AT&T has said in the past that it's committing to Android in a big way this year, with plans to release 12 devices powered by Google's OS before 2011 is up. Today AT&T executive Jeff Bradley touched a little on what kinds of Android phones that his carrier has in the pipeline. First up is a slider from Pantech that's described as a device that "looks a little like a [Casio] G-Shock" and is "more durable than a classic side-slider." Following that handset will be a "nice, large-screen side-sliding Android device," says Bradley. AT&T will also be allowing its devices to install apps from sources other than the Android Market, which will happen sometime after access to the Amazon Appstore is enabled.

When asked about Windows Phone 7, Bradley said that the OS is "doing fine" on AT&T and that the HTC HD7S will be launching in the near future. ATT will be pushing out more Windows Phone 7 devices when the platform's Mango update arrives, which is expected to happen sometime this fall.

Finally, it's worth noting that Bradley defined exactly what the term "4G" means to the folks at AT&T. According to Ma Bell, 4G means that a device is moving along at 14.4Mbps speeds and connected to high-speed backhaul at its cell sites.

It certainly sounds like AT&T's got some interesting Android phones planned which, combined with today's announcement of the Infuse 4G, make it a much more enticing carrier for Android enthusiasts than it was just a year ago. It's kind of a bummer that ATT still isn't allowing its Android users to sideload apps, but the good news is that the feature is coming eventually. So, anyone planning on picking up an Android phone from AT&T in the near future?

Via PCMag (1), (2)