Huawei could bring IDEOS to T-Mobile
Could T-Mobile be better served catering to the lower end of the spectrum, away from the super phones?
Chinese handset maker Huawei is in talks to bring its newly announced IDEOS smartphone to T-Mobile, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper says Huawei has been negotiating with each of the four major carriers to crack the U.S. smartphone market.
The T-Mobile deal could reportedly be finalized in the next four to six weeks. Huawei and T-Mobile UK already have an Android-based relationship overseas with phones like the pay-as-you-go Pulse and Pulse Mini.
Personally, I'd love to see this come to fruition. When it comes to Android, the prepaid segment has yet to be tapped. T-Mobile's last few quarters indicate that the prepaid market is growing faster than postpaid subscribers.
Bringing a low-cost Android 2.2 phone to the United States would be a win on more than one front. Android would continue to gain exposure, while Huawei would grab at least a small piece of the handset pie. And until T-Mobile releases a high-end flagship Android phone of its own, perhaps it'll be better served on the other end of the spectrum.
I'd love to hear from you on this. Do you know anyone who might make the jump to a smartphone if able to purchase it on a pay-as-you-go plan? What if the up-front cost was minimal at best?