GPS navigator-maker Garmin revealed that it plans to release Google Android-based phones sometime in the second half of next year. This follows just weeks the announcement that the company was joining the Open Handset Alliance, the consortium overseeing the development and adoption of Android and supporting handsets. Though Garmin has yet to even release its first phone, let alone any Android devices to give it a feel for developing for the platform, the company is planning to release not one, but several Android-powered handsets.

Garmin is already poised to bring its first mobile phone to market in the spring, the Nuvifone. The Nuvifone has been forthcoming for some time now, with Garmin initially blaming delays on re-engineering the handset to meet the demands of service providers. It's likely that the first Android devices will follow the Nuvifone's full-touchscreen design closely. For a company with little phone experience, we wouldn't expect it to start churning out complicated slider phones this early in the game. In any case, as a GPS navigation company, it makes sense for Garmin's phones to build off the company's experience in crafting touch-based UIs for its navigators. The phones will likely be GPS-focused, this time bringing in some Google Maps integration. We'll keep you updated with news on individual models as Garmin announces them.

UPDATE: Garmin released a statement hoping to clarify on the article acting as the source for the news about its Android development. The company is concerned that the article misrepresents sales numbers and misstates timelines. The company did take the time to reiterate that it's definitely working on an Android device; it just may not be as many Android products as we thought, as soon as we thought.

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