The lawsuit that Apple filed on Tuesday against HTC opens up a lot of questions about the future of Android phones like the Nexus One and the cellphone market in general.

In September 2009, the Android OS was tied for last place in consumers' preference among the major mobile operating systems. Since then, it has surged into second place ahead of all competitors except the iPhone OS.

Gadgets made by a host of big-name manufacturers, including Nokia and HTC, could be banned from import into the US, if a patent violation investigation being conducted the US International Trade Commission (ITC) rules in the claimant's favor.

T-Mobile USA plans to begin selling the first smart phone powered by Google new mobile software late next month, according to people familiar with the matter, facing off against Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry with a device that blends aspects of both. The phone's manufacturer, HTC, forecasts sales that are rosier than analysts' estimates. HTC says it expects to ship 600,000 to 700,000 units of the smart phone, dubbed the Dream, this year, a person close to the situation said Monday.