- Saturday, 21 November 2009
- INQ Mobile
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It is a tale told by an idiot; full of sound and fury, signifying nothing
Vodafone's first Android OS phone to ship on May Day
VODAFONE HAS SHOWN THE INQ its very first Google OS handset, the HTC Magic, which arrives this week with a new version of the operating system - weeks before it's officially released.
The latest Android phone comes along with a couple of firsts, which Vodafone insisted on quoting to us. Seeing as there really has only been one other Google OS based phone with T-Mobile, it really isn't surprising they'll be firsts in only the second handset, but we let them run with it anyway.
It will be Vodafone's first Google OS handset - well, duh! It will be the very first touch screen only handset running the Android, which they qualified by mentioning T-Mobile G1 had a physical keyboard and controller. It will be the first for video recording and straight video uploading, although other handsets do actually have this only not with Android. It will also be the first with version 1.5 of the OS, which we'll give them as it's a good steal of T-Mobile's thunder with its G1. These might be firsts on a technicality as Samsung's Android offering looks similar, but arrives later.
The phone comes along with a few Google niceties such as Google Map's Street View, using the in-built compass and a virtual onscreen keyboard.
Besides hitting Blighty this coming Friday, the HTC Magic will also hit France, Germany, Italy and Spain and elsewhere.
Contracts are around for 24 months and 18 months, starting at £35 with 600 minutes, unlimited text messaging and internet access.
If one pre-registers for the handset before it hits the shelves this Friday, Vodafone will shave off £5 from each and every month for the contracts duration - hurrah!
We had a play around with the phone at the launch event in London and it does look and feel like a great improvement on the first Android OS phone, also made by HTC. The INQ even managed to record some glorious video which will be making an appearance soon.
It's been said that bundling the Windows Mobile OS onto a handset adds a cost of an extra $14. Seeing as Android comes along with a $0 surcharge and has more whistles and bells that the Volish Mobile OS will ever hope to achieve, perhaps it's time they packed up their bags and shuffled off quietly into the night - we're sure hardly anyone will notice! µ
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Interesting article on an interesting product.
I work in the embedded computer market and feel it is worth pointing out Windows Mobile is a subset of Windows CE. While you correctly point out Windows Mobile licence costs are significant for such high-volume products the costs become a lot more bearable when you consider the lower volume, highly specialised applications in which Windows CE is used. While the emebedded Windows CE market is strong it makes no commercial sense for Microsoft to pull out of the Mobile marketplace.
I'm sure your readers would be suprised at how many devices use Windows CE without the customer even knowing Microsoft is involved. Possibly worth an article in the future?
"These might be firsts on a technicality as Samsung's Android offering looks similar, but arrives later."
So in coming first on a technicality, the technicality is actually that it comes first?? Oh yes perfectly clear, Drashek couldn't have said it better :)
I don't usually nitpick but grammar but that was amusing...