Pay-as-you-go Android hits the UK this week at T-Mobile

Now if you want to try out Android without taking on a hefty contract, there is a pay-as-you-go option for the first time in the UK, with the launch of the T-Mobile Pulse.

The phone shares many of the characteristics of some other Android handsets targeted at the mass market of mobile web users and younger consumers – integrated social networking, simple user interface, midrange media features. The Pulse, which is actually made by Huawei but branded by T-Mobile, offers some of the features of new products like Motorola Dext/Cliq, but without any contract tie-in. Instead, users will have to shell out an upfront £179.99.

The Pulse has good connectivity – HSDPA, Wi-Fi and GPS, better than some smartphones – but is middle of the road on other hardware. For instance, its camera is 3.2-megapixels and has autofocus but no flash. The design is slimline with a 2Gb microSD card included and a 2.5mm headphone jack. It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

For those who prefer to spread their payments, the Pulse can also be taken on a two-year deal of £30 a month, spreading TMo’s bets when it has slapped a fairly hefty price tag on the pay-as-you-go option. This taps into the trend for even higher end users to go for prepaid in the current downturn. "We've seen an increase in the take-up of £80-plus devices on prepay," said T-Mobile UK, though it did add that the Pulse was designed to be “aspirational”. It expects the phone to appeal to 18 to 24-year olds, whereas the HTC Android products carried by the carrier were aimed at an older segment and early adopters.

The Pulse came to the UK this week and will also appear over the coming weeks in all T-Mobile’s European territories - Germany, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Macedonia and Croatia.

Other midrange Android handsets are starting to appear to broaden the platform’s appeal beyond the smartphone base. These include the Dext and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Lite, plus another HTC model, the Click/Tattoo.

Source: http://www.unthinkable.biz