print Nextel Corp. said Thursday that it will sell its first phone running Google Inc.’s Android software in October, giving the Internet company a larger foothold in the mobile world.
Consumers have been slow to embrace the mobile platform, which has been available only through T-Mobile USA. With Sprint, Google has a larger subscriber base to potentially tap.
The decision by Sprint will “help Android become a more mainstream operating system,” said Roger Entner, a telecommunications analyst at Nielson & Co.
Sprint, meanwhile, needs as many weapons as it can get to fend off other carriers that want to poach its subscribers. The company, based in Overland Park, Kan., continues to lose its most valuable subscribers. But over the past few months, Sprint has released a string of high-profile devices including the Palm Inc., in the hopes of finding a match for the Apple Inc. iPhone.
Enter the HTC Corp. Hero. The Android-based smart phone uses HTC’s own customized user interface, called Sense, and is regarded by the company as its flagship product. The device has been available overseas, but Sprint will be the first carrier to offer it in the U.S.
The device will sell for $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year service contract. It is to be available in stores on Oct. 11.
Sprint, meanwhile, needs as many weapons as it can get to fend off other carriers that want to poach its subscribers. The company, based in Overland Park, Kan., continues to lose its most valuable subscribers. But over the past few months, Sprint has released a string of high-profile devices including the Palm Inc., in the hopes of finding a match for the Apple Inc. iPhone.
Enter the HTC Corp. Hero. The Android-based smart phone uses HTC’s own customized user interface, called Sense, and is regarded by the company as its flagship product. The device has been available overseas, but Sprint will be the first carrier to offer it in the U.S.
The device will sell for $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year service contract. It is to be available in stores on Oct. 11.
