14 DAY TRIAL // T-Mobile sent out invites to a press event held on April 21 in New York City, and everyone jumped on the news, expecting the mobile phone operator to unveil at that date its second handset powered by the Google Android operating system, though there was no hard evidence on the carrier's exact plans.
It seems that the rumors will prove true after all, at least according to VentureBeat, which cites some sources that have confirmed the fact that T-Mobile intends to announce in New York the release of the Android phone, supposedly the G2.
The device is the HTC Sapphire 1.0, which surfaced a few months ago in a leaked HTC roadmap, and, for the time being, hasn't received an official name from T-Mobile. The Sapphire 1.0 is not coming from HTC, but together with a Sapphire 1.5 and a Sapphire 2.0, which will also reach the market as Android-powered devices.
To be more precise, VentureBeat says that the sources indicate Sapphire 1.5 as being the G3 handset, which will be launched by Vodafone as HTC Magic, while the Sapphire 2.0 will go to NTT DoCoMO as the G4. Both Vodafone and NTT DoCoMO are members of the Open Handset Alliance. In addition, it seems that French carrier Orange is also expected to release a “G” phone, though it is not known at the moment which one.
As many of you might already know, an HTC mobile phone featuring the Android operating system was already spotted at FCC in March, and it is expected to go to T-Mobile. The fact that there are three versions of the Sapphire seems to be connected to the fact that the carriers asked HTC for specific hardware configurations, such as different photo snappers, as G2 comes with a 3.2-megapixel camera, while G3 packs a 5-megapixel one.