T-Mobile Opens Samsung Galaxy Tab Teaser Page

T-Mobile has opened its teaser page for its forthcoming launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet.  The page also features a sign up form for more information.The currently confirmed version of the Tab features a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor, triband HSPA support, quad-band GSM, 7-inch capacitive 1024×600 resolution display with multitouch support, Android 2.2, Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS

Radio Shack Launching T-Mobile G2 on Sunday October 3rd

Image courtesy of TMoNewsInternal Radio Shack documentation has confirmed that the T-Mobile G2 will launch through the retailer this Sunday October 3rd for $149.99 after new 2 year agreement and $199.99 for qualified upgrades, FlexPay and additional line activations.The T-Mobile G2 features Qualcomm’s MSM7230 chipset codenamed Scorpion which is a variant of the Snapdragon series clocked at

MyTouch3G is now available with 3.5mm Non-Clapton Edition

First T-Mobile launches Fender limited edition of the MyTouch3G phone which brings 3.5mm headphone to the nearly-perfect MyTouch3G. Surely, that is going to upset some folks who's committed to the original MyTouch3G. Just today, T-Mobile announced standard MyTouch3G is now offered with 3.5mm. This, surely, will piss off a lot of the early adopters of MyTouch3G customers. Personally, I think T-Mobile should offer a low cost upgrade to the owners of original MyTouch3G...

Fender edition is temp out of stock? Crazy.

Android Android Android

Google's Android OS for smartphones is finally getting ready for a full blast. You can now consider T-Mobile's G1 and MyTouch3G as a soft launch pad as Verizon's involvement and some heavy hitting manufactures are lining up with some big hits to come: (lots of links, you've been warned!)

Verizon: Incase you've been hiding in a cave somewhere, the whole "Droid" campaign is really a whole series of Android phones that is about to arrive. You've got atleast two phones in the "Droid" series Sholes by Motorola and Eris (aka HTC Desire) coming very soon. Lets not forget Sprint has got a set or two running Android while old T-Mobile will be up to its third Android handset (G1, MyTouch3G and Pulse) and a limited edition MyTouch3G Fender edition w/ 3.5mm headphone jack!

Motorola's entire survival strategy is pegged against mobile. You've got: Sholes, Zeppelin, Cliq, Motus?, Calgary, and Morrison.

HTC is of course no slouch with its smartphone efforts, already with G1, Hero, Tattoo, Hero (Sprint version) and MyTouch3G out and about, they've got Eris, Desire, Dragon, Pulse and probably a whole lot more coming your way.

Samsung is not going to hold back either, with i7500/Galaxy, Behold II, and Moment added to its lineup.

Asus will launch an Android phone before the year is over while Sony's rumored Xperia X3 will also be running Android. Acer decides to join the Android party with Liquid.

Remember that old prediction I've made about Google Android to dominate mobile space, looks like its happening right before us!

Quick Review: TMobile MyTouch3G

Wife just brought home a TMobile MyTouch3G issued by her work... this thing is sleek, lightweight and super thin. I like it drastically over the original G1 that I still have. Between the limited buttons on the front bezel, trackball+touchscreen and impressive onscreen keyboard, my bet on Android ruling the mobile world still stands!

T-Mobile Mytouch 3G Available to Public Today

If you've been patiently waiting for the 2nd Android smartphone officially sold in the U.S. (and from T-Mobile), wait no further. The Tmobile Mytouch 3G (aka HTC Magic) is finally out and about for $199 and a two-year contract. Choose from three colors (black, white and red)

This phone is pretty slick with a uber thin casing because it doesn't include a physical keyboard. With T-Mobile's 3G network, WiFi and aGPS running over a plethora of Google's goodies (Map, Talk, Gmail, Google Voice, and lots more...), this phone is one of the best contenders out there. Of course, I couldn't live with myself unless I mention the lacking of a 3.5mm headphone jack. Now go get yours!

Incase you want to know how this phone stacks up against other smartphones, Billshrink.com put together a nice little comparo chart here. Looks like Mytouch 3G is a no brainer in terms of average spending of its lifetime!

Preview of T-Mobile's MyTouch3G

Aka HTC Magic, Google Ion, and informally known as the G2, the upcoming T-Mobile MyTouch 3G is making the buzz lately as it would be the 2nd official Android handset to be sold in America. T-Mobile created a countdown website and is now taking pre-orders for August 5th delivery. This new phone is a bit more polished compared to the original G1; MyTouch 3G loses the slider/keyboard along with some thickness, shaved off some fat as well as the ugly chin.

