Theres more here

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/02/16/rumor-htc--vodafone-to-make-google-android-phone

and here

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/22284/23308/google-g2-vodafone-handset-rumour.phtml

Looks good

Really had enough of these carrier exclusive phone deals. Unlock the bastards and retail them for reasonable prices already.

all rumour at the moment mind you. And for the record dan, there haven't been any one-carrier specific phones since Vodafone had the Blackberry Storm, and its s*** anyway.

I guess you could call the iPhone carrier exclusive, in that its exclusively unavailable on 3.

last edited by mongie at 21:54:15 17/Feb/09

I'd still prefer the Dream/G1, purely because of the physical keyboard.

Except that because of the 3 merger it now is availble on all remaining providers

Well... not yet... I don't think anything is going to happen there for quite a while.

Hmmm, actually, this phone supports 900Mhz 3G as well as 2100Mhz (G1/Dream on supports 2100), which means it'll work on the Optus YesG network. That's somewhat appealing.

as if this rumour wasn't turning into a truemour :P

http://www.vodafone.com/start/media_relations/news/group_press_releases/2009/vodafone_and_htc_unveil.html

And for the record dan, there haven't been any one-carrier specific phones since Vodafone had the Blackberry Storm, and its s*** anyway.

So what stores/providers other than Optus can you get the HTC Dream from then Mongie?

They've stated that it's not exclusive to Optus, they're just the first ones to get it. It'll be available from other carriers in a few weeks/months.

It's still a period of exclusively for how/where you can purchase it. What I'm getting at is that new phones should be all available provider free when they launch, as in, you can just go to your local computer retailer/myer/harvey/jb etc and buy it, like you would with any other new electronic device.

It's f***ing annoying that signing up on some provider's 24 month contract is the only way to buy a new phone when it first launches. Also, provider locking should be outlawed.

It ties back into that whole iphone jailbreak shiz. We should be able to use the devices we purchase for whatever means we want to.

last edited by Dan at 17:47:02 18/Feb/09

I agree on all points.

I agree on agreeing with all points.

i've really been hanging out for an android phone, but both these HTC ones look f***ing s*** imo.

any other android powered phones on the horizon?

Lots more are coming this year.

I heard a rumour a few decades ago that we'd be living on the moon by 2010.

I heard a rumour a few decades ago that we'd be living on the moon by 2010.

I've had my fingers crossed ever since Amanda Keller presented it on Beyond 2000.

Android G2: HTC Magic Hands ON from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

as for other Android integrations there are these

nice looking model from archos
http://phandroid.com/2009/02/09/archos-android-phonetablet-sick-like-arsenic/

Nimble desk phone
http://phandroid.com/2009/01/11/nimble-desk-phone-land-lines-of-the-future/

Redfly netbook
http://phandroid.com/2009/01/07/redfly-the-first-android-netbook/

It's f***ing annoying that signing up on some provider's 24 month contract is the only way to buy a new phone when it first launches. Also, provider locking should be outlawed.

It ties back into that whole iphone jailbreak shiz. We should be able to use the devices we purchase for whatever means we want to.

So what you're saying is, that even though when you sign upto a contract and you're merely paying the phone off and don't own it in full, that you should still be able to use it on any other provider?

I think that you don't own it in full yet matters relatively little, I mean you've still entered into a contract that will ensure you pay them the full amount they expect for the phone. I think it's more that they give it at a discount based on the fact that you will be using their service for a period of time that is the defining factor of locking to a network.

That said, that they don't just also sell them for an inflated price without the locking is kind of annoying.

What? If you're talking about the G1 then yes they do. If you sign up for the USD$25 Android Marketplace you can buy the developer version of the phone from Google Checkout.

So what you're saying is, that even though when you sign upto a contract and you're merely paying the phone off and don't own it in full, that you should still be able to use it on any other provider?

Absolutely. Of course you'd still be making payments to whoever you bought the phone from.

So what you're saying is, that even though when you sign upto a contract and you're merely paying the phone off and don't own it in full, that you should still be able to use it on any other provider?

FYI, 3 will unlock your handset free of charge, regardless whether or not you're currently in contract. It's not that hard of an ask.