Two years before the first commercial release of Android, Google shopped a device to carriers that contained a “basic phone user interface.” The Mountain View-based company approached T-Mobile and called the device a win-win when combined with the carrier’s unlimited data plan. The original designs surfaced during Google’s trial against Oracle over the use of Java in Android, The Verge reported. Additional documents revealed that Google was looking to change T-Mobile’s plan pricing structure, and offer unlimited data for $9.99 a month. To subsidize the reduced cost, the Internet giant would have agreed to not take the commission it might earn from the carrier when it referred Android buyers to its online store. Google’s original plan never became a reality, however, and the first commercial Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, was released with $25 and $35 data plans. A second image outlining additional details follows below.

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If you were looking to get your enormous hands on a Galaxy Note in the U.S. but have no interest in switching to AT&T’s network, you may be in luck. AT&T’s “phablet” was previously limited to EDGE speeds on T-Mobile’s network, making the device a much less appealing option. XDA-Developers forum members have managed to figure out a way to enable HSPA+ support for AWS bands, however. After performing a SIM unlock, a user can flash one of three radio files that will allow the phone to access T-Mobile’s network with the proper SIM card. There are obvious risks involved, but T-Mobile subscribers in search of a supersized smartphone now have access to the king of the crop.

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Windows Phone 7 is a beautiful mobile OS precisely because you can't screw it up. Microsoft created something clean and gorgeous, and no phone company can slather their themed dreck all over it. However, if you're a masochist, try this! More »

Windows Phone 7 is a beautiful mobile OS precisely because you can't screw it up. Microsoft created something clean and gorgeous, and no phone company can slather their themed dreck all over it. However, if you're a masochist, try this! More »

T-Mobile and Nokia announced a special press event that will be held on December 14th at 7:00 p.m. The event could result in the first carrier launch of a Nokia Windows Phone in the United States, and early rumors have suggested it might be a version of the Nokia Lumia 710 that launched in Europe a few weeks ago. It’s all speculation for now, but it looks like we’re going to get our first taste of Nokia’s plans for the U.S. a little bit earlier than expected. We’ll be covering the event so stay tuned for more information on December 14th.

Sprint on Thursday confirmed that it will soon introduce a data cap tied to its mobile hotspot add-on for smartphone users. Currently, Sprint subscribers with compatible smartphones can pay an extra $29.99 per month for unlimited Wi-Fi tethering, which allows other devices to connect via Wi-Fi in order to utilize a Sprint phone’s 3G or 4G data connection. Beginning October 2nd, the mobile hotspot add-on will be capped at 5GB of data per month. Read on for more.

“Sprint continues to offer unlimited data for phones in its Everything Data and Simply Everything plans,” a Sprint spokesperson told BGR in an emailed statement. “Mobile Hotspot data usage is calculated independent of a customer’s phone data usage. The mobile hotspot functionality on a phone enables other Wi-Fi enabled devices to connect to the Sprint network. Effective Oct. 2, Sprint is changing the optional $29.99 Mobile Hotspot add-on for phones. The new add-on has a monthly 5GB on-network data allowance for 3G or combined 3G/4G usage.”

The spokesperson did not clarify what happens once the 5GB cap is reached, however an earlier report indicated that customers will be billed $0.05 per megabyte over 5GB if their usage goes over the cap in a single billing period. Sprint’s tablets will reportedly not be affected by the policy change, and standard data tied to the carrier’s “Everything” plans will remain unlimited.

If I asked you about your phone, would you call it a cell phone or a mobile phone? Does it really matter what you say or is one term more appropriate than the other? More »

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop confirmed to Reuters that his company has started developing its first Windows Phone handset. “We’re right now, today, having people work on the first Windows Phone devices,” said the CEO. Nokia announced that it would adopt Microsoft’s Windows Phone mobile operating system on future smartphones during a February press event. The timeline of when the Finnish company will release its first Windows-based handset has been a debated topic amongst many industry analysts and pundits. While it is widely assumed that consumers will have to wait until at least 2012 to purchase such a device, Elop has publicly stated that he wants a Nokia-branded smartphone running Microsoft’s OS in market before the close of 2011. The terms of the deal are expected to be finalized within the next few months.

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A Google executive on Wednesday shared preliminary details surrounding the company’s next version of its Android operating system. In an interview with Phone Scoop at Mobile World Congress, Google’s Android Engineering Director Dave Burke reiterated that Google’s “I” build of Android will merge features of Honeycomb and Gingerbread in an effort to unify the tablet and smartphone versions of the Android OS. Burke also said this future Android build will likely bring Honeycomb’s “action bar,” which adds customizable functions to individual apps, to smartphones. He noted that the “system bar” at the bottom of the Honeycomb UI would likely not make it to smartphones, though Honeycomb’s overall look and feel with be translated to handsets in some fashion. The next major build of Google’s Android OS is thought to be named “Ice Cream,” but a launch time frame is not currently available.

