Lenovo's Android-powered OPhone to hit China Mobile this quarter

Look out, China -- Lenovo's all-too-sexy OPhone is about to land in the hands of unsuspecting China Mobile subscribers, or so says Reuters, anyway. The planet's largest mobile carrier will reportedly launch the 3G handset sometime this quarter, though some reports are suggesting that development is being hampered as engineers struggle with creating a Chinese language version of the OS. Once launched, it will go down as the first Android-powered handset to operate on China's home-cooked TD-SCDMA 3G network, but there's no word on just how costly it'll be. Not like cost is really a concern here, right?

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of modmyGphone]

[Jash Sayani @ Jan 9th 2009 4:26PM]

Wow!!! This is something I am looking forward to!!

BTW, Engadget, don't keep it on the rocks :)

[Totalfixation @ Jan 9th 2009 4:27PM]

Oh Em Gee! I think the handset market is truly heating up. So much to choose from.

[Valicore @ Jan 9th 2009 4:29PM]

I find it a little difficult to believe that it would be a huge task for them to translate Android into Chinese. What are the parts that are giving them trouble I wonder? It was my understanding that Google was set to release a Simplified Chinese version on its own.

[albi @ Jan 9th 2009 5:54PM]

maybe it's their special 3G network compatibility that caused the problem...
anyway im glad theres no underage gymnast joke.....yet

[linuxamp @ Jan 12th 2009 4:19AM]

If you've ever experienced IME on mobile devices you'd realize they're far from polished, even on established operating systems. There are also tons of other areas where internationalization is a problem especially when dealing with non-ascii charactersets. Folder names is one example. Many apps have directory names hard coded in English but this makes it difficult for users who can't read English.

[@LStacey @ Jan 9th 2009 4:29PM]

iWant

[Boarderwoot @ Jan 9th 2009 4:30PM]

When I read through the article the first time I got the impression that these "unsuspecting" subscribers were actually being targeted by China Mobile and having their curent phones jacked from their hands and replaced by this thing that washed up on the beach.

[Luke @ Jan 9th 2009 4:36PM]

Let me show her my O face...

[shugg @ Jan 9th 2009 4:39PM]

holy shhh! another possible iphonekiller., so far 2 contenders in 2 days palm n now this.,yikes.,will they earn the coveted title of iphonekillers.,????

[Ian @ Jan 9th 2009 5:28PM]

Add Nokia's 5800 and the BlackBerry Bold (next iteration, possibly) to the mix as well. These phones and the Lenovo are giving people some needed options. I'm tired of seeing that crappy iPhone everywhere I look. This is coming from a long-time Apple user as well. There's just nothing that great about it, except the scrolling graphics and precision in doing so. However, this doesn't make the iPhone more usable, so who cares?

[Volker @ Jan 9th 2009 4:39PM]

Where the fuck is Paul Chapel and his iPhone sermon? Get your head out of your ass Paul, Engadget is talking about something non-Apple! Sick em boy!

[TaB @ Jan 9th 2009 5:06PM]

Seriously . . . the O phone. Did they pay somone to come up with that. . . .I want that job.

[Jose @ Jan 9th 2009 5:49PM]

It is not a iPhone and neither a GPhone but it is "OOoPhone" = ="

will the OPhone be the start of the new naming theory of Lenovo??

oPhone, oMac, oPod... etc all by lenOvo... tudo de novo~

[Lancewex @ Jan 9th 2009 5:53PM]

Looks like a Cowon S9. Alot.

[Boards of Canada @ Jan 9th 2009 6:45PM]

ADAMOOOO!!!

^_^
sorry, just wakeup... need to scream it!

[Max @ Jan 9th 2009 7:40PM]

Does it come with rocks, or do you have to buy those separately?

[Emerson Cargnin @ Jan 10th 2009 9:28AM]

I have high hopes this phone will be great, but we haven't seen anything yet guys!! Not one single movie or even image of its interface. Just a phone on the rocks. The standards are set quite high at this point I must say.
I hope that they don't come with an analog clock on a background as the main home window.

[Erik @ Jan 10th 2009 1:44PM]

Why is everyone so excited about this? I don't see anywhere that it is going to be released to markets outside of China...I certainly haven't seen plans for a GSM version.

I'm a G1 user so I'm sold on Android...I would love to see this come to he US, but to be an "iPhone Killer" wouldn't it have to be a "World Phone"?

[omnomnom @ Jan 10th 2009 2:13PM]

Those rocks looks like they could probably scratch that shininess.