Chinese telco Huawei unveiled the IDEOS smartphone in Singapore on Tuesday (28 September), which is the world’s first mass market smartphone to be powered by Android 2.2.
Huawei said the ergonomically designed phone provides a variety of ways to access the Internet, with downlink speeds of up to 7.2Mbps and offering 3G + wi-fi dual network support. The device also doubles up as a wi-fi router, making IDEOS an all-in-one solution for a range of wireless connectivity options.
The telco said the product is available in a range of colours. “The IDEOS not only runs faster, but also supports functions such as voice dialling, voice navigation, and the ability to run applications in the SD card,” said Huawei in an announcement. “With more than 70,000 applications available in the Android market, IDEOS provides a wide range of communication, entertainment, and business management applications.”
Some of the key features of the Android 2.2 offered with the IDEOS include built-in wi-fi tethering that enables users to share their mobile phone’s 3G Internet connection with external devices such as laptops. This effectively enables users to turn their mobile phone into a mobile wi-fi hotspot for up to eight devices at a time.
Though the price of the device was not revealed, it is being touted as very competitive.
“The IDEOS has been designed and priced to lower the barriers to entry to allow easy mobile Internet access,” said Alex Jiang, president of Huawei Device in the Asia Pacific.
The Huawei IDEOS will be available in Singapore in the fourth quarter of this year from operators and at any large IT chain store.
