Bellevue, Wash. –
T-Mobile unveiled its first two 4G phones to operate on its HSPA+42 4G network,
said to deliver peak data download speeds of 42Mbps in more than 150 U.S.
markets.
Other select 4G
phones from T-Mobile operate in HSPA+ 21 mode on its 4G network.
Both phones — the
$259 HTC Amaze 4G and the $229 Samsung Galaxy S II — have been showing average
download speeds approaching 8Mbps with peak speeds around 20Mbps, the carrier
noted.
Both phones also
feature dual-core 1.5GHz processors, delivering more processing power than any
other smartphone announced to date by U.S. carriers. The Galaxy S II versions
for AT&T and Sprint feature dual-core 1.2GHz processors.
The Amaze 4G and
Galaxy S II will be available in an online presale via
beginning Oct. 10, with
sales through T-Mobile retail stores and select dealers nationwide starting
Oct. 12. Prices through T-Mobile stores are after a $50 mail-in-rebate card.
The carrier also
announced its first HSPA+42 mobile hot spot, the Huawei-made T-Mobile Sonic 4G
Mobile Hotspot, which connects up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices to its HSPA+42
network. It’s expected is expected to be available in October at an unannounced
price.
The HTC Amaze 4G
offers multiple high-performance camera features, including 8-megapixel camera,
1080p HD video capture, zero shutter lag, dual-LED flash, dedicated camera
button, and the carrier’s first direct-to-camcorder button. The device also offers
such new camera-related features as SmartShot, which captures five photos to
deliver the best shot of people with smiles and open eyes. Another new camera
feature is PerfectPics, which automatically creates a separate album
prioritized by picture quality, the presence of faces, and such criteria as
important calendar events.
One-touch access
is available to post photos to Facebook, Picasa or Flickr.
The device runs on
Android 2.3.4 and offers the HTC Sense user interface, 4.3-inch qHD super LCD
multitouch display, and NFC capabilities for wireless searching, information
sharing and, in the future, mobile payments, the carrier said.
Other Amaze
features include HTC Watch service, which enables downloads of movies and TV
shows for purchase or rental, and T-Mobile TV service, which enables live streaming
of TV programs and on-demand TV.
For its part, the
Samsung Galaxy S II will feature the largest screen size available on a
T-Mobile smartphone with 4.52-inch Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display. The
device uses the Android 2.3.5 OS.
The Galaxy S II
also streams thousands of premium movies and TV shows through Netflix, accesses
T-Mobile TV in “Mobile HD” quality, and downloads TV shows and movies from
Samsung Media Hub service. The phone also features DLNA compatibility and HDMI
out to display content on an HDTV.
The Huawei mobile weighs
3.88 ounces and features an SD card slot that accommodates up to 32GB of
expandable memory. The hot spot’s memory lets users share and save photos,
documents, and videos with other people connected to the Mobile HotSpot. The
Sonic 4G’s OLED display shows signal strength, number of devices connected,
number of unread text messages, connectivity to the internet, battery level and
network connection type.
