HTC Squash Android Handset Delay Rumor

Google's Android mobile platform seems to have something of a publicity problem: whenever we hear about it, it's to be told things aren't going well.  Latest doomsday rumor came courtesy of analyst Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research, who suggested that the launch of Android handsets would be delayed to Q1 2009 from Q4 this year.  Chowdhry quoted "contacts" who had suggested HTC, a key Android hardware partner, were "having structural problems to incorporate Google's demanded feature set" and that it would delay the arrival of devices until Q1 2009.

HTC stepped in to set the record straight, telling our sister site Android Community that Chowdhry's information is inaccurate and reiterate that the company is still on track for a Q4 2008 launch.

Chowdhry also claimed that developer interest in Android was flat-lining because Google "is not able to attract enough developers because toolkits offered by Microsoft, Apple, RIM and Nokia's Symbian software group have sucked up software developers' attention".  Our source at HTC has suggested that in fact that's completely untrue, and that developers are in fact clamouring for more attention from the Android team.

Google themselves have not commented on the rumors, but will only reiterate their existing release schedule.