The Inquisitr » T-Mobile

T-Mobile Resumes Sidekick Sales, Reduces Pricing After Resolving Data Issues

James Allen Johnson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:52:10 +0000

T-Mobile suffered a rather embarrassing customer service issue only a short while ago when Sidekick users lost the ability to use their data plans for two long weeks. Now after thoroughly retesting their network with Sidekick devices, the company has once again started selling the Sidekick 2008 and LX 2009 models, albeit at discounted pricing.

The Sidekick 2008 can be grabbed for a respectable $49.99 with a two year contract, while the LX 2009 is now only $149.99, $25 cheaper than the original pricing offered before the data snafu.

There’s a good chance that the data issues which occurred recently will never happen on the same devices twice, but the wireless carriers caution means better deals for all of us. [Engadget]

T-Mobile Begins Selling Blackberry Bold 9700 For $199.99

James Allen Johnson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:10:08 +0000

The Blackberry Bold 9700 is now available to new and existing T-Mobile customers throughout U.S retail locations and through their online portal.

The Bold 9700 can be grabbed for $199.99 with the companies “Even More” plan and your signature on a 2-year contract. Users who are willing to forgo the contract for a higher priced device can also pick up the 9700 at a higher price of $449.99 with the “Even More Plus” plan.

The price isn’t too shabby for a device that features 3G, WiFi, a 3.2MP camera, MicroSDHC card support and a High resolution 480×360 pixel color display with 6 hours of talk time.

Samsung Behold II Arrives At T-Mobile On November 18th

James Allen Johnson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:29:16 +0000

T-Mobile USA today announced the official November 18th release date for the Samsung Behold II, the companies next phone to feature the Google Android OS.

The Behold II features 3G data speeds and WiFi for easy connectivity, while also becoming the first T-Mobile sponsored device to feature a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen. The smartphone also features a 5MP camera with autofocus, zoom, flash, five shooting modes and video recording capabilities

Samsung has also integrated their “Cube Menu” which gives fast access to music, photos, videos, web surfing, YouTube and Amazon MP3 music download.

“With its first-rate multimedia capabilities front and center, the Samsung Behold II adds an exclamation point to T-Mobile’s already impressive Android lineup for the holidays,” said Wendy Piñero-DePencier, vice president, brand and calendar marketing, T-Mobile USA. “The combination of 3G speeds, its high-resolution touch-screen, and access to loads of entertainment features is sure to make the Behold II into a holiday hit.”

The Android-powered phone also features the Samsung TouchWiz user interface with its moveable widgets and one-touch access to commonly used features and applications.

Users will also be able to take advantage of Google services directly from their phone, including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and Google Talk, while of course downloading applications and games from the Android Market as they see fit.

Business users will also find some handy options via the Samsung Behold II such as personal and corporate e-mail abilities with Exchange ActiveSync.

The Behold II also features built-in GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP, visual voicemail, and MicroSDHC card support that can provide up to 16GB, although a 2GB microSD card comes standard with the device.

T-Mobile has stated that the smartphone will be ready for sale at nationwide T-Mobile retail stores and through T-Mobile.com beginning November 18th, 2009.

Open Mobile Summit: T-Mobile Discusses Continued Investment In Google Android

James Allen Johnson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:34:32 +0000

T-Mobile USA Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Cole Brodman spoke at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco today and he focused his message on the companies investment in the Google Android operating system.

Mr. Brodman spoke about the success of the Motorola Cliq, the companies upcoming Samsung Behold II and the T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile MyTouch devices, all of which are featured in the companies Q4 line-up.

Coles comments about myTouch usage trending offered some insight into T-Mobile Customer Data Usage:

About half myTouch users visit the Android Market at least once per day.
80% of myTouch users browse the web at least once per day, and 2/3 say several times per day.
Nearly half of myTouch users say they have “completely customized” their myTouch.
More than 40% of myTouch users access social networking sites multiple times per day.

He also talked about the success of the Android Market which has grown to over 12,000 applications, while specifically focusing on the T-Mobile AppPack, an Android market features that shows off 3rd party applications that have been developed by T-Mobile developers and include both free and paid offerings.

