Vodafone is accepting pre-orders for the HTC Magic, the first full touch-screen phone to run Google's Android operating system.The latest “Google phone” is available for pre-order ahead of its release next month.
The HTC Magic will be available exclusively on the Vodafone network and runs Android, an operating system for mobile phones designed by Google and a host of partners to make it easier to surf the web and carry out complex computing tasks on mobile devices.
T-Mobile launched the first Android-based handset last September, but that phone, the G1, is thought to have sold in modest numbers. The Magic, which is made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, has already won critical acclaim ahead of its release. It features a large 3.2in touch-screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, high-speed internet access, push email and satnav technology. Users can also downloads games and software from the Android Marketplace, the Google phone equivalent of Apple’s App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Vodafone has announced that the Magic will be free to users who sign up for a two-year contract worth £35 per month, which includes unlimited web use, 700 minutes of calls, 250 texts, and unlimited calls to landlines and other Vodafone customers.
The HTC Magic will hit shops on May 5, a month before Apple is widely anticipated to unveil its third-generation iPhone at a conference in San Francisco.
The two phones will also go head-to-head with Palm’s new device, the Pre, which has received glowing early reviews from technology experts, and is widely expected to win some users away from the all-conquering iPhone.
In a positive sign for the Google-backed operating system, Android will soon find its way to a set-top box made by Motorola.
The device, which is called "au Box," is being made for the Japanese Internet service provider KDDI, and it will be capable of playing DVDs and CDs, transfer music and video to a mobile device, and rip and store files. The box will likely be able to surf the Web with Android's Chome-like browser. The au Box doesn't have a definite release date, and it's unclear if it will be released in other markets.
The Android-powered box is being pushed along by the Open Embedded Software Foundation, a consortium of Japanese electronics manufacturers that want the Linux-based OS on a variety of devices. At this fall's electronic trade show CEATEC, the group will be showing off multiple Android-powered prototype devices including VoIP phones and TVs.
These moves show that Android appears to be gaining some much-needed momentum, as fans are still waiting for more devices other than the T-Mobile G1. There are multiple Android smartphones expected from Acer, HTC, Samsung, and others later this year, but only the HTC Magic has been announced so far.
When Google first introduced the Linux-based platform in 2007, many industry watchers saw it as another smartphone operating system. But it's become clear that Android will spread to a variety of Internet-connected devices, and computer makers like Hewlett-Packard and Asus are considering using the OS for netbooks.
Vodafone is readying the HTC Magic phone, the second model based on Google's Android platform to reach the UK market, for next month. In a brief statement to Pocket-lint, Vodafone said that the short delay (the phone was originally due to be launched in April) was caused by a last minute hardware change. Mobiletoday says that the new phone, named HTC Magic Pioneer, will be available for as little as £25 on monthly contracts. This compares well with T-Mobile's £31.50 contract but a quick look at Vodafone's tariff list shows that £25 does not provide with unlimited internet. Vodafone Users have to spend £35 per month to get unlimited mobile internet and email. Mobiletoday also reports that T-mobile is in talks with HTC to release a third Android smartphone. Talkandroid however says that Vodafone UK has already confirmed that the Magic can be pre-ordered as from the 17th of April for £30 per month. The package is expected to include 600 minutes, unlimited SMS, Internet and email. On the other hand, T-Mobile offers 700 minutes rather than 600 minutes for £35.
Vodafone is accepting pre-orders for the HTC Magic, the first full touch-screen phone to run Google's Android operating system.