From the hardware standpoint, MyTouch 3G has been improved in the following areas:
* Different CPU albeit the same 528Mhz speed: MyTouch (Qualcomm 7200A) G1 (7201A)
* System memory: MyTouch (ROM 512MB, RAM 288), G1 (ROM 256MB, RAM 192MB)
* Bigger Battery: MyTouch (1340mAh), G1 (1150mAh)
* Lighter: MyTouch (116g), G1 (158g)
(Details spec for MyTouch and G1)

My single point of complaint is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack; like the G1, everything is going to be shared via the mini USB data/audio jack. You can connect a 3.5mm headphoen via an adaptor but that means you'd lose the ability to charge your sync your MyTouch 3G at the same time. No matter what the argument is (ie. use Bluetooth A2DP for music, blah blah), I still think it was a stupid decision that HTC did not include it. Its sad because it would have been a really good competitor to the iPhone.

Wireless Carriers Lack Mobile Websites

I was trying to do some research on my way to work this morning and was surprised to find that the top four US mobile telecoms did not have a mobile site or the ability to auto-detect a mobile browser and generate the proper web output. You'd think mobile carriers would be at the forefront of such movement.

Screenshots attached using iPhone 3G, firmware 3.0, Mobile Safari.

T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 - Looking Good?

Once upon a time, smartphones were defined as powerful and flexible for the business oriented users. Respectable smartphones ran on Windows Mobile, Nokia/Symbian OS or BlackBerry OS. Along comes phones such as the original T-Mobile Sidekick, Verizon LG VX9400 where they offered pretty good multimedia support but not quite a smartphone. Personally, I've never considered them because it just wasn't "powerful" enough for my needs and catered towards younger crowd looking for a fun communication alternative.

Along came the iPhone with its endless firmware upgrades which is constantly redefining and challenging what a smartphone should be. The concept of having an easy-to-use and fun device with powerful apps to get you the information you needed fitted perfectly to your screen suddenly elevated what a new generation of "smartphones" must do. Leaving the more traditional enterprise-based smartphone OS running around trying to figure out what to do next.

Engadget released some new information about the upcoming TMobile Sidekick LX for 2009. Whether this phone is a smartphone or not, I am impressed with the new hardware and software capabilities. To start, it offers a large LCD with F-WVGA 854 x 480 display resolution. Now equipped with 3G and GPS along with some well-integrated application support like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. The initial review from Engadget is nothing be raves about how good this phone has become. As far as I am concerned, a modern smartphone is no longer judged by on the paper specs (ie. does it have an app store? can it copy and paste? does it have a 5MP camera?) but it is defined by what can you get out of your device to make your life easier. From what I am seeing (Microsoft Live Search integration, GPS map w/ live traffic data and tight Twitter integration), this looks to be a solid sidekick to young professionals (no pun intended).

More People Surf Web on Mobile, No Surprise!

Internet Retailer magazine published an article suggesting more than 63.2M people (approx. 29% of total U.S. population) accessed the web on their mobile devices in Jan 2009. Amongst them, 22.4M did so daily and that is a total increase of 107% from Jan of 2008. (Source: comScore). The article goes on to suggest that it is no surprise since most mCommerce websites are experience an increase in traffic with the proliferation of 3G network and smartphones such as the iPhone, G1 and BlackBerry Storm. I started this blog little over two years ago while using EDGE data on a BlackBerry 8700c to surf the web on the go. It worked for the small things I needed it to do (checking weather, some stock quots over Yahoo Mobile) but it is not the same compared to web browsing on a G1 Chrome or iPhone Safari browser. From a mobile experience standpoint, the web browsing today is more convincing thus explains why the big jump in usage.

TMobile G1 Official: $179, $25 Data Plan, Rad!

The cat is out, TMobile G1, first ever Android OS based smartphone has been unveiled this morning. Looks like its available for purchase today in NY and will be commercially available by Oct 22nd, 2008. This thing is hot. Looking good. There is a rumor indicating WM 7 is delayed until 2nd half of 2009, thats not going to be good for market share against Apple and Google.