This month T-Mobile will even receive their very own channel on the Android Market for apps, while the Android Market will launch carrier billing features to streamline customer services efforts while purchasing applications.

Developers will also be able to visit developer.t-mobile.com to pitch their apps for a daily “featured apps” spot in the channel, a great way for T-Mobile to show customers apps they believe to be the best of the best.

So what’s the point of all this brew-ha-ha with open development, streamlining billing processes, etc? According to T-Mobile USA:

T-Mobile’s goal is to be the easiest carrier to do business with and the most open to new innovation.

If they can stop stupid data issues from occurring it could be a great time to be a T-Mobile USA customer.

T-Mobile U.S. Data And Calling Networks Falter Nationwide

James Allen Johnson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:07:06 +0000

T-Mobile U.S. customers tonight have been busy reporting various calling and network issues from around the country. Whether making calls or attempting to use text messaging and 3G data services, customers have been experiencing network failures.

T-Mobile has acknowledged the issue and a spokesperson says they are working on a fix that is underway and should be completed “soon.”

It hasn’t been a good few months for T-Mobile U.S. after watching their Sidekick devices lose data for two weeks, an outage that sparked outrage by many T-Mobile customers who threatened to leave the company amid the issue.

T-Mobile Project Dark Pricing Now Available For Existing And New Customers

James Allen Johnson — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:23:03 +0000

T-Mobile Project Dark pricing plans which have been floating around as rumors up until this point are now official and ready for use by existing and new T-mobile customers.

There are currently three new unlimited plans to choose from: unlimited talk, unlimited talk + text and unlimited talk + text + web. The standard unlimited calling package runs a very decent $59,99, with the talk + text at $69.99 and the all you can handle talk, text and data plan at $99.99.

The pricing undercuts the Sprint Wireless unlimited pricing structure by up to $20 depending on the plan users choose, while making iPhone data pricing seem ridiculously high. [Fone Frenzy]

T-Mobile Surprises Loyal Customers, Moto Cliq Available Early

James Allen Johnson — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:09:05 +0000

Customers looking to jump over to T-Mobile have just been able to start pre-ordering the Motorola Cliq, Motorola’s first Android based device. However, in a nice little turn of events T-Mobile’s existing customers can actually order the device starting today.

The Cliq, which is already available as the “DEXT” in the UK is available to already established T-Mobile customers starting at $199.99 with a new two-year agreement.

New customers will be able to receive their Moto Cliq starting November 2nd.

Currently the Cliq is a T-Mobile U.S. exclusive.

Microsoft to Sidekick users: We totally found your data!

Kim LaCapria — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:00:04 +0000

Microsoft has announced that most if not all of the data lost last week in the Sidekick debacle is being recovered.

While the news comes as a relief to panicky customers, some who filed lawsuits after the data loss, it appears that confidence in the device may not be recoverable. Since the incident, angry T-Mobile Sidekick users have ranted angrily on the web, feeling rightfully less assured that their data is safe and reporting lack of cooperation on T-Mobile’s part in facilitating device changes.

Microsoft blamed “a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up” and explained that components need to be painstakingly rebuilt piece by piece to keep data intact. While the efforts are no doubt appreciated, it’s difficult to forgive an error that could have been avoided with adequate preparation. Keeping customers through contract is one strategy, but working from a place of “we’ll make the trouble worth your while” is always a better strategy than “after a protracted period of making you worry, we’ll eventually do what you paid us to do all along.”

Microsoft’s statement on the incident and resolution:

Dear T-Mobile Sidekick customers,

On behalf of Microsoft, I want to apologize for the recent problems with the Sidekick service and give you an update on the steps we have taken to resolve these problems.

We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. We plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.

We now believe that data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users. If your Sidekick account was among those affected, please continue to log into the T-Mobile Sidekick forum at http://www.t-mobile.com/sidekick for the latest updates about when data restoration will begin, and any steps you may need to take. We will work with T-Mobile to post the next update on data restoration timing no later than Saturday.

We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way. This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data.

