HTC will launch an Android tablet in the U.S. this March in order to beat the Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook to market, according to DigiTimes.

The first of three tablets scheduled for the first half of the year is the Flyer, which DigiTimes described as "an enlarged version of HTC's Desire smartphone" running on Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" rather than on Google's supposed tablet-optimized operating system, Android 3.0 "Honeycomb." HTC will launch two more tablets equipped with Honeycomb in June, the report says.

"HTC will launch the Flyer tablets in cooperation with a telecom carrier, aiming to push sales ahead the planned launch of RIM's PlayBook in March and Motorola's Xoom in April," DigiTimes' sources said. Furthermore users will get to upgrade to Honeycomb once it's out.

If the report is true, HTC is clearly trying to gain first-mover advantage with a sub-optimal Android tablet. Consumers will then have to rely on carriers to send an over-the-air OS update to their devices. It also implies that Google Honeycomb isn't developed enough for a March release.

Two of the most anticipated Android tablets, the Motorola Xoom on Honeycomb and RIM Blackberry Playbook on proprietary QNX, are due in early 2011.

For more information, see PC Mag's hands-on with the Motorola Xoom and the RIM Blackberry Playbook 4G