O2 Germany -- Engadget Mobile

First GSM Palm Pre now on sale in Germany, with new Euro-specific apps in tow

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 13th 2009 @ 5:15AM

We knew it was coming, and here it is -- the glorious first showing of the Palm Pre in its GSM garb. From today, our Deutsch comrades can grab a Pre and do whatever they want to do to it, courtesy of O2, its exclusive German supplier. The device will set you back €481 without contract, with the O2 My Handy option letting you finance it via 24 monthly payments of €20. Check out the online store link below for full details and available calling plans. Pre Thinking have also noted the arrival of two new free apps in the Pre catalog -- ran and VZ-Netzwerke, both in German -- and the likely prospect of even more coming along as the Pre starts its long-awaited rollout across Europe over the next few days.

[Via Engadget German]

Read - O2 Germany Palm Pre launch announcement
Read - O2 Germany online store
Read - Pre Thinking

GSM Palm Pre for O2 Germany pictured in the wild

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 6th 2009 @ 5:24PM

The Palm Pre is scheduled to make its big GSM debut on O2 in Europe in just a few weeks, and it looks like final production units are making their way into the wild -- these shots of a German Pre complete with final box art and a localized keyboard just hit the wires. Nothing here you're not familiar with already, but man -- the GSM and the Pre, gettin' down. We'd only dared to dream, you know? Now all we need is a version with some North American 3G bands and we'll be all set.

White Samsung Galaxy spotted in the wild

by Donald Melanson posted Aug 5th 2009 @ 2:12PM

We just caught a glimpse of a white / silver Samsung Galaxy yesterday, but it looks like any doubts about its realness have now been put to rest, as the very same Android-based phone has now been spotted in the wild. As you might expect, however, there's apparently no other differences compared to the standard black Galaxy we've been seeing all along and, just like the black model, this one will reportedly be available first on O2 Germany before rolling out to other carriers in Europe. And, no, there's still no word of a release 'round here.

Toshiba's potent TG01 back on sale through O2 Germany

by Darren Murph posted Jul 18th 2009 @ 11:48PM

Well, that was snappy. Just days after O2 Germany abruptly halted the sales of Toshiba's 1GHz TG01 smartphone due to an unexplained virus outbreak among new units, it seems as if things are back in gear. Online, anyway. As of this moment, web shoppers can order the Snapdragon / WinMo-powered from the carrier once more, though there's no word on if retail shops are still keeping their stock in quarantine. Either way, we'd don a mask before waltzing in to inquire.

[Thanks, Fab]

O2 Germany's TG01 handset, now with virus!

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 15th 2009 @ 10:17AM

It's bad enough picking up a virus because you've made an uncharacteristic (to you at least) illegal software acquisition, but bringing one home when you're just minding your own business, trying to enjoy your legitimate and hard-earned purchase, is totally uncool. Case in point: according to Inside-Handy.de, a few unlucky customers of O2 in Germany have purchased the TG01 handset only to discover a virus present on the device. While Toshiba tries to determine the impact and the cause of the infection, O2 has halted sales of the smartphone, though there's no word on when sales will resume nor if this infection has spread to other European nations.

[Via Unwired View]

Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 unboxed, "Google Experience" distinction now clear as mud

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 10th 2009 @ 12:41PM

The HTC Hero and T-Mobile myTouch 3G aren't the only Android phones making waves this week: the Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 also launched on O2 Germany, and this is the first unboxing we've seen. Continuing the confusion over what handsets actually get the full Google blessing, this version of the I7500 runs pretty much bone-stock Android, but isn't a "Google Experience" phone, which in this case apparently means that firmware updates have to be loaded manually over USB instead of being pushed over the air. If you're keeping track, that's now a third axis of differentiation between Google-branded Android handsets and everything else, and we're starting to think no one really knows what all the rules and differences actually are -- hey, Eric, maybe you could set down that BlackBerry for a minute and sort all this out?

O2 Germany boosts HSPA speeds to 7.2 Mbps

by Sean Cooper posted Jul 4th 2009 @ 5:40AM

Seems like only yesterday we were sitting about the campfire, chit chatting about the wonders of O2's EDGE update. Now, just a couple years later, the baby's all grown up, and rocking speeds in the 7.2 / 2.0 down and up range for some rather fortunate parts of Germany. Apparently all Huawei-based sites in the south and most other sites are technically able to offer the giddy up, though, there's a far stretch between being able and actually seeing this in the real world, right Rogers? Happy times Germany, no go forth and max your bandwidth caps!