We will continue working closely with T-Mobile to restore user data as quickly as possible. We are eager to deliver the level of reliable service that our incredibly loyal customers have become accustomed to, and we are taking immediate steps to help ensure this does not happen again. Specifically, we have made changes to improve the overall stability of the Sidekick service and initiated a more resilient backup process to ensure that the integrity of our database backups is maintained.

Once again, we apologize for this situation and the inconvenience that it has created. Please know that we are working all-out to resolve this situation and restore the reliability of the service.

Sincerely,

Roz Ho
Corporate Vice President
Premium Mobile Experiences, Microsoft Corporation

[Image: GadgetCrave]

Sidekick users see data in the cloud evaporate

Kim LaCapria — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:22:22 +0000

Sayeth T-Mobile: DO NOT remove your battery, reset your Sidekick, or allow it to lose power if you haven’t already.

I had Sidekick II back in the day and it was so cash. I saw one for the first time in years yesterday and I remember being surprised they still existed. Apparently, people are still using them, and some of them got a bit of an unhappy surprise this weekend with an untold amount of customer data being “almost certainly lost.” Microsoft subsidiary Danger had a server outage, and lacking the foresight of a 3rd grader writing a book report on Captain Underpants, they didn’t back your shit up.

T-mobile gets bonus points for their candor here, releasing a statement on Saturday that details the outage and the fact that data is unlikely to be recovered and your friends with iPhones are almost certainly going to be smug and snarky about the whole thing. Full text of the statement, below:

Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, are reaching out to express our apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption.

We appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers.

Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger’s latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device – such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos – that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. That said, our teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, we wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ. We encourage you to visit the Forums on a regular basis to access the latest updates as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption.

In addition, we plan to communicate with you on Monday (Oct. 12) the status of the remaining issues caused by the service disruption, including the data recovery efforts and the Download Catalog restoration which we are continuing to resolve. We also will communicate any additional tips or suggestions that may help in restoring your content.

We recognize the magnitude of this inconvenience. Our primary efforts have been focused on restoring our customers’ personal content. We also are considering additional measures for those of you who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer.

We continue to advise customers to NOT reset their device by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely, as any personal content that currently resides on your device will be lost.

Once again, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger regret any and all inconvenience this matter has caused.

Rock Out With The T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Fender Edition

James Allen Johnson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:46:30 +0000

The T-Mobile MyTouch 3G just got a facelift with the newly announced “Fender Edition” of the popular “user customizable” Smartphone.

The MyTouch 3G Fender Edition features a newly minted 3.5mm headphone jack which was sorely missing on the original device, while also shipping with a free 16GB MicroSDHC card for added multimedia storage.

The HTC manufactured device also features a uniquely designed woodgrain finish that matches the look on many Fender guitars.

No word yet on pricing or even when it will be made available.

Motorola Cliq Release Date And Pricing Announced For T-Mobile

James Allen Johnson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:35:40 +0000

There’s been plenty of available information surrounding the Motorola Cliq, its Google Android OS and the new “Motoblur” interface technology that will be offered with the device. What we haven’t known is the release date or pricing, until now.

According to T-Mobile the Cliq will arrive at the U.S. carrier on November 1st for a price of $199.99 with a new two year contract or two-year upgrade.

In the meantime pre-orders for the device will begin on October 19th, while customers interested in more information can also register to receive that info as it becomes available.

As an added incentive for pre-ordering the device you’ll also be entered in a T-Mobile drawing to win a free Cliq.

Currently the Moto Cliq will be available in two colors: titanium and white. The phone will also be available in brick and mortar locations on that same November 1st release date.

HTC Touch Pro2 Going To T-Mobile Starting August 12th

James Allen Johnson — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:12:58 +0000

The HTC Touch Pro2 has been a wildly popular Windows Mobile 6.1 device in the European markets and in North America via the devices unlocked GSM counterpart. Now reports are giving the device an August 12th 2009 release date on the T-Mobile USA network.

