T-Mobile USA said today that it would unveil the much-anticipated mobile phone loaded with Google's Android software next Tuesday at a press conference in New York. The "G1," which is being manufactured by HTC, won't go on sale until October. But expect T-Mobile to finally divulge some key details such as pricing.
T-Mobile is just the first carrier to market the phone. Other cellphone manufacturers and carriers are expected to dial for dollars using the Google brand as bait, but they apparently have hit some snags. The Android phone is being positioned as a rival to Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry.
For Google, this seems like a no-lose proposition. The Internet search giant wants to make sure that all of its services, including its lucrative advertising, are available on all cellphones. So it created software for mobile phones that does that.
Google showed off the handset at a developer conference in London this morning.
Could this be a true iPhone rival? I hope so.
As with Microsoft, and in contrast to Apple, there will be no attempt to lock down the system to prevent people running whatever applications they like.
According to The Wall Street Journal, T-Mobile is expected to announce the phone on September 23. The story says:
See the introduction video here:The phone's manufacturer, HTC Corp., forecasts sales that are rosier than analysts' estimates. HTC says it expects to ship 600,000 to 700,000 units of the smart phone, dubbed the Dream, this year, a person close to the situation said Monday. The target exceeds analysts' estimates of 300,000 to 500,000.
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2 comments:
I keep wondering why Google chose T-Mobile over VerizonWireless? I mean T-Mobile has so many dead zones across the country that its pathetic.
I think the answer is pretty clear as to why they chose T-Mobile.
T-Mobile uses GSM, which means they are developing a global device. Verizon/Sprint are US only technologies not used anywhere else in the world.
Also, T-Mobile already has an international presence, making international distribution even easier.
And, T-Mobile has the lowest intro price points, and has captured a large share of the youth market. Getting younger users hooked on Android will make a lot of sense for them in the long run, and it's also this market that pushed bounds, develops apps, and is more forgiving of 1.0 software releases than the older crowd found on other carriers.
Just my $0.02 though.
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