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It turns out that while Google Android initially was expected to be available by the second half of 2008, phones based on the open source platform may not be around until the very tail-end of the year, with most carriers not expecting to have devices available until 2009.

Apparently T-Mobile is the only carrier expected to have an Android-powered phone come fourth quarter, but that launch is taking up so much of Google’s attention and resources that Sprint is reportedly considering to put its Android device plans on hold for a while, as it decides whether to launch the phone on its own network or the WiMAX system it is building with Clearwire and Google.

Software developers are also grumbling about the fact that Google continues to make changes to Android, making it difficult to create programs that work with the platform. With its almost limitless resources Google will likely be an important player in the mobile market once its Android platform matures, but the delays will certainly hurts its chances to dominate the mobile software field – and truly kick start mobile advertising – as rivals such as Apple, RIM, and Microsoft continue to dig in.