The Touch Pro2 features a large and crisp 3.6 inch WVGA display that offers Touch Flo 3D technology, alongside a 3.2 megapixel camera. It even offers…gasp…3G via the T-Mobile AWS network, an option sorely missed on many current T-Mobile cell phones.

The Touch Pro2 also features a full sliding qwerty keyboard, built-in GPS with a Sirf III processor, a MicroSDHC card slot, and the newest HTC option “straight talk” which creates super crisp speakerphone reception.

No word on pricing at this point, however we do know that the phone will come in a “Mocha” color, that’s industry speak for “sorta brown and metallic but not really.” [via SlipperyBrick]

Update: T-Mobile confirms/denies breach

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:52:57 +0000

T-Mobile has made a statement regarding the investigation into hacker claims that customer data was stolen and made available to online bidders, although more questions were raised than answered.

T-Mobile confirmed that some information included in the original post to the Full Disclosure mailing list is accurate, but insisted that there was no breach of confidential data. From T-Mobile’s statement on the matter:

Regarding the recent claim on a Web site, we’ve identified the document from which information was copied, and believe possession of this alone is not enough to cause harm to our customers. We continue to investigate the matter, and have taken additional precautionary measures to further ensure our customers’ information and our systems are protected. At this moment, we are unable to disclose additional information in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, but customers can be assured if there is any evidence that customer information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as quickly as possible.

While the company insists that customer data is safe, the nebulous nature of the statements made don’t exactly come across as reassuring. If some data is accurate, what kind of data is it? And how was it obtained? Speculation includes leaking of confidential documents and “dumpster diving” for improperly disposed of consumer data.

Details on how the data may or may not have been obtained are still under wraps pending investigation, but it seems more information is needed from T-Mobile before subscribers can rest assured.

Hackers claim T-mobile data breach, with info available to the highest bidder

Kim LaCapria — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:29:43 +0000

T-Mobile is investigating unconfirmed claims made this weekend to the Full Disclosure mailing list by hackers bragging that they’ve infiltrated company servers.

Full Disclosure is an unmoderated forum that exists to notify people of possible security vulnerabilities. The post, reading a bit like a Craigslist ad, gives scant details of the alleged breach but offers information to the highest bidder.

Like Checkpoint[,] Tmobile has been owned for some time. We have everything, their databases, confidental documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents up to 2009.

We already contacted with their competitors and they didn’t show interest in buying their data -probably because the mails got to the wrong people- so now we are offering them for the highest bidder.

Please only serious offers, don’t waste our time.

Whether T-Mobile has indeed been pwned remains to be seen- but posters claiming to be former T-Mobile employees appear to be corroborating formats as matching those they worked with while in the company’s employ. Skeptics say that a large-scale attack involving such a massive amount of data would be likely better executed, however, as a buyer for the alleged data has not been found. Now that T-Mobile is aware of a potential breach, the value of any stolen data is considerably reduced.

In a statement, T-Mobile had this to say:

“Regarding the recent claim, we are fully investigating the matter. As is our standard practice, if there is any evidence that customer information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as soon as possible.”

Pink and 13,499 people sing Hey Jude

Steven Hodson — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:31:43 +0000

In what turned out to be a bit of karaoke fun sponsored by T-Mobile 13,499 got together in Trafalgar Square, London to sing Hey Jude by the Beatles. Pink made a surprise appearance in the crowd but it was revealed later that she was in the whole thing from the start.

Here’s the Hey Jude portion of the karaoke event

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And here’s the part with a little more Pink in it for all you fans

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[hat tip to My Modern Metropolis]

iPhone Inspired Carrier-Switching — Can G1 Do The Same?

JR — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:51:55 +0000

Nearly a third of all iPhone 3G users switched carriers to get the new device this summer, some new research has found. A study by the NPD Group discovered 30 percent of all U.S. iPhone users made a move to AT&T because of the 3G phone.

So where’d they come from? A full 47 percent deflected from Verizon. T-Mobile accounted for 24 percent of the users, and Sprint took up 19.