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The DivX Corporation has awarded its first DivX Plus HD certificate to Renesas Mobile, producer of several HD-capable system-on-chip processors. Any phone that features Renesas Mobile's SH73704 will therefore be able to manage full HD 1080p playback, including the popular HD content ripping format MKV. In this age of ever-growing screens, that has to be a good selling point. More »

The next Windows Phone 7 update, code named Mango, will have IE Mobile 9, which contains HTML5 support. It'll be the first major update for WP7, but might not have Silverlight browser support after all. It's unclear if third-party multitasking and Twitter integration will make it. [ZDnet] More »

It’s hard for us to fathom, but it is true: not everyone needs a smartphone. But not owning a smartphone should not prevent you from getting your digital-stalking on while on the go, no? Facebook has announced a new, feature-phone ready mobile client, created in conjunction with Snaptu. As Facebook explains, “The app provides a better Facebook experience for our most popular features, including an easier-to-navigate home screen, contact synchronization, and fast scrolling of photos and friend updates.” The application will work on over 2,500 devices and the social network as partnered with 14 international mobile carriers (none from the U.S.) that will allow you to use the app without incurring data charges for the first 90 days. Those interested can grab the new bits from m.fb.snaptu.com/f. “During the next few months, we plan to make the app available through more carriers in other countries so you can have a great mobile Facebook experience no matter what device you use,” writes Facebook. Any BGR readers out there still rocking a trusty feature phone?Read

Today, T-Mobile launched a teaser site for the mysterious G2; the company’s first HSAP+ enabled Android phone. As the site states:

The T-Mobile G2 will deliver tight integration with Google services and break new ground as the first smartphone designed to run at 4G speeds on our new HSPA+ network. In the coming weeks, we’ll share more details about the G2 and offer exclusive first access to current T-Mobile customers.

As always, you can visit the teaser site to donate your name and email address in exchange for information on the new hotness. For now, all we know is: the device is called the G2, most likely manufactured by HTC, will run Android, and will have a T-Mobile compliant HSPA+ radio. Who’s excited?

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We'd heard a rumor this was coming, and T-Mobile has now made it a reality -- the carrier will be offering a one-day-only, every phone is free event on June 19th to celebrate Father's Day. Yes, that really means every phone T-Mobile offers (including the brand new myTouch 3G Slide and Garminfone) and the only "catch" is that you have to either switch to a family plan or add a new line to an existing plan -- and, of course, sign a two-year agreement. The deal is only available in T-Mobile stores, however, and the carrier warns that phones will only be available "while supplies last," so you'll likely have to deal with a line if you're looking to get in on the savings.

Continue reading T-Mobile celebrates Father's Day with one-day 'every phone is free' event

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More Zune Phone rumors are again hitting the scene, this time the rumor of the day is originating from the Spanish blog muycomputer. They claim that Microsoft will be unveiling the long-rumored Zune Phone at Mobile World Congress 2010. According to their inside source, the Zune Phone will be introduced by Microsoft with NVIDIA by its side and will even feature an NVIDIA Tegra processor, leading muycomputer to surmise that the handset will indeed be a Zune HD with phone and PDA functionality probably provided  courtesy of Windows Mobile 7. The discovery of phone references within the Zune’s inf file is certainly suggestive of the existence of such a Zune Phone but we will have to wait a few more weeks to find out if this rumor is worth its salt.

[Via Gizmodo]

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One of the first questions I asked HTC when I saw the HD2 was "will it come with Android?" Don't get me wrong, I'm a WinMo user from way back, but with that 4.3-inch screen, it's perfect for Google's OS.

If these leaked photos of the HTC Supersonic are anything to go by, then it seems HTC has enough sense to do a similarly-specced phone, but with Android. Like the HD2, the screen is 4.3-inches, and internally there's meant to be a 1GHz Snapdragon chip, and a 5.0-megapixel camera. The extremely blurry photos turned up on the Android Mobile OS site, with the sneaky-snapper claiming it'll be carried by Sprint and will be a WiMAX device, but curiously it'll only be running Android 2.1, though HTC's brilliant Sense skin will be prominent on it.

We don't like to put too much faith in all these grainy leaked pics, but if it's true, the Supersonic will be my next phone for sure. [Android Mobile OS via Android Community Slashgear]