BELLEVUE, USA - T-Mobile USA, the first network in the world to launch a Google Android smartphone, has leaked its upcoming Android slider, T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide, also known as the HTC Espresso.

The recently-spotted handset is quite different from its predecessor myTouch 3G - it has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, a touchpad, a hot-swappable memory card slot, and a camera with flash.

The device may run on the new Google Android 2.1 version, first seen on the Google Nexus One.

The T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide will also feature a touchscreen display with 320x480 pixels in resolution, and it will be powered by an ARM11 processor with unspecified clockspeed.

The original myTouch 3G offered a 3.2 touchscreen with the same resolution as its successor, Wi-Fi and HSDPA connectivity (likely to be included in the upcoming model), a 3.2 megapixel camera with no flash, and was available in three colours: white, black, and red; the slider version is understood to also be offered in the same variety of colours.

According to a previously leaked internal roadmap, the HTC Espresso will be announced May 17th this year.

Google Android has been the operating system of choice for manufacturers in bad financial position or new to the market. The platform is accessible and has generated hype, as it has been developed by search giant Google, based on a Linux core. Google has now released its own smartphone, built by HTC, while the next one is said to be manufactured by Motorola.