TMobile HTC Dream, G1 or Android Phone

Folks, meet the TMobile Dream or HTC Dream or G1 or Google Phone. Whatever it will be named, this is the Android boasting smartphone with all the buzz. We are about 10 hours away from the official launch event but Engadget got some updates from TmoNews and found these pictures with following specs:

* HVGA 480x320, 65K Color
* 3.1MP Cam back, VGA Cmos Cam upfront
* GPS
* WiFi
* No Stereo Bluetooth (I think there is regular bluetooth)
* Google Apps (Maps, Cal, YouTube, GTalk, etc.), Gmail Acct is req'd
* 5.6oz. 4.6" x 2.16" x 0.63 (kind of a big boy phone)
* Data plan req'd, no prepay plans allowed

I gotta admit, from these views alone, I can't seem to be aroused by these product images. This looks like a love child of an HTC Tilt and iPhone. However, Google typically has a way of launching cool things that makes me eat my words. So I am still holding high expectations for this phone, more importantly, the Android OS that will ultimately change the way mobile community behaves.

WSJ: HTC Dream/G1 aka Google Phone $199 w/ Contract

According to the Wall Street Journal, the upcoming Gphone (HTC Dream, G1, Google Android Phone) will be sold for $199 with a 2-year contract, priced squarely against the iPhone 3G 8GB.

Read Here.

Google Android Phone by T-Mobile Debut 9/23

This just in, Engadget reports a upcoming media event for the Google Android phone launch. The heat is cranked up in the mobile world today!!!

T-Mobile USA 3G Data Available to Selected Metros

Engadget Mobile confirmed that T-Mobiles 3G HSDPA/UMTS data network is finally up and running. I just have one question. Which phone supports it? As far as I know, their 3G is on a proprietary band, therefore I am not sure what works for them. Any ideas?

T-Mobile 3G Data Available Tomorrow

I got a tip from GSMA Mobile Briefing that T-Mobile is launching their 3G Network (finally) by tomorrow. It was said that they will roll it out in targeted metro regions (NYC, LA, Miami) just like the way AT&T (formerly Cingular Wireless) had rolled out their network couple of years ago.

To make everything more confusing, T-Mobile is launching their 3G on a proprietary 1700MHz band (vs. 850/1900 on AT&T)

AT&T in Best Position for Mobile Dominance?

I never would have imagined myself saying this, but by the way things look today, AT&T may be in the position for total US mobile market domination, if not already.

For a long time, American GSM carriers have had a tough battle against their CDMA counterparts (Verizon and Sprint). CDMA’s coverage and clarity have always proved to be more superior in the US. In addition, CDMA’s blazingly fast EV-DO rev.A 3G Data network have paved the way for most mobile fanatics; fans of GSM network had to suffer and settle with EDGE connection for quite some time. Finally, AT&T/Cingular made a great leap by launching UMTS/HSDPA for selected areas in late 2006. I would say that was the pivotal moment for securing their future dominance.

I am banking on AT&T to take total dominance because of their following strategies:

1). First GSM network to invest in 3G/3.5G infrastructure, beating out the other GSM provider, T-Mobile, to the race. This move has set AT&T up as a serious business solutions provider, offering respectable data speed over laptop cards or handsets. While entering this market a little later than Verizon and Sprint, they get a break on being a GSM network provider to offer flexibility to both domestic and foreign business men. Afterall, GSM is the network for Asia and Europe.

2). Brodening smartphone selections: AT&T worked with Samsung, Nokia and HTC to bring quite a few, very competent, smartphones to the market and kept up that supply. They kept most of the phones’ functionalities intacted (ie. WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.). They’ve also given subsidies which brings the cost of a lot of their phones to FREE after rebate (see smartphone bargain section on the right). This was always an advantage GSM carriers have to draw customers over Verizon and Sprint; if you have to start a contracted service, would you like to pay $50 or $200 for your smartphone?. Finally, the biggest boost in notoriety and success is the iPhone deal they’ve struck with Apple. This move single handily garanteed an insane amount of traffic, popularity, new customer acquistion and more… The move is simply brilliant, and I can only imagine Verizon’s upper management regretting as days goes on.

