Android-based HTC Dream reaches Australia, Singapore
updated 03:45 am EST, Thu February 5, 2009
SingTel intros HTC Dream
HTC will begin shipping the Android-powered HTC Dream handset to wireless provider SingTel which will offer it to subscribers in Singapore. In Australia, the phone will be sold by Optus, a carrier owned by SingTel. The first Android handset in either region, the Dream is identical to the T-Mobile G1 currently available in North America and therefore represents the G1's first official launch in a market other than the US and UK.
As such, it has the same QWERTY keyboard interface and 3.2-inch touchscreen as the G1, though differs by incorporating services proprietary to SingTel and Optus. Otherwise, the same Google applications will come pre-loaded on the Dream, as well as access to the Android Market. SingTel says users can access the web via its 3G high-speed network or the device's built-in Wi-Fi radio.
In Australia, the Dream handset will be priced at between $3AUD (about $2) and $15 (about $10) per month depending on the kind of data plan users will opt for during a two-year contract, and between the equivalent of $25 and $33 per month on a 1-year commitment. Data plans range from the equivalent of about $38 (500MB) to $84 (3GB). Stateside, the G1 costs $180 at T-Mobile. [via DigiTimes]
