Chinese Android Phones To Launch In Europe

[Peaches]

Chinese Android phones to launch in Europe

Three handsets to hit Europe this year

By Owen Fletcher

Mobile phones from Chinese manufacturers that feature Google's Android operating system look set to hit Europe later this year.

The company has four partners that will brand and sell the Android phone, the engineer said, declining to give their names. The partner launching the phone in Europe is a global brand, he said.

Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and Haier have also revealed plans to sell Android handsets in Europe. Huawei has said T-Mobile will launch its Android phone during the third quarter. It first announced the 3G handset, which resembles the iPhone, early this year.

Haier, best known in China for its air conditioners and refrigerators, will release an Android handset in France around September, a marketing employee at the company said. A mock-up of the 3.2in screen phone was on display at a Singapore trade show last month.

The phone from Beyond Radio Technology has a 2.8in touchscreen and supports Wi-Fi, but not 3G or EDGE. A future version will support 3G, Liu said.

The phone's designer, based in the southern Chinese manufacturing base of Shenzhen, posted pictures of the phone on its website this week.

"We think Android is the future direction for mobile phones," Liu said, citing Android's open-source code and low cost as its strengths.

Computerworld - http://www.computerworlduk.com/technology/...fm?newsid=15911