New York Times: T-Mobile to sell HTC Android phone as early as October
By Thomas Ricker 
posted Aug 15th 2008 5:02AM
posted Aug 15th 2008 5:02AM
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.
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.
give me that in a sero-like pricing/feature and I will dump my current sero plan!
Are you crazy? Nothing can beat unlimited data and text, free roaming, 500 minutes, nights @ 7pm for $30/month + $7 for insurance.
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
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.
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.
@ JAmerica
whats roaming? sorry i have verizon
T-Mobile is launcing nationwide 3G service along with Google Andoid based phone on September 24, 2008 nationwide in US.
Awesome! My father and I will be pleased.
Goodbye AT&T, hello Dad's T-Mobile family plan!!!
Verizon... Im begging you please pick up android before its too late. Or just start that any handset plan you were talking about.
Does it have accelerometers or does it reorient based on the keyboard position?
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
From what I've heard, it has accelerometers...which is why street view works the way it does on the phone.
@Nick
The camera on the back of the phone is used to pick up movement and adjust the street view accordingly.
"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.
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.
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."
Heavy breather . . .
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.
Vader is an Android phanboi?
who knew!!
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.
I hope it's a prototype. C'mon HTC release a real photo already.
anyone knows what is the screen size of that thing? Hope it's not a 2,8"
No kidding. Youd think that some screen manufacturer by now would have upped the size by now.
I'm interested in seeing more about this phone, but is this the best video work this guy can do?
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.
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?
because OpenMoko was a one-device setup with a PUSSY device, and didn't have google blocking it
*backing it.
Fuck.
You didn't address the widely publicized issue of Google pissing off their development community.
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.
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
Erm, a few choice words
1st Gen product.
Early adopter problems.
hmm...Im guessing you said the same about the original iPhone before biting your tongue.
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.
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.
But they're building off of established mobile linux platforms such as Maemo. I have high hopes for even a first generation product.
I wouldn't say flawless... but it's definitely not going to be like a primitive linux distro.
Launch Day..... Paranoid Android......
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!
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.
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.
did someone just say the iPhone is more "hackable" than Android?
that's just rock bottom.
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.
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.
Finally.... after almost a year....... LOL!
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.
Its not that hard to install a new OS on anything these days.
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.
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.
That video is really old... long before the impressive Webkit browser had the magnifying glass effect.
I just want push Gmail
Haha, I hear you. That and GTalk would be amazing at this point in time.
Come on, it's the New York Times
The worst paper in the country that post so many corrections that you can't trust the news. The "Grey Lady" needs to die!
NY Times is the worst paper in the country? On my planet it's one of the best.
i'd rather have corrections thank you, corrections are the base of the press
many newspapers are so self centered that they wont publish corrections unless threatened with lawsuits
You're just embarrassing yourself when you say the NYT is the 'worst paper in the country.' Go away. And work on your name.
Looks like a resolution of about 380 x 560
Hm... the device could look nicer, yes.
What will it cost full price, and subsidized price? (I've only been with T-Mobile for 2 months, so I doubt I'll get the subsidized price -- too late to get it with my initial contract, too soon to get it with a renewed/extended contract)
Will it have UMA/hotspot@home support?
Will they offer sidekick-like specialized rate plans for it (like the pre-paid $1/day unlimited messaging and data, or the regular plan $20/mo add-on for unlimited messaging and data)? I'd probably be willing to go 50% higher than that. Especially if the pre-paid plan also allowed the $1/day unlimited mobile to mobile + unlimited nights/weekends rate that you can get with the non-sidekick pay-per-day plan. $2.50/day for unlimited messaging, net, M2M, and N&W ... I'd be there.
Will it be able to share it's wifi with other devices, such as laptops, UMPCs, netbooks, and MIDs?
Since it's hackable, how soon before it has a built in SIP server and jabber server, to allow those other devices to access its voice and SMS/MMS features via any random SIP phone/client and jabber client?
I don't see why it would be in HTC's interests to allow Google to demo their premier Android based device prior to announcing it as a company. This same model has been shown quite a few times in Android demonstrations and has always been referred to as a reference design. I'm actually hoping this isn't the final product and that HTC's flagship Android device looks more like the Touch Pro or Xperia X1.
