Sony Ericsson says it is not racing to release a handset running the Google-owned Android operating system, despite widespread plans by many of its rivals to launch devices running the software.

"It does require a lot of evaluation, as well as a lot of testing, a lot of acceptance from a consumer viewpoint, and there is still some time to go," Sony Ericsson's CEO Hideki Komiyama tells Reuters. "Our focus is on how we can differentiate from the competitors using the same operating system".

The firm says it will use the Nokia's Symbian, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating systems on its high-end phones, but is yet to announce a release date for its Android device.

The operating system, which Informa predicts will become more popular than the iPhone OS by 2013, launched last year on an HTC-produced T-mobile device, dubbed the G1. Samsung Huawei and Motorola are among the firms planning to launch Android devices this year.

Last week, Sony Ericsson said it was axing 2,000 staff after posting a Q1 net loss of EUR293m (USD384m).

Source:digitalmedia