Despite ambitious goals, Google’s Android mobile platform won’t find its way into handsets until the fourth quarter that year, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Last November, Google, along with a 30 partners, announced Android with big promises for a suite of mobile software. Google initially planned to have the new phones available to consumers by the second half of that year.

Now Google is pushing back its plans. According to the Journal, some cellular carriers and makers of programs that work with Android are struggling to meet the fourth-quarter schedule.

“The stakes are high. In introducing a new mobile platform, Google is looking to become a center of gravity in the mobile space,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch. “But I wasn’t expecting to see Android devices hit the market before Q4. whether Google gets something to market before the end of the year, that in and of itself would be a pretty big accomplishment.”

Carriers

Struggle with Deadline

T-Mobile USA is among the carriers that plan to launch an Android-based phone in the fourth quarter. But the Journal said Sprint Nextel may not be able to meet that deadline.

China Mobile was planning a third-quarter Android phone launch, but the Journal reported that the company will be stymied until at least the end of the year.

“This is no small task and, despite the legions of folks on the initial list, not everyone is going to be able to deliver at the same speed, not everybody is going to be able to bring things to market as quickly as they’d like,” Gartenberg confirmed. “There’s a lot of customization to be done, whether by the handset vendors or the carriers. These things take duration.”

Competition Rising

While Google works out the kinks in Android, Apple is pushing farther into the mobile market with the second…

Original post by Top Tech News