It's just another phone launch, but communications newbie 2degrees is pretty excited about it.An Android-powered smartphone from Chinese dongle giant Huawei Technologies – which, incidentally, claims 55% of the global dongle market – will hit
It’s just another phone launch, but communications newbie 2degrees is pretty excited about it.
An Android-powered smartphone from Chinese dongle giant Huawei Technologies – which, incidentally, claims 55% of the global dongle market – will hit the shelves on the 2degrees platform on November 1, just in time for Christmas.
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The telco’s excitement isn’t so much that it has a shiny new smartphone on offer – quite simply it’s the price.
At $379, 2degrees is banking on its entry-level Huawei Ideos U8150 smartphone to capture the trendy social media-focused youth, which has been scared off upgrading by big price tags.
At first glance, it seems the closest competition will be the $399 LG Optimus GT540 with both Telecom and Vodafone.
Huawei, which expects to turnover about $US6 billion this year, is banking heavily on mobile phone growth over the next year, particular in the uptake of smartphones.
Projections from United States shown at the Ideos launch in Auckland today show that within 12 months, every second mobile device sold there will be a smartphone. It was explained the US figures were used partly because they are easy to get (lots of good analysts) and because they are an indicator of what will happen elsewhere in the world soon after.
Huawei product marketing director Alan Wong said the Android operating system was chosen partly because of its success in capturing market share on other platforms.
Similarly, 2degrees product manager Tim Hayward said because of the projected smartphone numbers “kids [of today] will grow up with them.”
“There will be no more just text and talk devices.”
While the Ideos is the first 2degrees Android product more are promised before Christmas.
The National Business Review has an Ideos to play with over the next week or so, we’ll let you know.
