Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday announced that it will sell its first smartphone featuring Google's Android operating system in October in the United States, which will give a boost to the Internet search giant's mobile platform.
The touch-screen smartphone, named Hero and made by HTC Corp., will be available to customers on Oct. 11 at the price of 179.99 U.S. dollars after rebates with a two-year service agreement, said Sprint, the third largest wireless carrier in the United States.
"The arrival of HTC Hero and the Android platform to Sprint's network is an important milestone for our customers and the U.S. wireless industry," Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product development for Sprint, said in a statement.
"With the dependability and coverage of Sprint's 3G network, HTC Hero users will appreciate a much better experience than is possible now with any other Android phone operating in the United States," he added.
T-Mobile USA was the first wireless carrier that introduced the so-called "Google phone" powered by Android operating system into the U.S. market.
In October 2008, T-Mobile USA began to sell G1, the first phone running Android software. The company launched a new myTouch 3G Android phone in the United States in August this year.
It is reported that Verizon Wireless, the largest U.S. wireless carrier, may sell Android phones before the end of the year.
