T-Mo News has leaked an image showing the release dates for four major T-Mobile products including the LG G-Slate, Dell Streak 7, and Samsung Galaxy S 4G. The Motorola Cliq2 was included in the image, although it was released back on January 19th.
T-Mo asserts that those dates are now confirmed with the Dell Streak 7 Tablet coming up first on February 2nd for $299.99 after rebate and following with the Samsung Galaxy S 4G on February 23rd and the LG G-Slate rounding it out on March 23rd.
Of all the phones we didn’t expect to have a successor, T-Mobile USA’s Nuron ranks high on that list — though it was a great deal seeing how it didn’t require a smartphone data plan, the device itself offered users a pretty miserable (and unnecessarily WiFi-less) experience. New rumors suggest that the carrier had fixed its sights on Nokia’s Symbian^1-powered C5-03 as the successor to the Nuron for launch early next month… but don’t get your hopes up, because in the same breath, PocketNow reports that the project has already been killed off. No word on the logic behind the move, but the killing echoes the recent news that the X7′s AT&T debut had been axed after the two companies failed to agree on marketing and pricing. Doesn’t seem like T-Mobile would be playing those same games, but you never know.
As AT&T’s iPhone exclusivity reluctantly teeters on the brink of oblivion, it seems a good time to take one last look at the smartphone playground, the way it is before V-Day. The New York Times has handily done that job for us with the above chart, which simultaneously gives us a sense of scale when comparing US carriers and lays out the concentration of Android devices across those networks. It also shows a big fat bump of iOS on AT&T, making it the biggest carrier in terms of combined iPhone and Android users — nothing shocking there, but the real fun will be in taking a look at this same data a few months from now. Will the iPhone fragment itself all over the four major networks? Will AT&T’s Android stable ever be respectable? Tune in to your next installment of “fun, but mostly irrelevant statistics” to find out.
As promised, it seems that T-Mobile’s version of the Vibrant is getting Froyo today after a brutally long wait. The good news is that you won’t need to wait for a staggered rollout, apparently — but the bad news is that currently you’ll need to get it using Samsung’s Kies Mini PC app, not over-the-air. Tethered updates are always less convenient than their OTA equivalents (though Samsung continues to be particularly fond of them), and in the case of Kies Mini, there’s no Mac version, so you’ll need to be near a Windows machine to make it happen. This hasn’t been officially announced yet, though commenters over on TmoNews appear to be having luck — so if you give it a go, let us know how you fare.
T-Mobile USA has confirmed that it will need a spectrum partner by 2014 or 2015 in order to build sufficient LTE capability, though the carrier refuses to reveal which companies it might look to work with. Meanwhile, the carrier believes 10-percent of those leaving its network are shifting to AT&T for the iPhone; in response, it plans to offer sub-$100 Android smartphones with $10 data plans.
“Deutsche Telekom is exploring various options to acquire additional spectrum and reduce the gap regarding economies of scale compared with its larger competitors, including partnering with other companies” T-Mobile statement
The exact timeline for T-Mobile’s LTE roll-out has not been made public. The carrier has said it will stick with HSPA+ until LTE “devices are readily available and once device quality is on par” with the HSPA+ handsets coming to market presently, “although that will probably not be for a few years.” 42Mbps HSPA+ is expected to debut later this year.
Verizon launched an LTE network in late 2010, and AT&T plans to do the same in 2011; both could be potential partners for T-Mobile, though AT&T’s GSM background might make legacy compatibility more straightforward than Verizon’s existing CDMA network. T-Mobile expects the LTE roll-out to cost between $1bn and $2bn.
T-Mobile USA has poured cold water onto rumors of price leaks for the upcoming Dell Streak 7, which had been guesstimated at $330 after what appeared to be Equipment Installment plan information was spotted at the bottom of the 7-inch tablet’s information page. According to the carrier, that information “is the result of a technical error and is incorrect.”
Unfortunately they won’t say what the accurate figures actually are, only that the official numbers will be shared in the “near future.” Launched at CES 2011 earlier this month, the Streak 7 has a WVGA capacitive touchscreen, NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and support for T-Mobile USA’s HSPA+ network.
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom — better known in the States as T-Mobile USA’s disciplinarian parent — was out in New York today chatting up its American division’s prospects for the future, and execs from both sides of the pond had quite a bit to say. The biggest outstanding concerns for the carrier revolve around revenue and customer churn — which, let’s be honest, are the core benchmarks that any carrier in the world is looking to improve — and the division’s CEO Philipp Humm just announced a series of initiatives to help get those numbers in line. On the churn side, they’re “going big with Android” to combat the iPhone, continuing to roll out WiFi calling to alleviate network coverage issues, and tightening up “risk management” issues that have let some bill deadbeats slip through the cracks. Funny to think that non-payment is a big enough issue to be a revenue risk for these guys, but it’s true.
While the Samsung Galaxy S 4G for T-Mobile was already “confirmed” earlier today, T-Mobile saw fit to send out an official press release detailing, without actually adding any pertinent details about the device in question, the upcoming release of the “fastest smartphone running on America’s largest 4G network.” Thankfully, the press release does tell us a bit about the phone that some will find worthwhile, even if we are missing quite a bit more.
