Android-powered HTC Dream to sell for $199 on T-Mobile

With under a week to go before the HTC Dream is officially unveiled in the Big Apple, the Wall Street Journal has given us something juicy to gnaw on for the time being: a price. Unsurprisingly positioned to compete directly with the iPhone 3G, the Android-powered HTC Dream / G1 will go for a cool $199 (with 2-year contract, obviously) when it launches on T-Mobile, though there's no word yet on what it'll run sans subsidization. So, how do you like dem Apples?

[Via Fortune]

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:10AM]

You would think if HTC was taking this seriously that they would of made a better looking handset to compete with the "jesus" phone....otherwise I would agree with the pricing.

[giantenemycrab @ Sep 18th 2008 12:08AM]

Any word on how much it'll cost w/o contract?

[webon @ Sep 18th 2008 12:50AM]

"though there's no word yet on what it'll run sans subsidization" ... guess thats a tad too fancy a sentence for ya huh?

[JohnTitor @ Sep 18th 2008 1:15AM]

$400

[Knives_Out @ Sep 18th 2008 1:46AM]

I LOVE the new comment ranking system!

[EmoChicksAreHot.....Seriously @ Sep 18th 2008 11:11AM]

I just really wanna know if I can get it on ATT.Or buy the tmobile one and get it to work on att.

[BluesK1d @ Sep 18th 2008 11:26AM]

I want to know what Tmo will be charging for the plan. In the words of the great Mel Brooks, "What'll it cost man, what'll it cost!?"

[Heshmati4 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:11AM]

I have a feeling that I will be disappointed with Android. It will probably be missing one or more major feature in a basic smartphone (exchange? copy/paste? a good music player?). Then again it's a 1.0 product.

Then again, the iphone is on 2.0 now and it's still missing:
* MMS
* Copy/paste
* Flash
* Video Capture
etc....

[Someone is here @ Sep 18th 2008 12:12AM]

I'm with you on these ones man!

[Jeremy K. @ Sep 18th 2008 12:22AM]

Because of the flexibility of the platform, I find it hard to believe that something will be left out and there won't be a solution for end users at most in a short amount of time after release.

Now, if T-Mobile tries to muck with the OS, then that's another story.

[Jeremy K. @ Sep 18th 2008 12:24AM]

I think the only problem will be that the form factor is a bit ugly, albeit practical/useful.

[jake @ Sep 18th 2008 12:41AM]

I was hoping by second gen, the iPhone would have addressed all that, but sadly it hasn't. With Android being an open platform, I hope any missing features will be quickly filled in shortly after release. But I am also expecting some things to be missing at launch, given it is first gen as you mentioned.

On the looks of the device, not ready to judge until the real unveiling. Again it's important to note Android is not only about this HTC Dream, so for people who don't like the looks, there will be other phones coming along fairly soon.

[Alan Strangis @ Sep 18th 2008 1:13AM]

Well, Android DOES have copy/paste functionality.

I've installed it on my HTC Touch, and that worked fine.

The web browser is really nice, but Flash content came up with the classic 'jigsaw puzzle' plug-in content box instead of actual video.

Can't speak to the other stuff, and this was an early from April that was in a single executable space, as opposed to more recent releases like the following...

http://it029000.massey.ac.nz/vogue/

[Nick @ Sep 18th 2008 1:19AM]

Personally, I have never missed MMS or Video Capture. MMS is unnecessary because I just email photos if need be. Video capture on cell phones is always of poor quality.

I have only missed Copy and Paste on rare occasions. There are workarounds for many scenarios.

The lack of Flash has frustrated me on a number of occasions. That's the only one I'd like to see addressed.

All in all, I've been very satisfied with the iPhone and it doesn't deserve the wrath of the haters, but they hate anything that becomes too popular, so it's no surprise. Still, I'm very curious about Android because I love Google. We will see.

[Knives_Out @ Sep 18th 2008 1:48AM]

Flash really chokes on the PC Chrome browser

[Jon Doe. @ Sep 18th 2008 2:01AM]

The difference being its not going to take Google a year to release updates with features. I'd bet that we will see major feature updates in the next 6 months. Hell Google themselves has said that the Bluetooth API will be complete in the very near future.

[Jon Speed @ Sep 18th 2008 2:05AM]

Yes there is copy paste, and also check out this video if you're wondering what kind of music software it has.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFjAdgwqtfU

I thought you'd like that.

[Pierre @ Sep 18th 2008 6:20AM]

Yea I think round 1 might suck a bit, but just think of how awesome it will be in a year or whatever - when all the problems are sorted out it'll be super awesome.

[haX0r @ Sep 18th 2008 1:27PM]

I heard a rumor from a friend that attended a development conference that Skyfire will have an Android browser by early 2009. That should be able to help with flash although I know that this phone will come preloaded with Chrome - which isn't bad but nothing like Firefox!

[nova62400 @ Sep 18th 2008 4:06PM]

or, you could jailbreak your phone and add those features. only on a t-mobile related article would you get highly ranked, none of what you said is new or interesting to anyone who has an iphone. And yes, my iphone is on t-mobile.

[Roy @ Sep 18th 2008 12:11AM]

i'd guess about 300-400

[Rogue_Genius @ Sep 18th 2008 12:12AM]

Apparently 'someone' didn't get the memo about that type of behavior. Moving on.
$199 price point? That's definitely a direct shot. Time to head to the schoolyard and watch the fight after class!!

[Tim @ Sep 18th 2008 12:46AM]

Not much of a struggle there...

[alberto @ Sep 18th 2008 12:48AM]

I don't get it...everything HTC has made recently is sharp and sexy. Then you get the Dream. Don;t get me wrong, am excited to see the final UI from google. but why so bulky and ugly. The product design had to be Googles doing.

