AndroidBoards

T-Mobile USA has confirmed an early-August myTouch launch in the US which will be based on the same HTC Magic seen overseas recently. The myTouch in the US will have essentially the same features as the overseas version, plus a focus on customization via wallpapers, icons and the Sherpa personality learning program that will help find restaurants and attractions that interest you.

The phone will come in black, white and merlot colors. Features include a 3.2mp camera, included 4Gb microSD card, 3.2 HVGA touch screen, and one-touch video and photo upload capabilities for YouTube and Picasa.

Read the official T-Mobile USA press release, or visit T-Mobile’s myTouch site.

TMobileOfficial, T-Mobile UK’s official Twitter account, released today that the latest Android phone will be named the G1Touch. We can only speculate right now as to what hardware device that name will actually be stamped on, but it’s pretty certain just by the name that the new phone will not be sporting the slide-out keyboard of the older G1. And with the amazing quality of the new Cupcake update’s on-screen keyboard, that’s not necessarily going to be missed.

Although it’s not set in stone, we felt it was necessary to go ahead and release some information regarding all of the G2 rumors. Turns out some mentions by HTC indicate the G2 will be ready in the first half of 2009, and possibly another Android phone is in the works as well. All of this, of course, has either been fully denied or confirmed by either HTC or T-Mobile, but it’s very safe to say that it’s a go for the G2 in mid-2009.

Just when you thought no phone could look better than the iPhone, here comes the Lenovo Ophone. Intended for use on China Mobile’s TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) 3G standard, the phone boasts some of the sleakest looks we’ve ever seen. Not much is known about functionality other than included SD card expansion slot and a single hardware button (reminiscent of you-know-what’s single front-facing hardware button). The pictures also show a 5.0 megapixel camera embedded right into the back. Details are sure to come, but for now feast your eyes on what could possibly be the best looking phone ever made.

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Though some may doubt Sprint’s commitment to Android, a quip from Sprint featured on InternetNews.com seems to disprove any speculation of Sprint’s infidelity to Android:

Sprint is engaged with Android — no need to question our commitment.

Thanks for the opportunity to share our perspective

Sprint is actively engaged with the Android community; for competitive reasons, we have not been specific about the timing of an Android phone from Sprint.

Sprint is a charter member of the Open Handset Alliance.

Sprint has a long history of leadership in working closely with developers to encourage them to create new content that can be offered on Sprint phones. The Titan platform is an example of Sprint’s work with the developer community. Our participation in the OHA and our work with the Android community is another example.

Though the source from Sprint is unknown, the comment seems very well-worded and confident about an upcoming involvement with Android.

Kyocera wireless announced today that they have begun work on a new product platform that incorporates Google’s Android. The announcement states a collaboration with Wind River Systems, a key leader in Device Software Optimization.

Wind River Systems, an embedded computing specialist that’s increased its staff to help manufacturers support Android, said Tuesday it’s providing engineering services to help incorporate the software from the 34-member Open Handset Alliance that has collectively built Android so far.

It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to expect the first CDMA Android phone (Verizon or Sprint) to be built by Kyocera based on a quote by Kyocera’s Dave Carey, vice president and general manager of the Consumer Products Group, “We are committed to developing compelling consumer devices that leverage our robust technology portfolio. Our goal is to make Kyocera the leader in Android integration among CDMA device manufacturers in the markets we serve.”

T-Mobile UK says reports that they will be making the G1 available to subscribers on October 30th. Unlike Apple’s delayed European iPhone release, T-Mobile is making the wise decision to get the phone out across the world as quickly as possible. Initially, the G1 wasn’t expected to hit Europe until well into November.

The two tariffs (price plans) available both offer the G1 for free and are significantly cheaper than the plans bundled with Apple’s iPhone. Both are priced at 40 and include a generous variety of talk time/text messaging combinations.

Jim Hyde, managing director of T-Mobile UK spoke about the release: “With so much excitement generated by the announcement last month, we’re thrilled to bring the T-Mobile G1 to the UK in time for Christmas. [...] It’s set to revolutionise the way we use the internet on our mobiles: it’s uniquely built for effortless online communication – whether you want to email, text or blog – and with access to some groundbreaking applications on Android market, the possibilities really are endless.”

Straight from the horse’s mouth comes word that Motorola will be using that new 350-member Android team to design a “new Android Social Networking SmartPhone”. Although this could just be an afterthough addition, it appears that social networking will be the core of the new phone.

The news sparks some interesting ideas about mixing and matching social networks through a mobile handset. Could we see in the near future a single, unified Android frontend to Myspace, Facebook, Digg and others? Let’s hope so. The full quote from Coroflot.com after the jump.

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Word has it that T-Mobile’s pre-sale count for the G1 has cracked the 1.5 million mark. These numbers are no small feat considering the Apple iPhone took nearly 75 days to sell one million handsets. T-Mobile quickly exhausted it’s 500,000 unit reserve within the first few days of allow pre-orders. HTC had incorrectly predicted no more than 700,000 units would be demanded before the end of 2008, but it wouldn’t be unlikely to see over 2 million units sold before the end of the year.

These numbers are a great indicator to developers and service providers that there is a massive market for open source, and embracing the technology will surely lead to large profit figures.

T-Mobile has released an online emulator of the G1 for all of you who either missed the pre-order or simply can’t decide if it’s for you. Give it a spin and tell us what you think.