New York Times: T-Mobile to sell HTC Android phone as early as October

Here we go folks. The New York Times is reporting that T-Mobile will be the first carrier to offer Android. According to "people briefed on the company's plans," the HTC phone will go on sale in the US "before Christmas, perhaps as early as October." The NYT's sources also say that the 5-row QWERTY slider from that Dream video (embedded after the break) matches the HTC device that T-Mobile will sell. The device is still waiting for FCC approval with a three-way Google, T-Mobile, and HTC announcement coming as early as September. The deal is expected to be exclusive making it the only Android phone available in the US this year.

Of course you know what this means? It's the birth of the Android fanboy -- sure you love 'em at First!, but then they never shut up about Street View.

Update: We've added a second video (from March) of what looks to be the same device demonstrated by Google's own Andy Rubin. The 3G reference design runs a 400MHz Qualcomm MSM 7200-based processor at just over 300MHz, includes a trackball, 3D graphics processor, and appears to have an HTC logo.

[lettcco @ Aug 15th 2008 5:09AM]

give me that in a sero-like pricing/feature and I will dump my current sero plan!

[JAmerican @ Aug 15th 2008 10:37AM]

Are you crazy? Nothing can beat unlimited data and text, free roaming, 500 minutes, nights @ 7pm for $30/month + $7 for insurance.

[I-phone Is I-sexaayy @ Aug 15th 2008 11:59AM]

Ok first, this platform will work for t-mobile blah blah

But wow, you thought iPhone was buggy? This will be loaded.

I would wait a year till they iron out the bugs...but by then apple will make a new iPhone plus new software.
Nice try tho android! And good luck t-mo

[Rogue_Genius @ Aug 15th 2008 12:08PM]

Considering that the SERO plans @ $30 a month are now no longer available to new customers, you might be better off staying where you are. Then, of course, you will have to pay full price for the phone.

[Nick @ Aug 15th 2008 1:25PM]

I'm sure you've all seen that TmoNews was going to announce something big this morning about Android. Now it seems their site is down, but http://htcsource.com has just confirmed that the news story will be about Android and the HTC Dream.

[Yankee Fever 02 @ Aug 17th 2008 11:50AM]

@ JAmerica

whats roaming? sorry i have verizon

[joe @ Sep 8th 2008 1:42PM]

T-Mobile is launcing nationwide 3G service along with Google Andoid based phone on September 24, 2008 nationwide in US.

[MastrCake @ Aug 15th 2008 5:16AM]

Awesome! My father and I will be pleased.

Goodbye AT&T, hello Dad's T-Mobile family plan!!!

[Rafer @ Aug 15th 2008 1:41PM]

Verizon... Im begging you please pick up android before its too late. Or just start that any handset plan you were talking about.

[hiko36 @ Aug 15th 2008 5:16AM]

Does it have accelerometers or does it reorient based on the keyboard position?

[Phoenix @ Aug 15th 2008 7:16AM]

It'll certainly reorient based on the keyboard, HTC devices have done that for as long as I can remember, but there might be an accelerometer too

[Nick @ Aug 15th 2008 10:01AM]

From what I've heard, it has accelerometers...which is why street view works the way it does on the phone.

[Podaman @ Aug 15th 2008 10:09AM]

@Nick

The camera on the back of the phone is used to pick up movement and adjust the street view accordingly.

[Nick @ Aug 15th 2008 10:25AM]

"the Dream reportedly includes an accelerometer that can be used with Google's Street View mapping feature: users can pivot the phone itself to change the view and look at map markers from the same angle they see in real life."

- http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/05/28/android.demo.at.d.conf/

Admittedly it only says reportedly, but I find it hard to believe such an advanced device won't have them.

[nerdtalker @ Aug 15th 2008 11:30AM]

I think the self-orienting feature you're all thinking of in google maps/street view is the compass. The really neat feature here is that MEMS-based compass which is built in. I'd be surprised if it didn't also have an accelerometer, however.

[Podaman @ Aug 15th 2008 1:23PM]

stand corrected, thanks nerdtalker.

"Adding to the effect is the Dream’s built-in compass, which has been employed here to track the movement’s of the demonstrator’s hands: as he turns, so to does the Street View in Google Maps."

[~~Tito~~ @ Aug 15th 2008 5:17AM]

Heavy breather . . .

