TAIPEI, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Shares of smartphone maker HTC (2498.TW) rose to a one-month high on Friday after U.S. telecom operator Sprint Nextel (S.N) said it planned to sell the firm's Hero cellphone based on Google's (GOOG.O) Android system. By 0316 GMT, HTC shares were up almost 6 percent at T$367.00

($11.15), its strongest intraday level since Aug. 3.

"It's a reflection of the market's approval of HTC's diversification policy," said Kevin Huang, a fund manager at King's Town Bank. "Put together with its recent tie-up with China Mobile, it's likely the firm might do well this quarter."

Sprint will start selling HTC's Hero smartphone from Oct. 11, pitting it up against rivals such as Palm's (PALM.O) Pre smartphone and an upcoming Motorola (MOT.N) model. [nN03458054]

HTC shares have come under pressure since August, when it unexpectedly announced a drastic cut to its full-year revenue outlook, which it blamed on worse-than-expected momentum in its smartphone models. [nTP127931]

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