Good afternoon TmoNews minions readers! There has been a lot going on in Magenta’s world in the past few weeks, and it looks like the news just keeps on coming. Yesterday we received quite a few emails from our sources stating that a new Android device was in the works, codenamed the MyTouch Slide/MyTouch 2. Our sources pegged the device for a May 17th release. Today another one of our trusty ninjas has hit us up claiming that T-Mobile has more up its sleeve. T-Mobile is rumored to be releasing another Motorola Android device (Sholes Tablet?) on March 10th. Our source also claims that on March 17th, T-Mobile will be releasing a Nokia Smartphone (N900 anyone?). Sony Ericsson lovers if the original Equinox color didn’t appeal to you, you can pick up the Equinox January 20th in the shade of Ocean Blue. Our sources are also stating that the Samsung T139 will be hitting the shelves February 3rd. Hooray! First in line for this one!
As always all these dates are super tentative and subject to change.
Stay tuned and leave your thoughts and hopes in the comments!
Update: I’m bringing this back to the front because as the news comes forward that T-Mobile is the launch partner for the Nexus One, where do you see T-Mobile going in 2010?
With the year ending in less than two weeks time, 2009 has been a rollercoaster for T-Mobile on any number of levels. To say that we all look forward to what will come in 2010 wouldn’t be enough of an understatement. The last few weeks have at least seen their share of exciting phone news and with that, a notion that T-Mobile may finally be ready to deliver handsets that deserve the hype they create. The Google Phone, X10, HTC HD2 and the N900 showcase the idea that T-Mobile and their off-the-beaten path AWS bands are not to be ignored. Also, through smooth negotiating or a desire to not be a part of the AT&T disaster train, handset manufacturers see promise in the T-Mobile customer base.
Saschasegan of PCMag is one of my favorite twitter contacts and I came across an article written yesterday discussing Open Source and what intrigued me were the closing paragraphs. He’s made no bones about being celebratory over T-Mobile’s Even More/Even More Plus plans and the way T-Mobile has attempted to change the rate plan game in the wireless industry. The reason to bring this forward is Sascha’s notion of how T-Mobile should “flirt with the geeks to boost its profile, attracting developers and creative types.” As I read through that, I thought that’s a terrific idea, why wouldn’t T-Mobile want to attract those individuals who influence opinion based on the apps and products they develop? The geeks and creative types shape the industry these days with App Stores being all the rage, so why wouldn’t T-Mobile want to put some muscle behind this?
To support his claim, Sascha offers evidence in the form of the N900 and its T-Mobile based AWS 3G bands. Claiming T-Mobile should sell unsubsidized N900’s to move further move away from the current, loathed carrier model. T-Mobile would continue to differentiate itself as a carrier thinking outside the box. T-Mobile needs a “leg up” and while their new plan offerings certainly hope to give them a boost, attracting a more data friendly customer would serve to give them a much needed push for their public relations. Phone Geeks shout from the roof tops and the more yelling the better, magenta needs it.
If you didn’t want to spend $1,000,000 dollars on your next device, perhaps purchasing an unlocked N900 is more to your liking. Dell is currently unloading the N900 unlocked with all their usual coupon offerings for a low price of $442 + Free Shipping + Tax. This deal comes courtesy of the fine folks at Slickdeals who know a thing or two about bargain hunting. If you’re looking to treat yourself to the super device that is the N900, and do it soon, this might be the best way to get it done.
Are you one of those people that just can’t wait for the launch of the N900? Well, then this is just for you. While there is still no confirmation (I know, it’s sad) that the Nokia beast will come to T-Mobile USA, you can still pick one up, unlocked, and it will work just fine on our 3G network. Maybe you are dying to have this phone but couldn’t stomach the $649 price tag. Well, now you can grab one for a penny short of $560, and while that isn’t a huge savings, it makes it that much more attainable. [To think, a friend of mine just ordered one over the weekend. I told him to wait for savings, but who is laughing now (hint: he is because he still gets the monster of a phone)]. So if this deal is for you, head on over to Newegg and start counting the days until November 14th.
Remember that N900? What am I kidding, of course you do. While there is no official word regarding its arrival to T-Mobile, we do have further confirmation that the N900 runs on T-Mobile’s 3G network. Yes, oh yes, the Nokia has that mythical 1700 MHz band that we like to see. Anyways, this thing has a 2.26 Mb/s download, 0.34 Mb/s upload and a ping time of 174 ms. In case you were wondering, that is fast. Leave your thoughts in the comments (and maybe, just maybe, if we wish loud enough it will grace us with its presence)!
With the recent rumor offering up hope that the Nokia N900 will still be landing on Magenta in early 2010, the N900 has showed itself at the Maemo Summit currently taking place. If you weren’t one of the lucky ones able to attend it, (don’t worry we didn’t either), thankfully the action was caught on video. This video focuses on the device’s 3D gaming capabilities and a demonstration playing YouTube videos in the Mozilla-based web browser. While we hope the expected release date comes to fruition, enjoy this video and don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!
UPDATE: We understand that the N900 is not official yet for any carrier, I have updated to the post to reflect that info! David
Still waiting impatienly for the Nokia N900? With the recent Holiday offers T-Mobile has in store for us, the N900 was surprisingly not one of them. While we continue to wait, let us drool over some N900 videos. This video released by Nokia themselves shows an in-depth look at the Mozilla-based web browser on a beautiful touchscreen with an 800 x 480 resolution. Enjoy the six minutes of drooling (Please try to keep it in your mouth). Don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments!
There are some truly lucky people on this industry, and the people over at PhoneScoop fall into that category. Ignoring all this Android hubbub, they sought out the best of the best in mobile communication devices. I’m talking, of course, about the Nokia N900 phone, mobile computer, all in one and almighty gadget. Highlights of the device include an amazing ability to multitask, a Mozilla browser with full flash (the real deal, not flash lite), a sweet home panel system, fully function phone (I know there were some doubts and questions about that) and all around awesomeness (size aside). Don’t let me ruin it for you, go forth and enjoy the video ( notice the carrier it is running on) and don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!
One of the most frustrating things about a new a phone purchase is the seemingly unlimited methods in which a carrier can screw up a device with their own add-ons. Just ask unlocked users of the Nokia E71 and AT&T buyers of the E71x what kind of a difference unbranded phones can make! With this in mind, Nokia is following in the footsteps of Google and Apple in seizing control of the user experience with Maemo by not allowing any carrier customizations. With the N900 on the hopeful T-mobile horizon, we can only be thankful not to endure the endless barrage of magenta interface “enhancements.” Now T-mobile might be better than others (again, just ask E71x users) but Apple and Google have shown that a carrier-free UI has almost no downside. As Engadget points out, carrier subsidies are necessary to bring the price down to a point where the everyman can buy a device, but if Apple, Google and Palm have taught us anything in the last year, it’s that even without carrier customization, the carrier still wins.
Knowing WP7S will be limited with no Multitasking and no Copy and Paste, are any future HD2 buyers actually happy it won't update? http://twitter.com/tmonews2 hours ago
