HTC on Friday denied claims of an Android phone delay that would push back to early 2009 the release of the cellphone maker's first phone using the Google mobile operating system. The company rejects assertions by Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry that both technical and minimum payment issues are affecting the release and insists that the phone is on track for a fall 2008 launch. The researcher's belief "does not match the facts," the firm says.

The late 2008 launch is widely believed to be part of a high-profile release for not just HTC but also T-Mobile USA, which has been all but confirmed as launching its nationwide 3G network on October 1st and may launch the HTC device, often rumored to be the Dream touchscreen phone, as a companion to wider access for the carrier's faster data speeds and improved call quality.

Most other Android phones aren't slated to launch until early 2009 and are heavily rumored to have been partly hindered by delays in the Android software itself. LG, Motorola, Samsung, and others are part of the Open Handset Alliance instrumental in promoting Android. [via The Unwired]