3). GSM Network. Due to this network's international coverage, by default, there is going to be more phones available to AT&T beyond the selections made available in their locked-in subsidized program. There is just going to be more unlocked, gray market support from both Europe and, especially, Asia. Additionally, AT&T is attracting Nokia to bring their flagship products to the mix. There are rumors indicating Nokia to bring their flagship NSeries smartphone (N95) to AT&T's already robust staple; in addition to the N78. Because GSM network offers more handsets that are quad-band supported (850/900/1800/1900MHz) , they give travelers (both to and from USA) a greater flexibility when visiting foreign territory. Albeit, Sprint is trying to launch more “world” phones in their selection, you just can’t beat the convenience of being a true GSM carrier.

Because of AT&T’s first-mover advantage in the US GSM data, wide array of smartphones and network that is more international, I believe AT&T is in a very good position to dominate the mobile market. There may be one threat in their way; that is T-Mobile. T-Mobile is known for their competitive pricing and services as well as providing a nice array of smartphones (ie. Dash, Sidekick, BlackBerry, Shadow, Sage, Wing, etc.). If AT&T wants to lock in more customers, I would suggest lowering the prices to their plans and services to achieve economies of scale (ie. $10-15 unlimited data plans and $5 unlimited SMS or MMS, etc.).

As is, my money is on AT&T.

TMobile Unlimited Data Plan $5.99

I must have been living in a cave or something, apparently, there is a famous hack for Tmobile customers to sign up for a $5.99 unlimited data WAP/T-Zone plan and turn it into the full-on internet package ($19.99 value) allowing full HTTP/HTTPS and IM access.

Simply Google the phrase "Tmobile $5.99 Tzone Hack", you'll find plenty of references. Apparently, folks with various HTC smartphones (ie. Tmobile Wing, Tmobile Dash) and jailbroken iPhones have been taking advantage of this. Hackszine has a coverage of this and a couple of links for the instruction for iPhone.

I have always believed the current cost of mobile data is too expensive and one day, unlimited mobile data plan will be in the range of $5-10. Some carriers are currently charging upwards of $35-40 which is ridiculous. Apple iPhone Data Plan ($19.99), AT&T MediaMax 200 ($19.99) and T-Mobile's unlimited internet plan ($19.99) are leading the way to lower monthly charges, but I see some ways to go before mass-public can afford to be more engaged in the mobile convergence. This is the second time I've noticed about Tmobile's advance thinking on data charge strategy, I've written about their $9.99 unlimited email plans once.

T-Mobile Unlimited Email Plan - $9.99

The cost of smartphones have definitely come down in the recent months. I remember three years ago when I first go into it, a relatively cumbersome smartphone would cost you $500 with no incentives or rebates. These days, you can pick up a nice smartphone as low as $0. I was able to pickup my AT&T 8525 via Amazon.com at for $79.99(MSRP $599).

The data plans, however, have always been expensive. Most plans have always been around $29 to $45 depending on the carrier. I remember complaining about the lack of wifi and high cost of mobile data plans which can keep the growth of mobile market behind. Lately, I noticed a trend in reducing the cost of data plans. TMobile has always been the leader in cheaper data plans. I remember my BlackBerry 7100 utilized a $19 unlimited data/email plan. Then, came the AT&T’s iPhone Data Plan at $19.99. Somehow, I found out about a similar AT&T data plan known as the Media Max 200, which is also $19 for my 8525 as well. I believe Sprint is one of the carriers lowering the cost of their EVDO plan as well.

I ran across this Blackberry Pearl offer as I was checking out the T-Mobile lineup this afternoon. In this promotion, they are offering $9.99 Unlimited email plan to new Blackberry Pearl customers signing up with a voice plan. I think its aggressive and I applaud Tmobile’s attempt to attract more customers in the consumer smartphone sector. Although I personally would need the data part of it for websurfing.

Email SMS Text Messages (Free SMS)

Inspired from the Sprint Treo SMS post, I have decided to post email extensions to U.S. wireless providers. This is handy if you have a smartphone with email or you can use your PC to send a email text message without being charged (the receipient will be charged for receiving). Simply input the receipient's 10-digit phone number infront of their carrier's email extention and they will receive your short email via SMS. Several downsides to this method: 1). Sender information will be some random number, so the recipient may not read your SMS. 2). Not sure if reply to that random number will work. 3). You'll always need to remember each carrier's email extension and know recipient's carrier.

T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com
AT&T: phonenumber@txt.att.net
Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com
Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com
Source
Source 2
Update 2/24/2008: For the hardcore SMS folks using a Nokia Smartphone, a Widget is available for you to blast SMS text messages via your phone plan but using your Windows Vista computer!