T-Mobile's Pulse (click for full slideshow)
(Credit: ZDNet UK)T-Mobile has demonstrated the first pay-as-you-go Android handset to go on sale in the UK.
The Pulse, which is manufactured by Huawei, was announced on Thursday. Huawei is best known in the UK for manufacturing mobile broadband dongles for operators such as T-Mobile, and the Pulse marks its entry into the British handset market.
"The T-Mobile Pulse represents another Android milestone from T-Mobile," said Nicola Shenton, who currently heads the operator's handset business in the UK, in a statement. "We introduced the first Android handset, the T-Mobile G1, to the UK back in October 2008, launched our second handset, the G2 Touch, earlier this year and now we're opening up Android-based smartphones to a whole new type of mobile user with the first handset on pay-as-you-go."
"We predicted back in June that we expected one in five T-Mobile mobile internet users will have Android-powered devices by the end of the year, and the launch of the T-Mobile Pulse is a major step in making this a reality," she added.
The pay-as-you-go T-Mobile Pulse will go on sale in the UK in October at £180. Contract pricing is yet to be announced.
David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.
(Credit:
Huawei)
Aside from its Android smartphone, Huawei also showcased its E583X wireless modem at CommunicAsia 2009. Other HSDPA modems are usually shaped like flash drives that you plug into a free USB port on your computer.
The E583X does it differently because it's able to send out a Wi-Fi signal that you connect to wirelessly (like at a hot spot) from your notebook. This means you can leave the device out of sight and not have something dangling from your slim, fashionable Netbook. A 1,500mAh battery powers the device, giving about five hours of wireless productivity. It charges via USB, and if you prefer, you can also use it plugged in to your notebook like regular HSDPA modems.
Now, freeing up a single USB port may not seem like a fantastic reason to pick this product over a regular USB modem. What's more, your notebook will probably consume more battery power with Wi-Fi turned on. But variations of this product will allow up to five users running a single cellular connection, perfect for situations when others around you need to share your Internet access.
Like all of Huawei's products, this one will be sold through mobile operators. It will first appear in Europe come July. Below is a quick hands-on video of the E583X.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Huawei)
China-based Huawei announced its first Android-based smartphone, dubbed the U823X, at Singapore's CommunicAsia 2009. One key feature is the 3.5-inch display, which is larger than all the HTC Android devices released so far. It will also contain a 1,500mAh cell for longer battery life and connectivity features such as HSDPA, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
Huawei also mentioned on its specs sheet that the phone will come with the "Chrome Lite" browser. Google co-founder Sergey Brin mentioned last year that the Android browser could possibly bear the Chrome name, but the company has never done that officially. We checked this out with the product manager and confirmed that the U823X's browser is simply the default one that comes with Android.
The demo unit on display was not a working prototype, so we weren't able to try it out. At least it wasn't in a glass case, and we managed to shoot a hands-on video that shows the device's physical features. Like all other Huawei handsets, the U823X will be sold only through operators, so whether you will see it in your country will depend on the carriers. It's set for release later this year.
(Source: Crave Asia)
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