The Galaxy S 4G will feature a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display, just as we’ve seen on all the other Galaxy S-branded Android-powered handsets from Samsung over the last few months. And yes, the Galaxy S 4G will run Android 2.2 under the hood, better known as Froyo. It will be able to take advantage of T-Mobile’s (theoretical) speeds up to 21 Mbps.
Further details about the handset, like how fast the processor will be, or how much RAM and memory will be thrown in to the package, remain to be seen. Pricing and a release date are missing, too. However, T-Mobile says they are coming in a few weeks, so stay tuned. Full press release below.
Press Release
T-Mobile to Deliver Fastest Smartphone Running on America’s Largest 4G Network
Galaxy S 4G Offers Rich Entertainment Experience at Lightning-Fast Speeds
BELLEVUE, Wash., and DALLAS — Jan. 20, 2011 — T-Mobile USA, Inc. and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S.1, today revealed the Galaxy S™ 4G, exclusively from T-Mobile.
According to T-Mobile, the Galaxy S 4G will be the fastest smartphone running on America’s Largest 4G Network™. Powered by Android™ 2.2 (Froyo), the Galaxy S 4G is T-Mobile’s first smartphone capable of delivering theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps, delivering rich entertainment experiences at even faster speeds through its brilliant Super AMOLED touch screen display.
T-Mobile’s 4G network, America’s largest 4G network, is currently available in 100 major metropolitan areas, reaching approximately 200 million people nationwide. With aggressive plans to expand and double the speed of its 4G network in 2011, T-Mobile expects that 140 million Americans in 25 major metropolitan areas will have access to these increased 4G speeds by midyear.
“With Galaxy S 4G, T-Mobile will deliver its fastest smartphone yet on America’s largest 4G network, providing rich entertainment virtually whenever and wherever consumers want,” said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “And with 4G data plans from $10 per month, we’re making blazing-fast 4G speeds and super smartphone experiences easily accessible to the millions who crave them.”
More information on the Galaxy S 4G from T-Mobile will be available in the coming weeks.
T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network not available everywhere. See coverage details at T-Mobile.com. 4G used in connection with the Galaxy S™ 4G product name refers to the fact that the Galaxy S™ 4G is designed with HSPA+ technology.
# # #
About T-Mobile USA, Inc.
Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG. By the end of the third quarter of 2010, approximately 130 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.8 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS, the world’s most widely-used digital wireless standards. Today, T-Mobile operates America’s largest 4G network, and is delivering a compelling 4G experience across a broad lineup of leading devices in more places than competing 4G services. T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.de/investor-relations.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the current views of Deutsche Telekom management with respect to future events. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project” and “should” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates, and projections, and therefore you should not place too much reliance on them. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond Deutsche Telekom’s control, including, without limitation, those factors set forth in “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” contained in Deutsche Telekom’s annual report on Form 20-F filed on February 28, 2010. If these or other risks and uncertainties materialize, or if the assumptions underlying any of these statements prove incorrect, Deutsche Telekom’s actual results may be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Deutsche Telekom does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
Sorry, gents, but your conspiracy theories are wholly kaput — not only is a Samsung Galaxy S getting Android 2.2 stateside, but the speedy software update will start rolling out tomorrow on T-Mobile USA. That’s the word direct from T-Mo chief marketing officer Cole Brodman, who tossed the news to PC Magazine this afternoon, saying that the delay was a “quality control and timing issue.” Apparently, there’s extra work involved in skinning the operating system and adding exclusive apps like WiFi calling — though he didn’t confirm either would specifically appear in the Vibrant’s build of Froyo. Here’s some more welcome news, though: the gentleman promised that in general, Android updates on T-Mobile will be more prompt from now on, as the firm’s shooting to update all phones to new versions within five months of Google making source code available. Does that mean we should expect some Gingerbread men by May? We’re not totally sure, but we imagine that T-Mobile’s rivals aren’t sitting still — we’ll probably hear some fascinating, captivating and totally epic news about Froyo any minute now.
Whoa, this is kind of out of the blue: on top of the Vibrant 4G that we’ve already had leaked ad nauseam (though he refers to it as a “Galaxy S 4G”), T-Mobile USA CEO Phiipp Humm mentioned at an event this morning that the company is preparing an HSPA+ Sidekick — yes, a Sidekick — albeit with Android slotted in place of the defunct Danger Hiptop operating system. For the record, T-Mobile hasn’t had any Sidekicks in its lineup since the middle of last year, though it does own the Sidekick brand — not Danger / Microsoft — and would undoubtedly love to bring it back to relevance. Coincidentally, Mister Android himself, Andy Rubin, came from Danger — so the Sidekick’s starting to follow him around. Kind of like… you know, a sidekick. Both products are said to be “coming soon.”
Update: After the break, spot a picture of what the Sidekick might look like, likely courtesy of HTC — there’s no mistaking that QWERTY keyboard layout.
