Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/08/13/google_android_launch_rumor/
Google Android just five weeks away?
T-Mobile asks $399, Google demands your soul
13th August 2008 00:27 GMT
This week, another unnamed source told (http://tmonews.com/2008/08/android-may-be-here-sooner-then-we-think/) TmoNews - a T-Mobile obsessed blog - that the American wireless carrier will offer up the first Android phone for pre-sale on 17 September.
Back in June, sources told (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/23/android_delays/) The Wall Street Journal that Google's currently closed (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/06/lefty_and_google/) open mobile platform could be delayed until 2009.
But this "trusted source" says that T-Mobile's Android - manufactured by Taiwan-based outfit HTC - will retail at a hefty $399. TmoNews calls the phone "the G1" - "codename or real name, we're not sure" - but it would appear this is the so-called HTC Dream that recently popped up (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/11/google_android_video_hits_youtube/) on YouTube.
The G1 pre-sale will last for one week, the blog says, and during that time, the phone will be available only to existing T-Mobile customers. And it seems those existing customers can grab one for $250 below the retail price. "Other customers interested in the G1 may have to wait until beginning/mid October before a national public launch," TmoNews continues.
The blog goes on to say that the G1 will include a 5 x 3in touchscreen, a slide-out Qwerty keyboard (as seen in that blurred YouTube video), and a three-megapixel camera.
Our favorite bit: TmoNews says that you won't be able to use the G1 without a Google Gmail account. We plan to boycott the phone for that reason alone. ®