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T-Mobile Shows off its "Google Phone"
T-Mobile today announced the international launch of the world's first Android-powered mobile phone in partnership with Google. The handset will be available from next month not just in the USA, but also in Europe.
"We are proud that T-Mobile is the first operator in the world to launch an Android-powered mobile device," said Christopher Schl�ffer, Group Product and Innovation Officer of Deutsche Telekom. "Since 2005, Google has been an established partner in T-Mobile's groundbreaking approach to bringing the open mobile Internet to the mass market. With the T-Mobile G1 we are continuing our strong tradition of being pioneers in the world of the open Internet."
"Increasingly, connectivity does not just mean a phone call, but rather access to the world's information," said Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google. "Today's news signifies an important first step for the Open Handset Alliance: with Android, we've opened the mobile web not only for millions of users, but also to mobilize the developer community that understands the next most important platform in the world rests in the palm of our hand."
T-Mobile customers in the U.S. have the opportunity to pre-order the T-Mobile G1, in limited quantities, beginning today. The device will be available at select T-Mobile retail stores and online in the U.S. beginning Oct. 22, for a price of $179 with a two-year voice and data agreement. The T-Mobile G1 will also be available in the United Kingdom beginning in November, and across Europe in the first quarter of 2009. Countries include Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
The T-Mobile G1's screen slides open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, and as another option for accessing the device, the T-Mobile G1 comes equipped with a trackball for more precise, one-handed navigation - as well as the now almost mandatory touch-screen.
The phone comes with built-in support for 3G and EDGE network as well as Wi-Fi. The built in camera is a 3 megapixel unit.
The T-Mobile G1 features a rich HTML email client, which syncs e-mail, calendar and contacts from Gmail as well as most other POP3 or IMAP mail services. The T-Mobile G1 multi-tasks, so you can read a Web page while also downloading your email in the background. It combines Instant Messaging support for Google Talk; as well as AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and "Windows Live Messenger" in the USA.
Android Market:
The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to offer access to Android Market, which hosts applications and mash ups of existing and new services from developers around the world. With just a couple of short clicks, customers can find and download a wide range of innovative software applications - from games to social networking and on-the-go shopping - to personalize their phone and enhance their mobile lifestyle. When the phone launches next month, dozens of unique, first-of-a-kind Android applications will be available for download on Android Market.
Posted to the site on 23rd September 2008