Two new Next G phones arrive just pre-CDMA's closure

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 15 January 2008 07:48

Opinion and Analysis

Telstra’s other new Next G phone is the HTC Touch Dual 850 PDA. Originally arriving into the world as a 2G iPhone-like device, a week or two before the iPhone officially launched in the US in mid 2007, this new model is fully 3.5G enabled (making it much, much faster than its original 2G version), and uses the ‘TouchFlo’ interface to mimic a small sliver of iPhone touch-screen functionality.

Sadly, once you’re into the actual Windows Mobile interface, it’s virtually no different from any other Windows Mobile 5 or 6 smartphone.

Its touch-screen measures 2.6 inches diagonally, and comes with a slide out 20-key QWERTY keypad – something sadly not seen on the original 2G model – and comes with a 2.0 megapixel camera featuring auto focus, while Windows Mobile 6 is loaded as standard.

Telstra predicts the HTC Touch Dual 850 will appeal to the business customer as well as the fashion conscious gadget lover, retails outright for AUD $929 and is also available on an $80 per month ‘post-paid’ plan. It goes on sale January 21.

Telstra Executive Segment Director, Glenice Maclellan, said the new devices would ensure that all customers could enjoy the wide range of services and features on Telstra’s extensive Next G network.

“Mobile phones have come of age and Australians are using them more and more as an essential personal tool, which complements their work and social life with access to email and the internet via a high speed wireless broadband network,” Ms Maclellan said.

As usual, Telstra reminds us that the Next G network allows “customers [to] enjoy access to advanced mobile content and applications including BigPond TV, 33 channels on Mobile FOXTEL from Telstra, Sensis search services, plus an array of the latest news, weather and sports reports”.

Over the course of 2008 we’ll undoubtedly see more Next G models of phone arrive, with much speculation over whether or not Telstra will be offering a 3.5G iPhone through an exclusive deal with Apple.

But now that Telstra have launched their latest two phones from Sony Ericsson and HTC, the Next G network has the major phones from all the major players – Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Motorola, ZTE, Palm and HTC.

The lack of phones from major companies such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson was indeed a valid criticism of the Next G network in its early days, although this has clearly started changing with mobile manufacturers building more and more 850Mhz 3.5G phones, for Telstra's Next G network, but also the 850Mhz 3.5G networks being built by AT&T in the US, Rogers in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

Other Telstra news items that will pop up in 2008 include whether or not the CDMA network will be shutdown as planned, how Telstra’s relationship with the new Labor Federal Government over the building of a fibre network is evolving, what Telstra will or won’t do to fight or support the Government’s desire to censor Australians' access to the entire Internet and no doubt plenty more.

The only other real headline I’d like to see from Telstra this year above all others? Telstra stuns Australia with incredibly value packed and truly competitive Internet and mobile phone plans. 

Then the Next word from me would simply be an astonished... G!