Sony Ericsson TM506, T-Mobile's first HSDPA handset, goes live

by Chris Ziegler, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 2:00PM

The well-scooped TM506 from Sony Ericsson is now on sale, marking the first time that T-Mobile has openly and proudly admitted that a handset in its lineup can actually support 3G -- despite the fact that they've had such gear for over a year now. Why the big secret? Until now, T-Mobile's 3G network has been undergoing pretty much the softest soft launch in mobile history, and only now are enough markets starting to come on board to make the whole thing worthwhile. For what it's worth, every previous 3G handset on the carrier has merely rocked UMTS, so the TM506 becomes its first HSDPA-equipped piece while also offering up a 2-megapixel cam, TeleNav navigation, and stereo Bluetooth. As of this writing it's still showing "Coming Soon" on the site, but we're hearing that it'll be available today for $79.99 after rebate on contract.

Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson, T-Mobile, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Tags: 3g, breaking news, BreakingNews, clamshell, ericsson, flip, sony, sony ericsson, SonyEricsson, t-mobile, tm506

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

aaronforjesus @ Sep 5th 2008 4:53PM

Of course a rumored software update that will remove tethering to a computer/laptop kind of takes the shine off of this handset. Browsing with Opera Mini on HSDPA is not a lot faster than using Edge on my SE K550i or UMTS on my Nokia 6263, meaning not muchel of a boot. Using this phone as a cheap modem using T-Mobile's Total Internet ($20 a moneth) had a lot of folk excited, but with this rumor, now many are disappointed and holding off their purchase.

Neutral

Jimmy @ Sep 5th 2008 11:43PM

I heard Costco is gonna have this phone for 20 bux with contract, fyi

Neutral

Ricky @ Sep 5th 2008 7:13PM

Is T-Mobile 3G up in LA? Because today my cousin went to pay a bill at our local T-Mobile store and I saw this phone there. I was kinda surprised. But yeah, it's kinda ugly in person. It certainly doesn't make me regret switching to AT&T a few months ago for that one touch screen phone. No, NOT the iPhone. The LG Vu. ^^

Neutral

frank @ Sep 6th 2008 3:19PM

Where exactly is this open and proud admission you guys are talking about? T-Mo's web site still has nary a word about 3G and there's nothing in the product details about this supporting anything other than the usual network.Under frequencies, it lists 850, 1800, and 1900 -- nothing out of the ordinary here.