South Korean electronics giant Samsung plans to sell several phones using Google's Android software this year, including at least one for the United States.
The world's second-largest mobile phone maker said it will start selling more than three phones using Google's open-source Linux platform by the end of the year.
Won-Pyo Hong, head of Samsung's product strategy, wasn't clear whether the first Android phones would be launched in the United States or in Europe.
"By the end of the year, we will be on both markets," Hong said.
Linux has had little success in the mobile field thus far, but its role is increasing with the backing by Google's Android platform.
Late last year, Taiwan phone maker HTC launched the G1, the first smartphone to use Google's operating system, on T-Mobile USA.
At the Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona, HTC unveiled the Magic -- its newest Google Phone -- planned for Vodafone in European markets in the spring.
The big industry players in the increasingly key smartphone market are Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Nokia's Symbian -- which has opened up to outsiders through the Symbian Foundation -- the Linux-based open-source software being developed by the LiMo consortium and Palm's Web OS.
