Whilst I don't see Verizon or Sprint going this road because of their chosen path with CDMA, I don't see any good reason why ATT should join up. Like it or not, they are the largest GSM based provider in NA, and will undoubtedly have plenty of user with Android phones running on their network.

I, for one, switched from verizon to cingular/att after getting shafted by Verizon on a new phone, and stuck with it for 2yrs until the renewal time. After making the switch, I am not free to swap phones at my own leisure, I bought and sold every model blackberry when I was testing them out.

I would predict HTC to be the first out of the gate with a Android based phone, and you can be guaranteed it will be a GSM model, and not a cdma model. With a opensource software model, it really plays to the one-phone to rule them all model...

Like it or not, there will be lots of Android phone running on the ATT network, and they can either get onboard and push the phones themselves, or watch more and more customer STOP renewing their contract and buying phones direct.

Apple's gonna be pissed

Android is an OS "with privileges to Google". It is open. So expect everyone to talk to everyone. What will matter are the dozens of handsets that are on the way for all carriers worldwide. Lots of room for innovation!

Ralph de la Vega- just sounds bad. didn't have to read further. Get a new name, something less scheister-y

@oo0cyst0oo:
Yea. Sounds like Ralph de la Darth VADER! How suiting for At&tingular.

Now who's to doubt that AT&T is the way of the dark side. Gizmodo has been telling us this for years--do you actually believe that Ralph de la Vega is his real name? I'm sure he had it changed....After all, what kind of name is Ralph Smith when you're on the dark side.

AT&T's CEO Stankey basically said that (fruitful, focused) collaboration was really hard between the different AT&Tinglar subsidiaries, so a consortium of 30 or more companies trying to design something useful is basically a waste of time, but if anything worthwhile comes of it, then they are in.

The title of the article seemed oddly phrased to me. Anyway, yeah Helfrez seemed to have summed it up nicely. The only reason I put up with getting raped by ATT is the ability to swap out my sim card at my own discretion.

And I'm sure, for those very same reasons as Helfrez said, there will be many Androids on the network.

How come Google is Darth Vader?

@coolrepublica: Lord Sidious is more evil.

"And so could Microsoft."
You're kidding, right?

@coolrepublica: I think it has to do with reading everyone's email and aiding censorship in China. In Goog's defense, we signed up for this commercial version of Carnivore. It still doesn't justify the censorship. Sorry, Sergey - helping censor a billion people falls firmly in the "doing evil" category of things.

And yes, Lord Sidious is more evil - which is why Yahoo is Lord Sidious. For helping China round up dissident journalists.

ATT to Google: "Don't tase me bro!"