T-Mobile Readies 4G Galaxy S

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 1/20/2011

Bellevue, Wash. - T-Mobile will expand its selection of HSPA+ 4G smartphones to three in the coming weeks with the launch of a 4G version of Samsung's Galaxy S Android-based smartphone.

Of the three, the Android 2.2-based Galaxy S 4G will be the fastest, T-Mobile contended, because it will be capable of theoretical peak download speeds of up to 21Mbps, while the other two are capable of 14.4Mbps download peaks.

The other two phones are the HTC-made MyTouch 4G and HTC-made G2, both of which are also Android 2.2-based smartphones. The HTC-made G2 launched last October as the carrier's first HSPA+ phone.

Additional details about the Galaxy S 4G will be revealed in the coming weeks, T-Mobile said.

 The Galaxy announcement follows an International CES announcement that the carrier will double the peak download speed of its 4G network to 42Mbps by launching multicarrier HSPA+, launch at least 25 new 4G devices, and offer its first two 4G tablets.

T-Mobile's 3G version of the Galaxy S, called the Vibrant, was launched in July 2010 and features Android 2.1 OS, 4-inch multi-touch touchscreen with virtual QWERTY keyboard, 1GHz Samsung processor, 720p high-definition video capture and playback, 5-megapixel camera/camcorder with autofocus and LED flash, six-axis sensor, stereo Bluetooth, DLNA-certified Wi-Fi connectivity, 2GB of embedded memory, and proprietary Super AMOLED LCD display for a thinner, brighter and less-reflective display.

In other T-Mobile developments, T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm said during its annual investor's conference that the company plans an HSPA+ Android-based version of the T-Mobile Sidekick. An availability date wasn't mentioned.