Chicago (IL) – The HTC Dream, the first Google Android smartphone, will go head to head against Apple’s iPhone – in size, features and price: According to the Wall Street Journal, you will be able to buy the Dream for $199, if you agree to a 2-year service agreement.
There is no official confirmation for this information yet, but if we believe the usually well-informed Wall Street Journal, then the HTC Dream will be priced at $199 with a service plan. It is unclear which service plans will be offered alongside the Dream, but if T-Mobile will tie the device to plans similar to what the company offers for its Blackberrys, then the overall cost of the HTC Dream over a 2-year period would be comparable to an Apple iPhone on AT&T’s network.
T-Mobile currently offers voice only plans starting at $30 per month for 300 minutes and voice/data plans starting at $60, including 1000 voice minutes and unlimited data. Of course, these prices do not apply to 3G services, which are promised by T-Mobile to be available in 27 U.S. markets by the beginning of October. Add a 3G premium to the $60 per month pricing and you are right in AT&T territory, even if AT&T is offering less voice minutes for the money.
If the $199 price tag is correct, then the strategy of pricing the phone right next to the iPhone could be considered as very confident on Google’s and HTC’s part. According to early reports, the Dream will be a HTC Touch-like device with a 3” screen, integrated Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS. However, it seems that the device will not include a motion sensor chip that can switch the screen layout between portrait and landscape modes, there will be no multi-touch capability and Google’s first version of Android will not support Bluetooth wireless connectivity. In direct comparison, the lack of those features could be considered as a significant disadvantage for the Dream, especially if the device costs the same as the iPhone and other smartphones are available for less than $100.
Nevertheless, HTC apparently expects huge demand for the device. The company believes it can sell between 600,000 to 700,000 devices until the end of the year, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal. Sales may be supported by the fact that the Google logo will appear on the phone. But we do not know if the Google name will be enough to move those handsets.
T-Mobile is expected to announce the Dream on September 23.
There is no official confirmation for this information yet, but if we believe the usually well-informed Wall Street Journal, then the HTC Dream will be priced at $199 with a service plan. It is unclear which service plans will be offered alongside the Dream, but if T-Mobile will tie the device to plans similar to what the company offers for its Blackberrys, then the overall cost of the HTC Dream over a 2-year period would be comparable to an Apple iPhone on AT&T’s network.
T-Mobile currently offers voice only plans starting at $30 per month for 300 minutes and voice/data plans starting at $60, including 1000 voice minutes and unlimited data. Of course, these prices do not apply to 3G services, which are promised by T-Mobile to be available in 27 U.S. markets by the beginning of October. Add a 3G premium to the $60 per month pricing and you are right in AT&T territory, even if AT&T is offering less voice minutes for the money.
If the $199 price tag is correct, then the strategy of pricing the phone right next to the iPhone could be considered as very confident on Google’s and HTC’s part. According to early reports, the Dream will be a HTC Touch-like device with a 3” screen, integrated Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS. However, it seems that the device will not include a motion sensor chip that can switch the screen layout between portrait and landscape modes, there will be no multi-touch capability and Google’s first version of Android will not support Bluetooth wireless connectivity. In direct comparison, the lack of those features could be considered as a significant disadvantage for the Dream, especially if the device costs the same as the iPhone and other smartphones are available for less than $100.
Nevertheless, HTC apparently expects huge demand for the device. The company believes it can sell between 600,000 to 700,000 devices until the end of the year, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal. Sales may be supported by the fact that the Google logo will appear on the phone. But we do not know if the Google name will be enough to move those handsets.
T-Mobile is expected to announce the Dream on September 23.