[Ryan Trevisol @ Aug 15th 2008 7:14AM]

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed. Take a Benadryl/Sudafed/Whatever before posting up a video! The mouth breathing was creeping me out.

[pradster @ Aug 15th 2008 10:06AM]

Vader is an Android phanboi?
who knew!!

[getStringFromObj() @ Aug 15th 2008 10:12AM]

Evidently Darth Vader started reviewing phones... or that guy was really, really excited. Seems like he had to double tap the screen? Hope that gets fixed.

[TareX @ Aug 15th 2008 5:18AM]

I hope it's a prototype. C'mon HTC release a real photo already.

[cptbill @ Aug 15th 2008 5:28AM]

anyone knows what is the screen size of that thing? Hope it's not a 2,8"

[dBs @ Aug 15th 2008 5:37AM]

No kidding. Youd think that some screen manufacturer by now would have upped the size by now.

[Cassini @ Aug 15th 2008 5:33AM]

I'm interested in seeing more about this phone, but is this the best video work this guy can do?

[ntlam @ Aug 15th 2008 5:53AM]

I'm waiting for it too.

Everybody is waiting for android device. and since it's open, we will expect that it will not be locked in backdoor just like that cute white little sister phone would be.

[Information Central @ Aug 15th 2008 6:19AM]

Um, is anyone still expecting Android to work, after Google has royally pissed off all the developers with withholding the SDK?

What about OpenMoko? This has been around a lot longer and hasn't set the world on fire. Why would Android?

[Phoenix @ Aug 15th 2008 7:04AM]

because OpenMoko was a one-device setup with a PUSSY device, and didn't have google blocking it

[Phoenix @ Aug 15th 2008 8:03AM]

*backing it.

Fuck.

[Information Central @ Aug 15th 2008 8:05AM]

You didn't address the widely publicized issue of Google pissing off their development community.

[david @ Aug 15th 2008 8:56AM]

If I remember correctly OpenMoko and all NeoRunner is made for developers for now, basically it looked ugly before 2008.08 OS release. And there going to be two more versions at least made, and the fourth one is going to be something more finished and will have 3G inside. So basically this phone for users, not developers will be ready maybe in several years. They have a lot of work to do and that will take time. Until that you might forget OpenMoko.

But the LiMo looks promising and right now is in the first place if we would look at mobile Linux market. I think LiMo has already 22 or even more phones in the list. If I remember Purple Magic Phone is 3G phone and works super and still cost only 100$, but I don't know if it already available.

The Android Platform had to be the one to fight iPhone Mac OS system and it looks that it really stopped, but no one expected that. But because Google don't talk to developers many moved to iPhone already leaving Android platform. That's not a good sign. And with Apple Store help there are 60+ mln copies of mobile software in the wild per one month, that's really amazing.

This HTC Dream might be the only one who could at least not let Android Platform die.

[Nick @ Aug 15th 2008 10:08AM]

They may have pissed off the developers, but apparently the developers work well angry. Top fifty apps in the first developer challenge:

http://code.google.com/android/images/adc1r1_deck.pdf

[Cirian75 @ Aug 15th 2008 6:01AM]

Erm, a few choice words


1st Gen product.


Early adopter problems.

[Meccalangelo @ Aug 15th 2008 9:21AM]

hmm...Im guessing you said the same about the original iPhone before biting your tongue.

[Goran @ Aug 15th 2008 6:10AM]

I think a lot of people (too many) are expecting Android to be awesome on it's first day. I am sorry but Linux OSs and Open systems usually take a while to mature. Google as a whole will have a lot less control in the long run on how their platform evolves and what applications are put on it. This will be interesting...personally I hope Android does come out swinging on it's first day but I believe it is unlikely till some apps, mods and rewrites are developed that we will see it's true potential much like Firefox's add ons add that extra bit that makes the browser great.

[darx23 @ Aug 15th 2008 8:22AM]

Really? You do realize this isn't a random group of developers creating another linux..this is Google coming out with an entire mobile platform. It will have to be flawless otherwise T-Mobile wouldn't supply it.

[oZ @ Aug 15th 2008 9:25AM]

But they're building off of established mobile linux platforms such as Maemo. I have high hopes for even a first generation product.

