We couldn't get a handle on what at first seemed so "bloated" about the
T-Mobile Pulse until we held it up to the iPhone: this is the first production Android phone to get a "regular" 3.5-inch screen, instead of the rather narrow 3.2-inchers on HTC's trio of Android devices. Sure, it's the same resolution, but we really feel the breathing room. Overall we'd say the Pulse lacks a little something something up against the polished design of the HTC Hero hardware or the iPhone 3G, but it's still plenty alluring -- especially considering that this is being positioned as a pay-as-you-go device. The capacitive screen is quite responsive, and so is the Android UI underneath, which has been modded by T-Mobile to include an odd new home screen that you can pan up, down, left and right on, for a total grid of nine screenfuls of widgets and what have you. Interestingly, the phone merges the back button with the home button, which actually cuts down considerably on the madness of typical Android phone button layouts. Overall, we'd say the phone provides a quite alluring example of what manufacturers that
aren't HTC can pull off with Android: a cheap, sexy, powerful device running a "real" OS and the world's best mobile Gmail app. Video hands-on is after the break.
posted September 4th 2009 6:10AM
I was asking myself the exact same thing. I'm going to blindly assume that they got rid of the "Last Apps" button and you'll just press and hold to get the home screen and simply press to go back. If they were smart, they would map the Menu long-press as the "Last Apps" button, but we'll see in due time I guess.
The Home/Back button has dual functionality: short tap for Back, hold for Home.
I'm pretty sure that means it killed the App Switcher, though I don't actually know for certain.
Actually T-Mobile is the best carrier when it comes to crapping up the firmware.
@qwert
Wow something really wrong here.
What browser are you using? Best as I can tell, Engadget's web designers test everything under Firefox and then call it a day, so everything is broken under any other browser. Of course, it isn't perfect with Firefox either, so you just have to get used to looking for the "replying to" link above your comment and trying again if it isn't there.
The commenting system sucks in firefox too. I honestly wish they'd scrap it.
It's only my guess that they've left it the way it is to prevent a system akin to youtube, where people can vomit through the keyboard, easily.
can we get a post about a phone or an MP3 player without mentioning the ipod? the guy in the sony walkman video seemed like he wanted to shout "apple" like he had turrets syndrome but did a good job holding it in.
i just want a review that focuses on the product and not how said product holds up to an iphone.
Ugh...I dont like this for some reason.
I'll just continue praying for the Rachel to be real =[
I'm using my smartphone with a prepaid SIM card, and it's much cheaper than any contract. As long as you don't constantly watch videos on YouTube, but I don't, I just use the web for mails, news etc., and for that pay as you go is perfect.
Which country are you in? I used a PAYG SIM card when I was back in the UK over Christmas to do exactly what you are doing (mail, google maps etc) and spent about ten pounds including voice over the trip, but in the US I can't find a PAYG operator that will let me have any data at all.
Is this coming To T-Mo USA?
From the first hit on google:
"No fancy user interface like the HTC Sense user interface found on the HTC Hero. It’s a plain vanilla Android implementation that comes with Microsoft Exchange support, so this means that it won’t come with a Google branding on the back of the phone. This also means that the user has to look elsewhere for his/her third party applications, as non-Google branded Android devices are devoid of Google applications such as the Android Market, GMail, etc, which is, honestly speaking, stupid and crazy. This has happened with the HTC Magics on sale in Malaysia, and users have had to jump through hoops to get Android Market installed on their Magics bought locally – thankfully there is a huge community over at the XDA Developers website to help out with hacking HTC’s phones; unfortunately one can’t say the same for Huawei’s phones!"
Without the Android Market and apps, why would ANYONE want this phone?
Uh, you can see "market" right there in the video. The idea that the non "google experience" phones will have no market came from some VERY BAD reporting from a while back and it seems the misinformation still hasn't cleared. It turns out non "google experience" phones just miss OTA firmware updates from Google, but they DO have the market unless the carrier decides to remove it. An Android phone without the market would be severely crippled (though no totally, since you can always directly install apps through the browser if you have the apk link).
This is the nicest looking Android phone yet. It's actually very nice.
I dunno, the chin-less Hero looks pretty sweet too.
Uh, you can see "market" right there in the video. The idea that the non "google experience" phones will have no market came from some VERY BAD reporting from a while back and it seems the misinformation still hasn't cleared. It turns out non "google experience" phones just miss OTA firmware updates from Google, but they DO have the market unless the carrier decides to remove it. An Android phone without the market would be severely crippled (though no totally, since you can always directly install apps through the browser if you have the apk link).
I posted my HD quality video of it at http://techvideoblog.com/ifa/huawei-u8220-android-t-mobile-pulse/
Appreciate it, that was a much better hands on. But I still wish someone would clear up the whole Home-Back button configuration.
Cool, I unlocked it sucessfuly ! I can use vodafone sim !
http://www.unlock-tmobilepulse.com/