T-Mobile gets new phones for its HSPA+42 network
The first two smartphones to run on T-Mobile's fast HSPA+42 network are coming soon, the operator announced Monday.
The HTC Amaze 4G and the Samsung Galaxy S II will be the first from T-Mobile capable of download speeds around 8 Mbps (bits per second) or as fast as 20 Mbps depending on availability and network load.
Both phones are expected to become available on T-Mobile's website starting Oct. 10.
T-Mobile USA Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman announced the devices at the Mobilize conference in San Francisco. He indicated that T-Mobile will not get the Apple iPhone if the next version of that device is unveiled next month as expected.
"To my knowledge, not in October," Brodman said, when asked if T-Mobile would get the iPhone. T-Mobile does want the iPhone and has talked to Apple about it, he said.
Asked about the pending acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T, Brodman said he believes the deal will go through but that T-Mobile customers will win either way.
The Amaze, which will cost a pricey $260 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year service agreement, includes an 8-megapixel camera and 1080p HD video recorder. It features other advanced camera features including "zero shutter lag," a dual LED flash and SmartShot, a technology that takes five pictures and creates the best shot from them.
The Amaze runs Android 2.3.4 and has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 Processor with a 1.5 GHz dual core CPU.
The Samsung Galaxy S II has the same processor, runs Android 2.3.5 and also comes NFC-enabled. It will cost $230 after a $50 mail-in rebate card and a two-year service agreement.
"We have the fastest Galaxy in the universe," Brodman said at Mobilize.
T-Mobile also announced the Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot, which works on the HSPA+42 network. Made by Huawei, it lets a user share the network access via Wi-Fi with up to five other devices. The mobile hotspot has an SD card slot for expandable memory and a display that shows signal strength and number of devices connected. T-Mobile did not offer pricing for the hotspot, which is expected to be available in October in stores and online.
(Source: infoworld.com)