[Cycomachead @ Sep 18th 2008 12:58AM]

HOWEVER, there's no internal memory adding to the cost. Memory is cheap, but it's an added cost. Although most just look a time of purchase cost so it probably won't affect much. Can't wait to try this out though. But for comparison to an iPhone I hope it has a big screen!!!

[chefgon_ign @ Sep 18th 2008 8:00AM]

I agree what it looks bulky in photos, but according to the FCC, its dimensions are nearly identical to the iPhone, it's really skinny for a qwerty slider. I think it's going to look much, much nicer in person.

[iEye @ Sep 18th 2008 12:13AM]

Well obviously they would not charge more than what an iPhone costs... T-mobile wants new customers... not to charge more money for a device that the general public does not know about...


Hmm... $199 iPhone on AT&T New fangled device on T-Mobile $199

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 18th 2008 1:31AM]

factor in how much more expensive an iphone plan is...

[StammesOpfer @ Sep 18th 2008 12:14AM]

Does anyone else think this device is ugly. I know HTC doesn't have the brightest history of good looking devices (recently has gotten much better) but this is bad even for them. I know that it is cool because of Android but come on the flagship launch of Android and you can't even pretty it up a little bit. Oh well I guess I will just wait till I get back into the country next spring to see what AT&T has in their lineup at the time.

[mvp @ Sep 18th 2008 12:24AM]

Right behind you in that that, looks old, thick, and toyish with the main buttons along the bottom edge.

[Heshmati4 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:25AM]

I totally agree!

This HTC phone looks fugly!

Maybe HTC didn't put all their efforts in creating the G1.

Though HTC makes some pretty darn good phones... (Have you've seen the Touch HD?!?!?!)

[Jon Nelson @ Sep 18th 2008 12:26AM]

Yeahhh, I'm not terribly impressed with the design, either. I think they could've done a lot better job than they did. How can they come up with something as gorgeous as HTC Touch HD or Touch Pro or Diamond and then fart this ugly thing out as a footnote?

[SimonRichards @ Sep 18th 2008 12:36AM]

I was just about to post the same thing! Seriously, they know what they are up against, why not at least TRY to make a good looking handset?

[maveric101 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:43AM]

i'm not sure why they made that bottom lip angle up.

also, this thing looks much less toyish in black. not sure where the link is...

[Nick J @ Sep 18th 2008 1:07AM]

Damn ugly. Should have been named the Nightmare.

Zing!

[Jon Doe. @ Sep 18th 2008 2:05AM]

We'll ignore the fact that Engadget keeps using the picture of this obvious prototype without any cleaned up finish. I'm certain that in black with a backlite keyboard this thing will look sweet.

[Rogue_Genius @ Sep 18th 2008 9:48AM]

I agree. I would love to think that the images we've been exposed to are not accurate, but we've seen the FCC filing for the shaping. Like other comments on this topic, I hope that the final product looks better in person than it does on screen. But we do know the dimensions of the G1 aren't that far from a certain keyboardless handset that doesn't run WinMo...:D

[BluesK1d @ Sep 18th 2008 11:22AM]

Hold your horses people! The final model is much more polished looking (literally and figuratively). Check out the video from London the other day. It looks quite nice.

[namtastic @ Sep 18th 2008 12:38PM]

Hah! Have you seen what T-Mobile does to their branded phones before?

Re: the HTC 8125:

AT&T's = http://www.wirefly.com/images/phones/cingular_8125_cingular_z1.jpg
T-Mobile's = http://www.mycellphoneblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/t-mobile-mda.jpg

I'd bet the photos we've seen are a real design.

[Hotrod @ Sep 18th 2008 12:14AM]

I hope that phone in the picture is just an assumption of what the Dream looks like.

[rippinhonda @ Sep 18th 2008 12:39AM]

Yep its super ugly

[webon @ Sep 18th 2008 12:56AM]

@ripp... thats what she said!

[Kevin @ Sep 18th 2008 12:30AM]

I'm pretty sure I saw someone using one of these over the past week and I can tell you that the device he was using looked EXACTLY the same, but it was black. It looked a lot better in person than that picture, but I can't say more because the guy had to put the phone away before I had a chance to look at it.

[Christian @ Sep 18th 2008 12:33AM]

HTC devices are like Archos devices, they drop the ball when it comes to functionality and design.

[Stealth @ Sep 18th 2008 12:38AM]

Uhm, you have seen the Touch series right? (HD, Diamond, Pro)

[V.I. @ Sep 18th 2008 12:42AM]

Not the Touch HD according to what I've read...
Like with everyone else up top, I don't think I'm budging till a HTC HD-esque device pops up with it.

[StammesOpfer @ Sep 18th 2008 1:14AM]

Well I would have to disagree with you on both counts. I happen to own both a htc tytn (hermes, 8125) and an Archos Mp3/Media player and while I don't think either is particularly beautiful both are very capable devices especially for the time frame that they were released in. I personally am looking at either the touch pro or the xperia x1 both of which are manufactured by HTC. However I will be waiting until spring and am hoping to see a similar design with Android loaded.

[Jon Speed @ Sep 18th 2008 2:11AM]

Hmm, HTC devices have been nothing but solid for me. Been using them now for 3 years. And looking to get another one.

[riggs @ Sep 18th 2008 8:33AM]

congratulations, you are wrong on both counts.

[dvsbstrd @ Sep 18th 2008 12:42AM]

Hmm...

I'm a little behind when it comes to the whole Android thing, and especially this handset, which I find oddly appealing.

Can someone catch me up to speed on specs and such?

A link would suffice.