As an owner of a T-Mobile G1 I can share some of Google’s suggested (by others) disappointment with the relatively low-specced phones currently available but to start competing with manufacturers who have spent considerable sums adopting your operating system doesn’t really make much sense – it’s like Microsoft suddenly deciding to start selling their own range of desktop and laptop PCs while expecting Dell and HP to continue buying OEM licences for Windows.
T-Mobile’s pre-pay ‘Pulse’ handset – the UK’s first pre-pay Android mobile – goes on sale in T-Mobile stores across the UK today .
Owners of T-Mobile’s G2 branded HTC Hero phones have been using the operator’s forums to express disappointment at a delayed update to the phone’s firmware.
The ascent of Android continued this week when Motorola unveiled its first handset to use the Google-backed operating system.
Phone maker HTC, currently wining plaudits for their Hero mobile phone, confirmed on Tuesday the release of a second handset to feature Android and Sense UI. Positioned as a phone to bring Android “to the masses”, the handset features a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, 3.5mm stereo headset jack and expandable microSD memory.
The Hero is a great phone which deserves a look and far more media attention, there are enough innovations to make this a worthy alternative to the iPhone and HTC’s visual enhancements should make the Hero the default choice for anyone planning on an Android-powered phone.
O2 yesterday announced the first Samsung Android-powered mobile, the Galaxy i7500, will be exclusively available on the network during September. Spec-wise the handset differs little from other Android phones with a 3.2″ screen, support for HSDPA, Bluetooth and USB 2.0 although it dwarfs in the member stakes, boasting 8GB of internal memory.
eXpansys are now offering the HTC Hero off network for £399.99 and are promising buyers £30 worth of eXpansys vouchers to spend on accessories for their new phone.
A lot of people have been excitedly touting the new HTC Hero as an iPhone killer but I’m not convinced.It has an obvious advantage over the iPhone in that it’s going to be available in the UK from both Orange and T-Mobile, but although it’s not quite as ugly as the G1, it retains that dreadful ‘chin’ from the earlier model and still looks functional rather than stylish.
Admittedly I’m a bit behind with his post, but am I the only person who found the long awaited ‘cupcake’ update for Google’s Android OS pretty under whelming? It certainly delivered everything which was expected (mostly basic features which should have always been present in a smartphone) but the result, at least in my view, is still a pretty unimpressive OS which looks far too ugly and lacks any ‘must have’ features.
