T-Mobile To Begin HTC G2 Preorders

cgriffin21 writes "T-Mobile Thursday finally confirmed what it's been hinting at for a while: The HTC G2, T-Mobile's HSPA+ successor to the HTC G1, is on the way. It'll be an Android 2.2 phone and run on T-Mobile's HSPA+ data network, which while not a 4G network offers what T-Mobile is calling 4G-like speeds up to 21 Mbps. T-Mobile hasn't confirmed pricing or exact availability but said it would open the G2 to presales for existing customers at the end of September."

HSPA+ Is NOT 4G

[TechyImmigrant]

The claimed speeds are pure BS.

While a high bit rate might be achievable, the frame structure underlying the 3G protocols prevents fast round trip times, which slows web browsing and interactive sessions to a crawl.

Compare it back to back with 802.16 (aka WiMAX, aka 4G), which is based on 802 data network protocols instead of voice bearer protocols and there is no comparison. WiMAX, even with similar bit rates, is smoother and faster.

Re:medicore

[Anonymous Coward]

It will only be appealing if they are locked into T-Mobile *AND* require a physical keyboard. T-Mobile has the Vibrant, which is a Galaxy S variant. The Galaxy S is one of, if not the, fastest phone available - certainly has the best GPU of any phone.

G2 seems pointless. Even if you require a hardware keyboard, the Droid 2 has the G2 beat.

20% of nothing means nothing...

[jeffmeden]

"...which while not a 4G network offers what T-Mobile is calling 4G-like speeds up to 21 Mbps."

From the ITU, on 4G mobile speed per the working group: "A nominal data rate of 100 Mbit/s"

Yes, HSPA+ is 4G-like indeed. It is nice that they are being a bit more honest and not just calling it "blazing fast 4G" or some similar hyperbole. However, I do long for the day when we can do away with terms like "up to" when referring to mobile data rates. It's pointless to say how fast it "could" go IF tower proximity is x and interference is y and in-band traffic is z...

They might as well just advertise with "We hope it's faster than the other guys!" and wait for the PC Mag test to get published.

HSPA+ is 4G speed, but not 4G latency.

[BlueKitties]

As with Satellite Internet promising "broadband speeds," HSPA+ is promising "4G speeds." The drawback to both is latency. The most impressive part of 4G networks is the extremely low latency, which could enable versatile online gaming. For those of you not familiar with latency, it's the amount of time it takes for a device to send a request and receive a response. If that request is telling someone you just shot them in the face with your double barrel shotgun, then latency is a huge issue.

Re:medicore

[lowrydr310]

Ah, but it comes with Swype! There's no need for a physical keyboard.

I'm being somewhat serious. I love the physical keyboard on a blackberry, but haven't found any others that even come close. I was reluctant to switch to an all-glass handset, but after getting used to swype it's not bad at all! The only issue is that for some reason they don't support the DEL key in any of the terminal emulators I've used.

Re:For those without time to read the summary...

[Deliveranc3]

While there are a lot of more expensive Android phones I've found the G1 to be the best. It has redundancy for all it's interface options, a lush keyboard and a nice small form factor. The only big hurdle is the battery life, which can be fixed with one of the expanded batteries available online.

I'm running a company selling them with Android 2.1 and a juicy voip deal and I've noticed that their prices are actually rising on Ebay. People are buying more and more of them.

Their processor is a bit slow which sucks for voip as there's a 50ms delay, but the fix with ram and apps moved to the SD card is pretty sexy.

Android definitely needs some better applications though.

Re:medicore

[Adm.Wiggin]

Bullshit. No on-screen keyboard can replace a good physical keyboard (Swype or not -- it's cool, but definitely not something I want to be using all day), and the G1 is about as good as they come for Androids.

Re:For those without time to read the summary...

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

I have a first-gen G1 and am still using it. (Thank you Cyanogen for Android 2.2!) I will probably upgrade to the G2 when my cycle comes around if only because the newer apps show how long in the tooth the G1 is getting. Oddly enough with the custom ROMs in some areas it still outperforms my friend's Droid.

Still no UMA

[PCM2]

All current BlackBerry handsets on T-Mobile's network can make calls, text, etc, over WiFi using a technology called UMA. This means, for example, if you have a server room in the basement that gets zero cell reception, as long as you have a WiFi hotspot available you can still make calls. And yes, this is included with your regular plan at no cost.

But not Android phones. And apparently not this one, either. I really wish T-Mobile would get on this.