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile. "We are just sorting out the formalities and we will be ready in a few months. Everything else is set and in place," he said.
Although a specific launch date has not been confirmed, Chen said his company will launch a version of the HTC Magic, unveiled earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by the UK-headquartered network operator Vodafone. The model to be launched in the Middle East and other selected markets will be an exclusively HTC branded phone, he added, reiterating that the device will not be attached to any service provider.
"This will be a completely different direction for us and we hope to tap into an entirely new market segment," said the official.
HTC has primarily manufactured Windows Mobile-based devices. The company is also a member of the Open Handset Alliance, an alliance of 47 nations led by Google, including Intel, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Samsung and LG to develop open standards for mobile devices.
The HTC Magic is the first touchscreen-only Android phone and will be available this month for Vodafone subscribers in the UK, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.