[Jeremy K. @ Aug 15th 2008 9:35AM]

I wouldn't say flawless... but it's definitely not going to be like a primitive linux distro.

[kal326 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:17AM]

Launch Day..... Paranoid Android......

[Richy @ Aug 15th 2008 5:10PM]

Well, from what I've seen of the device so far, the OS still has a way to go on the speed front before a mid Oct launch is possible. And to the chap above who thinks that TMUS (or any T-Mobile company) won't launch a device until of is flawless has clawely never worked for a large multi-national telco before!

[Pat @ Aug 15th 2008 6:19AM]

Cool phone, might be worth another look in a year or so. Right now the huge install base of the iphone (meaning, theoretically, more support for apps, but also jailbreaking and the like) make it more attractive. But I'm guessing android will be "hacked"(can you hack open source?) in 2 seconds so it should have lots of potential.

[Matthew @ Aug 15th 2008 6:48AM]

Huh? What? You don't have to hack Android. You can do whatever you want with it. Apple has a bigger app base because it's been out for well over a year. Android will exceed it in apps within 6 months.

[TareX @ Aug 15th 2008 8:17AM]

did someone just say the iPhone is more "hackable" than Android?

that's just rock bottom.

[Cornelius @ Aug 15th 2008 1:07PM]

Pat, you're missing the point of Android in the first place. In fact, it's supposed to address all of the pitfalls of the iPhone OS and then some. In fact, all of the strengths you mentioned of the iphone are actually its archille's heel.

Not only can anyone write software for the phone (without signing draconian NDA and agreeing to unrealistic EULAs to use a proprietary SDK *cough*iPhoneSDK*cough*), but it's actually encouraged by Google and the rest of the Open Handset Alliance. You don't have download through a single "App Store" or jump through hoops to jailbreak your phone.

You don't have to pay Google royalties (like you'd pay Apple) if you wanted sell your own software for the phone.

Install base:
The OS itself runs on top of a Linux kernel. The Dalvik VM allows you to recompile the vast majority of your Java applications to run, plus many Linux apps can be ported with ease to run natively without a VM. The iPhone SDK, on the other hand requires actively rewriting existing code. The install base on the iphone is actually small compared to the likes of WM and Symbian handsets, so your claim for more app support is irrelevant.

The transparency of open source ensures you don't have to worry about hidden backdoors and "kill switches" that allow the manufacturer to disable apps that you installed on your phone. You also don't have to worry about decreased functionality and apps being disabled by your carrier when they want to charge extra for them. Say you buy an iphone and you want VOIP over wifi, you're at the mercy of Apple's whims to allow it. It's not going to be like that on Android.

And finally, you don't have to wait years for simple features like copy and paste to work on Android. If users deem a feature to be important, someone out there will add it, with or without some turtlenecked, control-freak CEO's approval.

[Godfail @ Aug 15th 2008 8:37PM]

Cornelius, that's kinda funny because a VOIP over WiFi app is ready to go in the app store and Apple's been helping out with it all along. I'm no Apple fanboy but the amount of BS in your post there is just overwhelming....and the obvious Apple hate is just adding more to that.

Matthew, Android will not have more apps than the iPhone within 6 months, the Apple store has been avaible for 35 days now...not a year. Not that your prediction would really hold any water to begin with but get your facts straight.

[LiNTEK @ Aug 15th 2008 6:24AM]

Finally.... after almost a year....... LOL!

[david_topping @ Aug 15th 2008 6:24AM]

I too hope that this is a prototype as it’s not exactly a good looking device, in fact I’d have to say it looks awful. With a bit of luck it will release with both WM6 and Android so if it has the typical problems that new OS’s tend to have then we can dump it for something that does at least work, even if it doesn’t work as well as we’d all like.

[XIYL @ Aug 15th 2008 6:37AM]

Its not that hard to install a new OS on anything these days.

[Minilap @ Aug 15th 2008 11:53AM]

I know it's not really a good looking device but trust me that gay guy you are after will still take you even with an ugly phone.

[Matthew @ Aug 15th 2008 6:49AM]

I'm just hoping the plan isn't overpriced. I already pay quite a bit for the BB plan and I don't see a reason why the HTC phone should have plans starting at much higher.

[TareX @ Aug 15th 2008 8:27AM]

That video is really old... long before the impressive Webkit browser had the magnifying glass effect.