T-Mobile USA is said to be offering the first Android based handset for presale on Sept. 17, according to TmoNews. The new development contradicts that the mobile platform could be delayed until 2009.
The Android-powered device will be manufactured by Taiwan-based HTC and will carry the name G1. G1 is said to have a large, 5-by-3-inch touchsreen display (larger than iPhone's 3.5-inch multitouch display) and a sliding Qwerty keyboard for those long e-mails, together with a 3-megapixel camera (iPhone 3G has a 2-megapixel camera). This rumoured handset is previously known as HTC Dream and videos depicting it emerged earlier on the Web.
A curious addition to G1's specs is the requirement of a working Gmail account in order to use the phone's features. Though many are already unhappy with this development, there is no need to panic. Anyone can sign up for a Gmail account now by simply visiting the service's page.
Price-wise, T-Mobile is said to start G1's pre-sales on Sept. 17 for only $150 with a two-year contract (iPhone 3G has a $199 starting price point). The offer will be open only to current T-Mobile customers for just one week. After this period, in early October, you will be able to grab the device for $250 while the full retail price is slated at $399. Further details on the data plans sold with G1 have not emerged yet.
As expected, G1 is supposed to be a 3G-capable device but T-Mobile's high-speed coverage is lagging far behind to its competitors. At the moment only New York and Las Vegas benefit from T-Mobile's 3G coverage. By 2009, the network plans to expand its 3G service to 25 cities.
If the latest rumors are true, we will see on Sept. 17 T-Mobile's G1 going head to head with Apple's iPhone and HTC's Windows Mobile counterparts, the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro. Will you be pre-ordering a G1?
Yup. I'm a longtime T-Mobile customer with a grandfather $20 vpn data plan. I'm already using T-Mobile's UMTS service on a Nokida 3555b in Brooklyn and getting slow DSL speed. The HTC Dream looks like my ticket to a second phone for my wife. The only thing left is to get a usb HSDPA dongle when they come out.
As for the slow rollout. It is what it is. Twenty-five cities in the new year is OK if they run as nicely as their 3G does right now in NYC.