Telstra to launch its first Android smartphone
Filed under: corporate, customers, gadgets and gizmos, innovation, mobile phone, news
I’m writing this from the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona – the global trade show for the mobile industry.
Tuesday, Barcelona time, we teamed up with our partner HTC to preview a new smartphone that’s really significant for Telstra.
It’s our first Android-powered device, and it’s called the HTC Desire.
It is a great looking smartphone with an elegant aluminium frame. When it arrives in April it will also be one of the most advanced technology-wise.
It will be available exclusively on the Next G network for three months.
We have decided to include Android smartphones on our device roadmap now because there is real momentum building behind the platform. There is a growing range of excellent handsets to choose from; real maturity in the operating system; and an ecosystem of around 20,000 apps (growing rapidly) — which gives customers unprecedented freedom to decide how their mobiles look and what they do. And of course we have a great equipment partner in HTC.
David Thodey explained some of the key benefits of the HTC Desire android smartphone in our formal announcement.
Below I’ve included some of the key specifications. To see HTC Desire in action we’ve also included a short clip from HTC.
Pricing for the HTC desire will be available a bit closer to the launch.
We’d love to hear what you think of this smartphone and Telstra’s move to develop/market Android phones.
Key features
- Operates on Google’s Android 2.1 operating system
- Runs HTC’s Sense software which makes mobiles easy to use
- Integrates apps from Google, like Gmail and Google Calendar
- A 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA display
- A fast 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
- Support for Adobe Flash 10.1 (when launched later this year by Adobe).
- An optical trackpad
- A 5 megapixel camera
- High speed 3G data connectivity for fast web browsing
- Multi-finger touch screen technology for pinch and zoom control of web pages
More information:
not really commenting on phone (but I’m an android fanboy – HTC Hero – so I approve!). More a request for you to put this blog out through tweets (headline and link). Would love to follow. thanks.
This is a great move, provided Telstra doesn’t lock out or inhibit the power of Android in any way. An an IT manager, I would order ten units for our sales team immediately.
Chris – agreed. Would like to be tweeted when this hits stores. I’ve been holdin off on a new phone in favour of an android model, so this is of major interest to me.
M@
Been waiting for ages fro a NextG capable Android device! A bit late to the party, but better late than never. Please make the device support tethering! I would rather not have to root the device. Really looking forward to this, have approached my local T-Life to get a on a pre-order list.
Really interested in this phone, in fact I will definitely be getting one. I frequently travel into the regional areas and need 850MHz UMTS, though in none of the specs is this frequency shown. It would be good to get an updated Specification sheet for the phone. 850/2100MHZ UMTS and quad band GSM is pretty much a minimum.
How much are Telstra planning on modifying the HTC Sense interface or will it only be an app or widget addition?
The handset looks great, let’s hope the firmware isn’t overly telstra-ised.
Finally a carrier in Australia gets a decent phone before it’s become outdated. If plans are good I should be buying this, but being Telstra I’m worried so I may end up having to buy outright of the net :S
This phone will be brilliant providing it doesnt become over telstra ised as said before, I will be getting one the day it comes out, also if it works well in rural areas that would brilliant.
After several Windows PC units I liked the openess of this operating system. The phone looks great and I think I’ll be one of the first to buy!
definitely, i would buy one!
I checked it out today at the Bourke St store in Melbourne, was very impressed, BUT, watch out, even though they say it’s unlocked, it does not support Vodafone or Optus 3g Frequencies. It has been nobbled. This is very disappointing.
i had a quick play in the Telstra store right near my work. I must if you have used a mobile phone before this is basically dummy proof.
I like how google services have been integrated so seamlessly, but not intrusively.
Also the camera is much better than the iphone
i’ve been trying to find some specific stats about the Android in Australia but unsuccessful so far. Telstra if you have any public data you can share please contact me.
many thanks
The HTC desire is a great phone I have the HTC Hero and im annoyed that the HTC desire runs a lil faster =) the benefit of the HTC Hero is that it was never relased in Aus =)