AT&T To Sell 5 Android Phones This Year

Reuters is reporting that AT&T plans to sell as many as 5 Anrdoid based smartphones in the first half of 2010.

AT&T's head of consumer services, Ralph de la Vega, said Wednesday that AT&T plans to sell five Android phones from Dell, HTC and Motorola. De la Vega was speaking at an event Wednesday ahead of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Each of the five phones AT&T plans to offer will be available exclusively from the carrier, raising the question as to what new phones they might be bringing along.

Dell has already confimed plans to offer an Android-based Mini 3 through AT&T. Making their Mini 3 one of the first Android-based smartphones to run on AT&T's 3G network. There are currently about 20 Android based phones on the market, including ones made by Motorola and HTC and Google Inc.'s new Nexus One, which was announced Tuesday.

Alongside the announcement to joi the Droid market AT&T announced 'Apps to All', a new agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development by adopting BREW Mobile Platform.

Executives outlined details including:

• New devices that will give customers the most robust choices of major operating systems (OS), including Android™, in the U.S.
• A goal to offer all major smartphone OS app stores
• An agreement with Qualcomm to standardize apps development for mid-range Quick Messaging Devices using BREW Mobile Platform. These devices are used by millions of customers who historically have not had the same convenient access as smartphone customers to the market’s hottest apps
• A new AT&T SDK (software developer kit) to help developers immediately begin to develop apps for these devices
• A significantly enhanced developer program and new relationships with global carriers that are intended to make it easier for developers to distribute apps in markets outside the U.S.
• Future initiatives to enable developers to create more apps for AT&T’s U-verse TV, emerging consumer electronics devices, and businesses
• A new AT&T Virtual Innovation Lab and two new Innovation Centers, which will help developers and spur apps development

“Applications help consumers realize the full value and benefits of mobile broadband networks, services and devices,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Today some AT&T customers can take advantage of more than 100,000 apps – but only if they have the right handset. Our goal is to bring more apps to millions more of our customers who want convenient access to the market’s hottest apps. At the same time, in the future, we plan to go well beyond mobile devices to spur apps development.”