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Tag: t-mobile

  • T-Mobile to take G1 into continental Europe


    Various countries on the European continent are in line to get the HTC G1 following its October launch in the UK and US.

    T-Mobile is continuing the roll-out of the handset – the first to run Google’s Android operating system – with a launch in Germany on 2 February.

    That follows the arrival of the touchscreen device in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria before the end of 30 January.

    It will also hit Poland sometime in February.

    T-Mobile chief executive Hamid Akhavan said the G1 had sold "several hundred thousand" units in the US, where it retails for USD $179 with a two-year contract.

    In Germany the phone will sell from USD €1 on a two-year contract.

    The Android operating system is expected to appear on a number of smartphones in the next 12 months, having won support from major manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Huawei and Motorola.

  • G2 Software Issues Delay Launch


    There has been plenty of speculation that the launch of the next Google Android-powered handset is just days away.

    That appears to be premature according to BGR, which claims the launch has in fact been delayed until April due to "software issues".

    Among the other unconfirmed details gleaned are that the T-Mobile G2 will actually launch on another global carrier as well.

    Since the "G" names are trademarks of T-Mobile the other carrier will use its own name for the device.

    BGR also reports that the new handset will be full touch without a physical QWERTY keyboard and will have a trackball at the bottom.

  • Android Smartphone To Sell 400k By Year-end


    You might expect sales to be intitially sluggish for a new smartphone with an unproven mobile operating system.

    But that was never going to be the case with the hotly anticipated first Google Android handset from T-Mobile and HTC, which is expected to be officially announced Tuesday.

    Research from Strategy Analytics suggests that the Android operating system will sell 400,000 units by the year-end.

    If accurate, that represents 4 per cent of all smartphones sold in the US during the fourth quarter of 2008.

    Neil Mawston, director at Strategy Analytics, said Android was a relatively late entrant and it will join an increasingly crowded smartphone market alongside Blackberry, Microsoft, Apple, Palm, Symbian and LiMo.

    But he added: "We forecast 10.5 million smartphones to be sold in the United States during Q4 2008.

    “We estimate smartphones with Google’s Android operating system, led by HTC of Taiwan, will reach 0.4 million units in the quarter, for a 4 per cent marketshare.”

    Chris Ambrosio, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said Google had the brand power in the US to make a big impact at launch.
    He said the main issue would be operator subsidies. The HTC handset is expected to have a USD $199 price tag.

    “As seen with the iPhone and smart devices in general, retail prices need to be well below USD $200 to be competitive,” he said.

    “Longer-term success will, of course, rest on Android vendor ability to create designs with wow factor and an intuitive user-interface.”

    Ambrosio said Google would do its part to drive growth, and he expected Android to eventually offer a compelling range of mobile applications emphasizing Google’s online assets, such as advertising, mapping and search.

  • T-Mobile to launch first Android smartphone

    Google’s Android operating system to be offered on HTC phone

    T-Mobile is to be the first carrier to offer a mobile phone powered by Google’s Android software.

    The phone will be made by HTC, one of the largest makers of mobile phones in the world, and is expected to go on sale in the United States before Christmas, according to reports.

    Google is making the Android operating system software available free to an alliance of companies, including mobile phone carriers and manufacturers who have agreed to provide devices which, like personal computers, allow users to decide which applications run on them.

    Google thinks that many consumers will want to personalise their mobile phones with unique applications and services.

    The mobile Web is seen as vital to the long-term growth of Google’s digital advertising business.

    Flagged as a worthy rival to Apple’s 3G iPhone, the HTC smartphone will have a touch screen.
    But the screen can slide out to expose a full five-row keyboard.

    While other carriers and manufacturers have plans to offer phones based on Google’s software, the T-Mobile-HTC phone is expected to be the only Android phone available in the US this year.

    Some makers of mobile software programs have complained that creating applications for Android has been difficult.
    They claim Google has continued to make changes to the operating system and at times has been too busy to provide support to developers.

  • Boost for mobile broadband as T-Mobile UK improves photo and video upload speeds


    Mobile operator T-Mobile UK has deployed HSUPA technology on a nationwide basis to improve upload speeds for users.
    The operator has promised the change will result in an improvement of to fivefold in the time it takes to upload photos and videos to web sites at speeds of up to 1.4Mbps.
    T-Mobile claims it is the first UK carrier to have committed to the data access protocol.
    The company said it is also upgrading the download capability of its HSDPA 3G network to 7.2Mbps, initially within the M25 zone encircling London but rolling out to other major cities during the second half of the year.
    T-Mobile is also trying to drive data usage, by cutting data roaming charges 80 per cent, to £1.50 per MB while travelling in EU member countries.
    Customers signing up for Mobile Broadband before October will also receive a £5 discount, knocking the price down to £10 per month.
    An online ‘postcode checker’ also allows potential customers to gauge the coverage and strength of 3G signal at their home.
    Jim Hyde, T-Mobile UK’s chief executive, said: “Mobile Broadband has come of age.
    “Today, 25 per cent of new contract customers are signing up and we expect to quadruple our user base in 2008.”

  • T-Mobile Appoints New Chief Marketing Officer

    Denny Marie Post, the senior VP-global food and beverage at Starbucks is to move to T-Mobile as the mobile operator’s chief marketing officer (CMO).
    On making the announcement, Robert Dotson, president-CEO of T-Mobile USA, said in a statement: “Denny has deep and varied experience as a marketing leader in some of the most competitive retail environments in America.
    “We’re delighted she brings her extensive talents to T-Mobile to further drive our mission of enriching personal relationships.”
    According to tracking data from TNS Media Intelligence, T-Mobile spent US$607 million in advertising last year.
    Prior to working at Starbucks, Ms. Post has served as the Chief Concept Officer at fast-food chain, Burger King since April 2004.
    From 1995 to March 2004, Ms. Post served in various positions for Yum! Brands, including Chief Innovation Officer at KFC, Chief Marketing Officer for KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in Canada and VP Concept Innovation for KFC.
    The previous CMO, Michael Butler left at the beginning of the year for HomeAway, which operates the a network of vacation rental websites. Robert Dotson has been acting CMO since then.
    Earlier T-Mobile revealed its plans for the iPhone 3G in Europe with the announcement that Apple’s new handset will go on sale in Germany from as low as EUR1.
    The company said the 8 gigabyte version will be priced from EUR1 to EUR169.95, depending on the customer’s rate plan.
    The 16 gigabyte version will be priced from EUR19.95 to EUR249.95.
    T-Mobile will sell Apple’s device exclusively and customers are required to sign a two-year contract when buying the iPhone.
    The 3G iPhone will go on sale in Germany from July 11. T-Mobile will also start selling the new handset in Austria and the Netherlands the same day.
    The company will sell the phones in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia later this year.