T-Mobile CTO announces multiple Android phones coming in 2009
T-Mobile CTO, Cole Brodman, has revealed in an interview with GigaOm that the company is banking heavily on a mobile future filled with Android devices of all shapes and sizes.
In particular, he revealed that T-Mobile will “…follow up G1 this year with multiple Android devices in the second half that we’ll be launching with at least three partners,” and that “we will see Android [netbooks] …from different nontraditional partners, maybe HP or Dell or others.”
More details of T-Mobile’s future plans after the jump.
T-Mobile are banking on Android finding its way into dozens of different types of device, all communicating via the mobile Web, and all, hopefully, through T-Mobile (naturally!). To help this along, the company won’t just be selling Android devices, they’ll actively be involved in driving the Android platform, feeding back to Google on the key changes and improvements that need to made to make Android the best mobile operating system on the market.
T-Mobile clearly sees Android as its best bet for competing with the iPhone, which it lost out on in most markets. And reading the interview, I’d say they make a compelling case. Android itself is about to see a plethora of new innovations as multiple companies race to provide innovative Android devices that stand out from the crowd.
With T-Mobile associating itself so closely to the platform, it has the chance to become almost the default Android phone operator, at least in the eyes of the buying public (assuming T-Mobile gets its marketing right).
Factor in the unstoppable move from wired desktops to the mobile Web, which Android looks like it’s about to take a healthy slice of, and T-Mobile have positioned themselves perfectly for the transition from the old 2G and 3G world to the new high-speed world of the ubiquitous Web – always on, and always with you, regardless of the device you choose to access it.
Ramping up their data transfer speeds to an average of 5Mbps everywhere by 2010 certainly won’t hurt either!
Read the full interview at GigaOm – it’s well worth it to see a glimpse of the mobile future.
Source: Mobilementalism
Android 1.5 Already Being Sent to the T-Mobile G1
T-Mobile in the U.S. and the U.K. has begun sending T-Mobile G1 users an upgrade to a new version of Google’s operating system for phones. Android 1.5 brings a number of enhancements, including on-screen keyboards, more home screen widgets, video recording, and stereo Bluetooth.
This upgrade is being sent directly to the device, and some people received it overnight. At this point, there’s no way for users to upgrade their G1 other than to wait for T-Mobile to send them the files they need. However, an unofficial method to manually download and install the upgrade will almost certainly be available soon.
What’s in Android 1.5?
One of the most noticeable new features in the upcoming version of this operating system is the on-screen keyboard. This allows users to enter text with the phone in portrait mode. Currently, users of the T-Mobile G1 have to rotate it to landscape mode and open the keyboard to enter text.
Android 1.5 also adds Home Screen widgets to display the user’s calendar, a music player, and a picture frame. These join the ones already available, the analog clock and the search widget.
The latest version of Google’s OS offers greater support for video, including video recording with the built-in camera and playing video in the MPEG-4 and 3GP formats. Users will also be able to upload videos to YouTube, and upload still images to Picasa, two services owned by Google.
Other improvements include updates and enhancements to the standard web browser, and the addition of Stereo Bluetooth.
An Overview of the T-Mobile G1
The T-Mobile G1 is a consumer-oriented smartphone with a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also sports a microSD card slot and a 3.2 megapixel camera.
What makes the G1 special though isn’t the hardware, but that it’s the first device running Android, an operating system that was developed primarily by Google. This has a highly-functional web browser, and includes tie-ins to a number of this company’s online services, like Gmail and Google Maps. There is also a rapidly growing collection of third-party software available.
The G1 is also available now on T-Mobile USA’s website, as well as stores, for $180 with a two-year contract. It can also be purchased in many Wal-Mart stores for $150, or from Amazon.com for $98, with contract.
Source: brighthand
T-Mobile G1 Now Available for Under $100
Amazon.com is now offering the T-Mobile G1 at a special price – just over half what this Android-based smartphone normally sells for.
The regular price for the G1 is $180 when purchased with a two-year contract, but this online retailer is selling it now for $98. However, getting this price requires signing up for a new service contract, so this deal is not available to current T-Mobile customers.
To learn more, visit Amazon’s website.
More About the T-Mobile G1
The T-Mobile G1 is a consumer-oriented smartphone with support for this carrier’s new 3G network.
It includes an 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also sports a microSD card slot and a 3.2 megapixel camera.
What makes the G1 special though isn’t the hardware, but that it’s the first device running an operating system that was developed primarily by Google.
It has a highly-functional web browser, and includes tie-ins to a number of this company’s online services, like Gmail and Google Maps. There is also a rapidly growing collection of third-party software available.
The G1 is also available now on T-Mobile USA’s website, as well as stores, but at the regular price. It can also be purchased in many Wal-Mart stores for $150.
Source: Amazon
T-Mobile G1 Update Will Add On-Screen Keyboard
Most people would agree that the feature most obviously missing from the Android OS, and therefore the T-Mobile G1, is an on-screen keyboard. A system software update is expected to add this feature soon, though.
The G1 has a touchscreen, but no on-screen keyboard. The only option for entering text is with the hardware keyboard, which requires turning the device to landscape mode and sliding up the screen.
This missing feature will reportedly be added to Android in a software update — code-named cupcake. A video showing this in action leaked out a few days ago:
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As shown in the video, this will work like the on-screen keyboards on many other smartphones, popping up from the bottom of the screen when the user needs it.
In addition, cupcake is supposed to contain a number of bug fixes and other small enhancements.
Exactly when this will be released is not known, other than “soon”. That decision on timing is up to Google and T-Mobile.
