Samsung Tocco to see T-Mobile as 3G expands

A leak this weekend by TmoNews suggests that T-Mobile's US division will have a second iPhone rival after the Android-based HTC Dream. Known as the Samsung Tocco in Europe, the t919 would drop the front video camera from its original launch but would be one of T-Mobile's premier touchscreen devices, coming with a five-megapixel camera as well as a microSDHC slot that can handle at least 16GB of content. The device would support 3G data over the American provider's 1,700MHz UMTS network and so support much faster Internet access.

True GPS with voice guidance and a custom operating system are also part of the phone. The release date of the phone is unknown and may not arrive in the near term, although the conversion for the US would require relatively little effort.

Unofficial word has also been received today that T-Mobile will expand its 3G network to three new cities over the week, with Baltimore, Maryland and Houston, Texas both receiving the upgrade to call quality and data speeds on Tuesday while Minneapolis, Minnesota receives a similar change on Wednesday. A larger national rollout is predicted for October 1st.