Last month, I went ahead and renewed my mobile account for another two years. I figured by the time it was over, all the new Android devices would be out and the apps would be mature. I have high hopes for the Android platform. Hopefully the carriers that support it will keep it open and not lock it down like they usually do. So, when will the data pan wars start? There is no way I am going to pay $70 a month for a mobile phone.
I just hope the open source part is not forgotten when these devices are released. Open source is on the same plane as open standards, net neutrality, and the most competitive innovation. If all these become checklist requirements then the world will get rosier.
Mmkay, so it's a slightly modified Sidekick Slide with a touchscreen and an open OS. Still running a pretty crappy browser, from the looks of things. I like my Sidekick LX's keyboard and form factor but dislike its OS, so maybe this is a direction I'd go in. Maybe.
And I sure hope someone does a Doom/Street View mashup. Why kill floating red aliens when there are pedestrians everywhere?
Physically it's maybe a little like a sidekick, but it's the FAR superior internals that changes it.
So why is the video sped up?
If your gonna ad an extra video, couldn't at least pick one where video and audio are synchronized?
HTC continues to chase Apple. It's also amazing how they can say how innovative they are with a straight face. I suppose it does take some form of innovation to be able to produce barely workable products while being closely partnered with MS.
Crap lets hope they arent chasing Apple! That'll mean when it launches, their email/synch service wont work, the phones will crack without reason, there won't be basic smartphone features like cut 'n paste, the 3G performance will be a global complaint, the app service will be run by nazi corporate greedbags, and the performance will be roughly 10x slower than any promo videos they may release.
They're not chasing Apple. Chasing Apple would mean they only make one phone and control which carriers can use it and what software can run on it.
In fact, HTC is doing the exact opposite. :)
JAmerican... what company do you have that plan with?
damnit...so what do i have to wait another year before they ship it up to canada?
This is completely different than a Sidekick. The only similarity is a sliding screen.
Beyond that, the processor and chipset is much more powerful; it has a touch screen; more onboard memory; a bigger screen than the iPhone and SideKicks; is made by HTC (not designed by Danger and made by Sharp/Motorola who manufacture the Sidekicks); has hot-swapable expandable memory... the list goes on and on and on.
And the 3G network it is going to utilize is all brand new equipment as well- on a separate frequency band of its own, so you won't have any problems with signal interference from other companies. IF you're wondering why it doesn't have WiFi (assuming it doesn't) then T-Mobile must be pretty confident that their 3G reception is going to be more than adequate to make up for it.
The regular speed video from the bbc is here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/02/under_the_bonnet_of_android_1.html
Right at the beginning Andy's hand is in the frame holding the bottom of the phone, and that really gives a good reference to the size of this thing.
So I called up T-Mob today after reading this post because my contract is about to expire and I wanted to see if I could get any info out of the people there. The rep on the phone said T-Mob would be taking pre-orders for the "Dream" on Sept 17 and would be around $150. The plan would just be $20 a month for unlimited data.
Glad I read this before I cancelled and switched to another service / phone.
Android? I can't wait to see the new Star Wars movie with C3PO and R2D2. It's gonna be good! ;)
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
Could it be that the new HTC Dream G1 is HTC Omnia?
Judging by the specs from pdadb and some earlier rumors, this is it!
Some images indicate it as well
Seriously, the Management for Verizon is horrible. They first reject Apple's offer of making the Iphone exclusive to Verizon, and now Verizon isn't even picking up on the Android? And of course as many of you guys know, HTC touch diamond has been released in CDMA but there is only confirmation that sprint is coming out with the diamond while Verizon is...promoting the LG Dare (which apparently has a horrible touch screen) and LG Decoy (which the embedded bluetooth headset has horrible sound quality when the user is in motion; like in a car...) Verizon can at least allow Verizon subscribers to use any handset they choose which they DID announce but haven't heard about for quite a while. I think its almost time to make a switch to cingular if Verizon refuses to listen to customer demands.
Hey Darth, it's this kind of inability to breath like a normal human being that gives us geeks the bad rep. Get your sinuses removed or better yet, cut the audio.
HEEEEEEEEE-HUUUUUUUUU-HEEEE-HUUUUUUUUU