T-Mobile G2 Available for Preorder Until Oct. 4

T-Mobile opened up its G2 Android smartphone for preorder here Sept. 24, guaranteeing that customers who order the phone beginning Sept. 24 through Oct. 4 will receive the handset on its Oct. 6 release day.

The descendant of the T-Mobile G1, the first smartphone based on Google's Android operating system, the G2 runs Android 2.2 and boasts a 3.7-inch screen with a "unique hinge design" that opens to a full QWERTY keyboard.

While T-Mobile hasn't publicly slapped a price tag on the device, which comes to market two years after its G1 and one year after its myTouch 3G, TMO News found this screenshot quoting the figure at $199.99.

TMO News also broke the news about the release date, capturing this secret screenshot of the preorder form from T-Mobile's marketing team before the preorder Website went live. T-Mobile invites users:

"From September 24 through October 4, existing T-Mobile customers will be given the exclusive opportunity to preorder the T-Mobile G2 with Google at select T-Mobile retail stores, through Care upgrades, and online at http://G2.t-mobile.com. A limited number of G2 smartphones will also be available for employees to preorder on My T-Mobile."

The G2 will be available to all customers from T-Mobile retail stores, some retail partner locations and online from T-Mobile Oct. 6.

That means T-Mobile, the No. 4 U.S. wireless carrier, will get the jump on other Android handsets for preholiday sales.

The last high-end Android 2.2 smartphone to make a splash was the Android 2.1-based Samsung Fascinate, released by Verizon Wireless Sept. 8. Before that, Verizon offered the popular Motorola Droid 2. 

The G2 hopes to give those devices steep competition by luring customers with the promise of 4G data downloads.

The gadget is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230 800 MHz mobile processor and will drive data at theoretical peak speeds of 14.4M bps, the carrier said.

The G2 offers an HD video camera for shooting 720p video and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus.

There is support for Microsoft Exchange e-mail, contacts and calendar and a preinstalled 8GB microSD memory card with support for up to 32GB. The device also supports Adobe Flash and the Swype text input application.

Like the competing Droid line of devices from Verizon Wireless, the G2 is preloaded with several Google mobile applications. The device promises one-click access to Gmail, Google Maps with Places and Navigation and the Android Market.