We have heard countless rumors (dating back to last year) that Huawei was going to launch an Android phone in the United States. They were able to bring the Pulse to T-Mobile UK, but nothing has been announced for the U.S.
Huawei was presenting at CES so we stopped by their booth to see if they had any news. They had three Android phones on display (pics below), but none of them are currently slated for our shores.
After snooping around for awhile, I was told that Huawei is still trying to sway AT&T and T-Mobile to pick up their phones. I asked for a possible time frame and was told to look forward to a second half 2010 release.
In my brief time with the Huawei phones, I was really impressed with their build quality. Some of the models had stock Android and the Pulse featured a custom UI. We generally look down on the custom versions of Android and the Pulse demonstrates why. It had some cool ideas like its infinite desktop, but we would still prefer to see stock Android.
Canadian customers **cough Rogers** should also keep their eye on Huawei for possible phones this year.
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Taylor Wimberly
Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He loves playing with all kinds of gadgets, but most importantly cell phones. His other hobbies include cooking (BBQ hero!), politics, football, and watching every MMA event possible.
4 Comments
I’m most interested in your comment that you look down on custom UI’s. Why? I’m still using a 2 year old SE candybart, but I want to get an Android phone. I am hyped by the Nexus, but a friend of mine who has the Hero was trying to convince me that the Sense UI gives that much of an improved experience that I’d be better off with the Hero, even though it’s built on an outdated processor.
When you say you look down on custom UI’s, is this because you think it’s bad for the user, or for the Android system as a whole?
On a related theme, do you think that a stock Android device like the Nexus, will receive OS updates in the future quicker than those with custom UI’s, even if bought through a network (like Vodafone in the UK)?
The Pulse, though relatively unknown, seems to be a great success herre in Europe. Basically, it has the standard Android configuration, with a 528 MHz Qualcomm CPU and 256 MB RAM like the HTC Magic and HTC Hero. It also has a large 3.5″ capacitive screen, and apparently has decent build quality. But it’s sold at a lower price over here than the HTC Tattoo (it’s around 220 euros). At one point, it sold for 91 pounds unlocked – that’s 145 dollars with added British taxes and no plan whatsoever for a fully capable smartphone. Huawei can offer some fantastic value for money.
Was there any suggestion they’re planning to release an Android 2.0 update for their device? They need to do that quickly if they wish to compete with the likes of HTC/Motorola/etc. Cupcake is way too old already.