The study also says the 3G phone has grown iPhone’s smartphone market share from 11 percent, before the new phone came out, to 17 percent now. While the iPhone dominated sales over the summer (followed by the RIM Blackberry Curve and RIM Blackberry Pearl during the period of June to August), it’s the second-best selling overall phone in America. Motorola’s RAZR V3 holds the top spot, according to NPD.

Think the Android G1 can inspire any measurable amount of carrier-switching when it comes out later this month? T-Mobile’s certainly hoping so. The company is shooting for sales of 400,000 to 500,000 devices in the remainder of 2008 alone. The G1 is set to become available October 22, with pricing starting at $179 with a two-year T-Mobile contract. (Data plans will run $25-$35 a month, and a separate T-Mobile voice plan is also required.)

T-Mobile, by the way, recently set up a G1 emulator where you could check out a simulation of the mobile software. Oddly, the URL now returns a “403 Forbidden” error. That can’t be a good sign.

Where the T-Mobile G1 Fails

Duncan Riley — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:33:31 +0000

And so it was, that on the 23rd day of September in the year of our lord 2008 that Google entered the mobile space with the T-Mobile G1. Having spent a good couple of hours reading every review, staring at every picture, and watching some neat videos, I haven’t changed my mind from yesterday: the G1 is NOT an iPhone killer.

There are positives and you can read them in JR’s earlier Android G1 post. No one would argue that the OS isn’t impressive because it clearly is, but there’s also bucket loads of fail in this first offering, and here’s where the T-Mobile G1 fails.

No Exchange support

My initial reaction here was along the lines of “WTF, are Google completely insane!” and an hour or two later the reaction remains the same. The G1 doesn’t offer Exchange support, which like it or not is the cornerstone of business email. The original iPhone didn’t either, but the second incarnation does. Not offering Exchange support severely cripples the G1 as a Blackberry competitor, where as its marriage of an iPhone like OS and practical hardware with a real keyboard, it could have been a Blackberry killer.

While Google offering strong links to its own products may make sense for Google as a tie-in that benefits its product line up, the mobile phone business isn’t the desktop or browser, and pushing these products instead of offering Exchange as an option makes absolutely no sane business sense.

Memory/ Music

The G1 offers an abysmal 1gb of memory, although capacity can be expanded to 8gb via a mini-SD card. The problem is that if we take the business market out of the equation (see the previous point) you’re left with a consumer market play. And what are consumers looking for in a phone today, particularly post iPhone launch? memory, and lots of it, to store their music. Apple quickly killed the iPhone 4gb when they discovered it wasn’t selling, and although they offer two phones in the iPhone 3G, the 16gb model is the stronger seller. Now not everyone needs that amount of memory for their music collections, but 1gb doesn’t go far at all. Presented with two phone options, one with a “basic music player” as Walt Mossberg called it with 1gb of memory, or a phone with 16gb of memory that is a full blown iPod as well, which phone will people pick? Mossberg may say the G1 offers the iPhone competition, but it won’t be in the consumer market of music listeners who want their music on their phones.

Data/ speed

AT&T and Apple took a hard kicking in the press this year over 3G data coverage and data speeds on the new iPhone. We know that part of the problem was hardware related, and if you’re in a coverage area now with the latest iPhone OS installed, you’ll be experiencing less problems, but there’s still the issue of network coverage. Unlike 2/2.5G GSM, 3G coverage in the United States lags behind the rest of the world, but some networks are better than others.

To quote Walt Mossberg

Finally, a word about networks. In the U.S., the G1 will initially only be available on T-Mobile, whose high-speed 3G network will be up and running in many fewer cities than those of its larger rivals, AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ).

So if you’re considering a G1 for data because you have a use for mobile data (or simply like having access to it) and you want high speed access, the G1 isn’t going to work for you unless you live in selected coverage areas.

Other areas

There are other areas with concern with the phone and the community around it. While the Android Marketplace may offer open access, others are arguing that developers will likely favor the iPhone due to the money some are making from the iPhone app store.

The phone doesn’t offer a video player and only basic multimedia functions (naturally YouTube is built in). The marketplace will offer choices here, but out of the box the G1 doesn’t offer a strong range of apps.

