HTC Magic Android phone free from 3

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 28 May 2009 09:58

Your IT - Mobility

The Android-based HTC Magic will be available for free (as in $0 upfront) on a $99 cap plan from 3. There's been a lot of fuss about the arrival of HTC's Magic Googlephone, which will be sold in Australia by 3 and Vodafone.

Now we learn that 3 will be bundling the handset at no extra charge on its $99, $129, $149 and $199 caps.

If you don't spend that much a month, the instalments will be $24 on the $29 and $39 caps, $18 on the $49 cap, or $10 on the $99 cap.

There's not much point to owning an Android handset if you don't also sign up for mobile data, so 3's offering an additional sweetener of half-price data packs when combined with a Magic and a cap plan.

This reduces the cost to $10 for 1G, $15 for 2G, and $20 for 3G - with unlimited access to Facebook.

(If you're keen to get your hands on a Magic, are you a heavy Facebook user? Or would you prefer unlimited access to some other service - Twitter, perhaps?)

The HTC Magic is expected at 3 stores by mid June.