By Last week rumors were swirling that T-Mobile would celebrate the launch of its 3G Network on October 1st by also rolling out the Android enabled HTC Dream. We’re about a week late in reporting this… and purposefully.
In fact, we didn’t really WANT to report it because like many Android rumors lately it seems to be birthed from extensive reaching and yearning. People WANT Android news to post/report so they take a small rumor, pack a snowball around it and roll it down a hill hoping to create an avalanche of interest.
The origin of the rumor is TMOnews.com who received a tip that T-Mobile could be launching their 3G network on October 1st. Apparently the network will work with 7 devices – 4 previously named and 3 new devices including the flagship “Sony Ericsson Bella” and the mystery Android Device.
A T-Mobile spokesperson said that 3G will be in 20-25 markets by the end of 2008. Android has been promised repeatedly in “the second half of 2008”. The October 1st launch date would fit both of these deadlines. So why don’t we consider this very newsworthy?
Because the same folks reporting about this magical October 1st launch are the same ones who reported that Android was facing severe delays and wouldn’t be released until 2009. Make up your mind – is it delayed until 2009 or is it the very first day of the 4th quarter?
We don’t know. Neither do they. Speculating is fine but reporting rumors as though they’re fact, especially when they represent diabolical opposites along the possibility spectrum is absolutely absurd. We didn’t WANT to report on this because it seemed more like an article on T-Mo launching 3G than launching Android.
That being said, we’ve received a bunch of emails from folks asking why we hadn’t reported the news. Did we know something others didn’t? Were the rumors true? So, perhaps we should have posted the news and our opinion initially instead of simply ignoring them.
Don’t get us wrong – we’re not trying to dispel the rumors completely – but we are strongly doubting their legitimacy. Not that T-Mobile will launch 3G on October 1st, but that Android will launch on that day as well.
In the future, we’ll try to keep you up to date with all the rumors… simply pointing out when they are ridiculous, off base, exaggerated or anything else that comes to mind.
To the credit of TMOnews, they recommended readers take the rumors with not only a grain of salt… but a whole bucket! Others picked up the story and ran it as “probable rumor” which is where the huge disconnect was made.
Okay we’re done clarifying, you can stop e-mailing us about our absensce in reporting this story now!
T-Mobile IS releasing “The Dream” arround 10/1… no later than mid November. This came to me straight from John Brier, Tmo’s VP of customer service… It slipped in a recent address to my call center. He also hinted at multiple Android devices at that time!
This is true! I work for T-Mobile and was just informed by my boss we were getting an android phone in Oct. I am sooo excited. I will be saving my money for this phone. And dont tell anyone I told you this… I was not supposed to say anything. : )
Another conformation here, a friend of mine who works for tmobile told me about this 2 daya ago. I can’t wait, I was going to get whatever blackberry came out on tmobile next, but I can rock the Curve till October!
I just lest a tmobile store to get on a new plan and I was told, since I mentioned the iPhone, to do a look for the Dream and get details on it. It is supposed to be released in October. So, Kim seems dead on as does Bernie.
I guess im behind the times but what is Android OS and why is it better than the others? what sets it apart from Blackberry or Windows Mobile? is it just that the little robot logo is cute that everyone wants it or does Android have something more to it?
The HTC Dream, as it stands right now, is in line for a September 17th pre-sale release for current T-Mobile customers only. Some time after that one week pre-sale, it will go on sale to the general public. It will be sick and immediately rival the likes of iPhone and Instinct.