T-Mobile, the world's sixth largest mobile phone service provider by subscribers (101 million), will reportedly release the long-awaited Android phone this fall.

The Android phone will be manufactured by HTC and will probably be released in the United States stores before Christmas. Sources inside T-Mobile said the handset might be released on the market as early as October.

However, a T-Mobile spokperson declined to provide a specific release date. In a statement for CNN, the spokperson has only confirmed the the company is working to deliver an Android-based phone in the fourth quarter of 2008. A Google spokeswoman has also declined to comment about the timing.

In June, The Wall Street Journal reported that handsets featuring Google's Android have been delayed to 2009 and T-Mobile is apparently the only carrier which will most likely launch the Android-powered gadgets this year.

Delays are allegedly also brought about by Google's continuous tweaks on their operating system, which trigger a wave of modifications for developers. China Mobile had some difficulties translating Android into Chinese, encountering problems with the Chinese characters, WSJ claimed. However, Google declined to comment on the rumors.

The Android phone is expected to be a match for Apple’s iPhone 3G and the other smart phones recently released such as the ones featuring software from Palm, Research in Motion, Microsoft and Nokia.

The HTC-manufactured smart phone, also dubbed “The Dream” on the blogosphere, will feature an iPhone-like touch screen which slides out to make way for a Sidekick-like five row keyboard. A short presentation of the Androir phone has been posted on Youtube.

Android is based on the Linux operating system and was first announced on 5 November 2007, and is the result of the collaboration between Google and companies like HTC, Intel, Motorola, T-Mobile, NVIDIA and Qualcomm, all working on developing open standards for mobile devices. Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.