And I nearly forgot: non-standard headphone jack…why?

Conclusion

While the Android operating system offers a glimpse of something great, the G1 has been retarded by a HTC phone that fails to deliver on hardware or looks, coupled with some strange decisions from Google that handicap the phone even more. Having said that, when has Google ever really launched a product and got it right the first time, and yet slowly but surely they build marketshare. Android the platform has a strong future, it’s just not going to be with this phone.

Also see Mark Rizzn Hopkins for a different take.

Google Android phone will sell for $199

Duncan Riley — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:27:28 +0000

The first phone running Google’s Android mobile platform will go on sale in October for $199.

Pictures of the HTC designed device leaked yesterday, and now more details are available. The $199 price will be available from T-Mobile on a contract, with the Google brand to be showcased at the point of sale, according to the Wall Street Journal. Along with the phone, T-Mobile will be offering a data plan that will be “aggressively priced.”

The obvious competitor is the iPhone, with a pricing structure to match, however if successful, RIM may take the biggest hit. The handset offers some advantages over the iPhone, including an actual keyboard, making it immediately appealing to Blackberry users.

The thing it is missing though is beauty; although it’s not a final determining factor when many buy a phone, offering a phone the seems to completely forgo looks in place of functionality will make for an interesting entry in a market accustomed to shiny things.

Ten Months Later…an Android SDK Update

JR — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:43:14 +0000

After months of developer agony, Google has finally released its beta version of the Android SDK — the same day its first Android phone was formally approved by the FCC.

The SDK, 0.9 beta, builds on the “early look” releases made public in November. Google says although the full 1.0 release is unfinished, APIs will remain largely stable from this point forward. The final(ish) SDK is tentatively slated to go out in September.

This SDK already has plenty of changes. GTalk support is gone due to obscure “security reasons,” and the Bluetooth API has also bitten the dust. A slew of new features, however, is added, including a new home screen and several new applications: alarm clock, calculator, camera, music player, picture viewer, and SMS/MMS messaging. The beta release also includes new development tools such as an XML layout graphical preview tool and nine-patch image construction tools.

As for the phone itself, the HTC Dream — first rumored for an October release in a leak last week — now has the official government go-ahead. The T-Mobile 3G phone will feature a GSM/GRPS/EDGE 850/1900 radio as well as a “jog ball,” believed to be a variation on the BlackBerry-style track ball. Prices are rumored to start around $400, with a handful of specials offering it for as low as $150-$250 for the first days of its release.

So has Google kept developers and the public waiting too long to see widespread success with its release? There’s certainly been plenty of chatter in the blogosphere suggesting that. Ultimately, though, the Android may not be able to topple the iPhone’s impressive debut as far as numbers — but I suspect it won’t exactly bomb, either. After all, the iPhone, as we all know, hasn’t been a smashing hit as far as performance. The Android phones might just offer an interesting alternative.

Google: “We Remain On Schedule”

JR — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:33:36 +0000

Google now claims everything is on track with the release of its much-hyped Android mobile phone platform, just hours after a Wall Street Journal report indicated quite the contrary.

The Journal report suggests significant delays in Android’s launch that could result in many carriers not getting their models out until next year. Focus on a fourth quarter T-Mobile release, it says, is taking up such a large amount of Google’s resources that Sprint will be forced to miss its targeted 2008 launch. Google, however, maintains everything is going smoothly.

“We remain on schedule to deliver the first Android-based handset in the second half of 2008,” a spokesperson told me in the company’s first comment since the story broke. “We’re very excited to see the momentum continuing to build behind the Android platform among carriers, handset manufacturers, developers and consumers.”

Delay or not, Google has its hands full convincing the mobile industry to adopt its platform. Sprint, according to the Journal, wants to use its own branded data services and is even now looking at pulling away and developing its own original system. Other carriers, such as China Mobile, are said to be having issues bringing their branded services into the platform as well.

Only time will tell whether the mobile industry will open its arms to open source phone systems. In the meantime, it’s a game of wait and see — or, in the case of Apple, a game of getting its next-generation iPhone on store shelves first.