T-Mobile stays focused on Android, not WM7 nor Symbian

May 12, 2009 | Eric Eldon | Comments | |

Carrier T-Mobile isn’t just staying bullish about Android, it’s aiming to continue leading the commercialization of the Google-created mobile operating system. T-Mobile chief technology officer Cole Brodman outlined his vision for the evolution of Android as part of T-Mobile’s larger plans, in an extensive interview with Om Malik published earlier today. Having introduced the first Android-powered phone last fall — HTC’s G1 — Brodman says the company has a few more devices lined up, and not just phones.

Meanwhile, he’s not so excited about the mobile operating systems that Microsoft and Nokia are working on (although he says T-Mobile is staying focused on Research In Motion’s Blackberry devices). From the interview:

I think the promise of Windows Mobile 7 is still to be seen, but we’re hopeful from what we see from Microsoft and what we hear from partners about WM7. But for us, there was less opportunity to drive with WM7, than there was to see how it develops. [With] Android I think we have a unique opportunity to work with Google and try to drive it. [As for] Symbian, when Freedom was originally announced, we were very encouraged by it, but I’m not seeing a lot of momentum, so the fruits of that alliance commercially has yet to be seen, and I think we’re definitely more cautious on what we see happening there.

T-Mobile is working with three partners to roll out more devices, including netbooks, as Malik previously wrote about the interview on Friday. Motorola will apparently take over production of the G2 from HTC, according to The Boy Genius Report. Other “non-traditional partners,” Brodman said, might include computer makers Dell and Hewlett-Packard. More portable than a laptop, internet-connected netbooks made by these or other companies could create new data service fee revenue for T-Mobile.

[G2 image via The Boy Genius Report.]

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About the Author, Eric Eldon

Eric currently covers digital media technology and business news, especially what's happening on social networks and their platforms. He also writes and edits stories about venture capital, and lots of other stuff, too. He started at VentureBeat in the spring of 2007, half a year or so after Matt Marshall left his reporting job at the San Jose Mercury News to found the site. Eric previously cofounded a startup called Writewith, that was building editorial software for newspapers and other groups of writers. The startup didn't work out, but he learned a lot.

  • HereAndNow
    T-Mobile is really positioning themselves well, to become the predominant Android mobile operator. And with so many smartphone vendors preparing to release Android devices, they are likely to have the widest selection.

    I could also see them embracing netbooks/MIDs running Android, especially if these devices include smartphone hardware (3G, GPS, accelerometer, compass, touchscreen, etc.) and support cell phone calls and SMS. This would allow them to generate revenue from:
    1. data contracts.
    2. phone calls & SMS.
    3. a cut of the revenue from Android Market app purchases.
  • MobileDeveloper
    They hope to win with cheap Chinese hardware and free OS but they will lose the customer base (bad quality and design on both hardware and software - have you seen anything as bad as G1?) and brand equity (good or bad we're talking about G1 not T1 ... guess why?)
  • HereAndNow
    FYI, Asia manufactures a huge percentage of some of the most sophisticated electronics & devices in the world, so I'd be careful when using statements like "cheap Chinese hardware".

    Re. "bad quality software", Android is based on Linux, which runs on everything from appliances to supercomputers. In fact, it is what much of the internet runs on. Once again, an unfairly negative generalization.
  • Getting Restless
    is shameful that T-Mobile doesn't have a 3G Blackberry or Windows Mobile device.