Bloomberg.com reports that Sprint will be one of the first wireless providers to take advantage of the open Google Android platform and hopes to have a model available within a year. T-Mobile released the first Android-run smartphone, the G1, a couple of months ago.

The site reports that by offering an Android-based smartphone, Sprint plans to take a bite out of the iPhone's market share. Apple's smartphone now commands 16 percent of the world's smartphone market.

On Friday, Google announced the availability of the Android OS - in the form of an unlocked phone - to all developers. This 'gPhone' doesn't require T-Mobile service and takes any SIM card, so it can be used with service from any GSM carrier worldwide. Devices containing the unlocked Android Dev Phone 1 OS cost $399 and are available in 18 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.

In addition to T-Mobile and Sprint, Motorola and Intel, and many others, are also involved in Google's Open Handset alliance, which expanded membership by fourteen companies yesterday; including the addition of well known players such as Ericsson, Garmin International, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba Corporation and Vodafone.