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T-Mobile Sept. 9 formally unveiled the T-Mobile G2, a smartphone capable of 4G data downloads and the first device running on T-Mobile’s new HSPA+ network.
The G2 is the widely anticipated progeny of the G1, the first smartphone based on Google’s Android operating system.
Based on the latest Google Android 2.2 operating system, the G2 offers a 3.7-inch screen with a “unique hinge design” that reveals a full QWERTY keyboard when opened, T-Mobile said in a statement.
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 videos 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 many Android devices before it, the G2 has seven customizable home screens. One of these is dedicated to providing one-click access to Google applications such as Gmail, Google Maps with Places and Navigation and the Android Market.
Other integrated Google apps include Google Voice, Google Voice Actions for Android, Google Goggles, Google Earth, YouTube and Google Talk.
T-Mobile has not announced pricing for the G2, which it said will be available in the United States exclusively from T-Mobile.
Current T-Mobile customers will be able to preorder the G2 in limited quantities later this month, with additional availability details will be shared in the coming weeks.
T-Mobile launched the G1 two years ago and the ecosystem has come a long way since that clunky-by-today’s-comparison handset. While the G1 launched with 50 applications, the Android Market now offers more than 80,000 apps.
Android phones have also significantly diversified and gotten much faster, sporting 1 GHz processors, which could pose a competitive obstacle for customers looking for faster phones.
For example, the G2 comes in the wake of several slim gadgets mimicking Apple’s popular iPhone, such as Google’s Nexus One and Verizon Wireless’ HTC Droid Incredible.
There have also been other phones with slideout keyboards, including Verizon’s Motorola Droid and Droid 2, as well as gadgets with large, 4.3-inch screens such as Verizon’s Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo 4G from Sprint.
The G2 combines the slideout keyboard of the original Droids with the 4G speeds of the HTC Evo 4G. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ currently serves 55 metropolitan areas in the United States.