While potential customers and the technology press await T-Mobile's More about T-Mobile G2 smartphone later this year, the wireless carrier is reportedly already knee-deep into the development of the next level of devices powered by the open source More about open source Android operating system.
The company will roll out a home phone and a tablet/netbook computer sometime in 2010, according to The New York Times, which cites confidential documents generated by a T-Mobile partner.
The home phone will include docking stations and the ability to send and receive data while recharging its battery, the newspaper says. The netbook computer, meanwhile, will not have a keyboard but will feature a touchscreen.
LinuxInsider requested comment from T-Mobile but received no response by press time.
A New Level of Devices
The Android news could indicate a seismic shift in the smartphone market -- a shift that's as much a result of software development as anything that carriers or handset makers are doing in their research labs.
"It just showcases that the market is ready for a change, and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) More about Google (Android's developer) is positioning itself to be the architect of that change," Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group told LinuxInsider. "The power players aren't just the carriers. They are enablers, but Google is moving between them and discovering a channel that Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) More about Microsoft doesn't have locked up yet."
T-Mobile's moves also speak to confidence in the Android platform, Enderle added, which is attracting a development roster rivaling Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) More about Apple while still building out its market share.
Potential Uses at Home
Those wondering why T-Mobile would think about developing a home phone need only consider the advantages that a Net-enabled wireless handset brings them while on the road.
"The idea of taking that a step further and having a home phone handset, with T-Mobile@Home (the carrier's US$10-per-month plan) -- but with the ability to interact with it for Web-surfing, or interacting with a laptop or Gmail and Google Calendar -- is kind of a slick idea," Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT More about Pund-IT, told LinuxInsider.
The tablet/netbook computer part of the equation could also plug into existing offers from T-Mobile for free, unlimited use of company WiFi hot spots, or be bundled in with new service plans.
"There are bits and pieces of infrastructure already out there -- hotspots, @Home service -- that could easily be leveraged for tablet or netbook offerings," King said.
Creation vs. Consumption
The current land rush among wireless carriers involves the race to turn smartphones into more computer-like devices. Apple may have won the first leg of this race with its iPhone, but the transformation is just beginning, says Al Hilwa, an analyst with IDC.
"Who's going to cross over into PCs faster? Whoever does will have access to a broad, well-monetized, rich market," Hilwa told LinuxInsider. "The segmentation that's taking place in the market is this: There are creation machines, and then there are consumption machines. People run around with iPhones, and they consume email, documents, books, music -- but they rarely create them. They're not being created on these devices."
T-Mobile may be throwing its weight behind creation, or authoring, devices, Hilwa continued, "and actually, since there's no established dominant player or platform in the mobile space, some companies are quite ready to write that into the PC space or authoring space. That definitely could be a disruptive force."
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