BELLEVUE, WASH.
— T-Mobile plans later
this year to make available its second Android
smartphone capable of making HSPA+ highspeed
cellular-data connections.
The next-generation MyTouch, which will
run the latest Android 2.2 OS, will also be the
carrier’s first phone with video chat capability,
which can be delivered via Wi-Fi and the carrier’s
HSPA and HSPA+ networks. The phone
will be available in time for the holidays exclusively
through T-Mobile in white, black, plum or
red. Pricing wasn’t announced.
The HTC-made MyTouch will join the carrier’s
HTC-made G2, an Android 2.2 phone that became
the carrier’s first HSPA+ phone on Oct.
6 at $199 after $50 mail-in rebate.
T-Mobile also
offers two other
HSPA+ products,
both of
which are laptop
sticks.
For the video
chat capability,
the new phone
features front-facing
video camera
and QIK video
chat client, which
enables live video
chatting with
other MyTouch
phones, with other
QIK-equipped
phones such as
a 4G model from
Sprint, and with
PCs loaded with
QIK software.
The MyTouch’s
r e a r – f a c i n g
5-megapixel HD camcorder captures 720p video
and uses DLNA-certified Wi-Fi to stream the
content to a compatible HDTV or other DLNA
device. Other features include 3.8-inch WVGA
touchscreen display with virtual keyboard and
Swype text input, 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
processor, preinstalled 8GB MicroSD
memory card and an integrated media player.
The new phone also includes three exclusive
MyTouch features, including a Genius Button
that lets customers call, text, email or access
the internet via a simple voice command.
For its part, the G2 phone features touchscreen,
hinged QWERTY keyboard and an
800MHz processor.
Both phones support Adobe Flash.
All of the HSPA+ products deliver what the
company called 4G speeds in more than 65
major metropolitan areas, with 100 major metropolitan
areas with a population of 200 million
people expected to offer HSPA+ service by
year’s end.
HSPA+ technology delivers theoretical peak
data speeds up to 21Mbps, compared with
7.2Mbps on the carrier’s 7.2Mbps HSPA network.