Samsung Galaxy now available from O2 Germany

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 24th 2009 @ 6:35PM

The big Android news today is all out of London and New York today, but if we move a bit eastward, there's some cool stuff going on in Deutschland, too: Samsung's i7500 Galaxy is now available. The beastly smartphone immediately becomes the highest-end Android device to date and will have a little while to enjoy the top of the hill until the Hero drops, thanks in no small part to its 5 megapixel cam, support for 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 8GB of internal storage, and a 3.2-inch AMOLED display. Looks like it's yours for €69.99 (about $98) on contract, so count us in -- and how about some time on the Nürburgring while we're at it?

[Thanks, Jon]

Samsung's Android-equipped i7500 confirmed for O2

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 29th 2009 @ 10:19AM

We don't know everywhere that the i7500's going to land yet -- the presence of AWS 3G is still giving us loads of hope that it'll come to T-Mobile USA eventually -- but one place we're quite sure of is Germany, where O2's local outpost has now said that it'll launch in "the next couple of months." That lines up nicely with what we'd been expecting prior to the phone's announcement -- so now we just need, oh, say, about 20 more announcements around the world and we'll be good to go. Any time now, Sammy.

Toshiba's TG01 brings gl�ck to Germany with O2 exclusivity

by Ross Miller posted Mar 3rd 2009 @ 3:48PM

Toshiba's TG01 and its surprisingly awesome color bar-centric UI will soon be saying "guten tag" to its German friends. O2's announced that it'll be the exclusive carrier for the phone in Deutschland and will launch it sometime this summer, with mum being the word currently on price. So far it's the only TG01 launch we've heard about on this or any other planet, but we'd reckon a few more carriers will be chiming in soon to pick up the device for their respective countries.

[Via SlashGear]

O2 Germany to launch up to eight Android phones this year?

by Darren Murph posted Feb 7th 2009 @ 6:52PM

Look, this quote is one that could easily be blown way, way out of proportion, but here's the story for you to interpret in any way you see fit. Over in Munich at Innovation Days 2009, an O2 product manager was quoted as saying that "by the end of 2009," it wanted to have "six to eight" Android-powered mobiles out. 'Course, we've already heard that Google-based phones would be trekking to Nordic regions in the not too distant future, so we wouldn't be shocked to see a few filter down to Germany as well. But seriously -- six to eight? Most likely, this fellow was speaking in terms of what he would love to see happen and less about what he knew was coming down the pike. But hey, we'd absolutely love to be wrong about that.

[Via TalkAndroid]

O2 Germany introduces Xda Guide smartphone

by Donald Melanson posted Dec 17th 2008 @ 3:59PM

Well, it looks like O2 customers in Germany now have yet another exclusive handset at their disposal, with the carrier today unveiling its new Xda Guide, which will apparently replace the equally exclusive Xda Orbit 2. As you can see above, this one doesn't stray too far from its HTC-built predecessor, although it does up the connectivity options a bit with both GSM / GPRS / EDGE and UMTS / HSDPA / HSUPA, plus some Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and GPS for good measure. Otherwise, you can expect the same 2.8-inch touchscreen and 3-megapixel camera as before, along with 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, and a microSD card slot for some further expansion. No word on a price just yet, but you'll apparently be able to pick one up sometime in February.

HTC's Touch HD gets official for O2 Germany

by Sean Cooper posted Sep 25th 2008 @ 10:37AM

That didn't take long, we only got wind of this set a couple weeks ago and it's already landed in exclusive-style at the O2 Germany's feet. Arne over at the::unwired had a chance to play with the device -- sans branding -- and while nothing is divulged as to date and pricing, we're betting on pricey. Interesting to note that the Touch HD won't be branded as an XDA device, this is apparently a first for O2 and its smartphone line. Of course we're sure our mail will balloon with news as we get closer to the yet-unknown release date, so please, do check back.

Vodafone, O2 to launch the XPERIA X1 in UK and Germany

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 10th 2008 @ 4:32PM

Sony Ericsson finally came clean with that September 30 launch date for the XPERIA X1 this morning, and now the carrier situation is starting to resolve itself -- as previously hinted, Vodafone will launch the sleek WinMo slider in the UK, and both Voda and O2 will have it in Germany. O2 UK hasn't confirmed anything yet, and we still haven't heard from any carriers in the third launch country of Sweden, but we'll keep you posted over on Engadget Mobile as soon as we hear anything.

O2 Germany's turns HTC Touch Dual into "Xda star"

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 4th 2007 @ 12:21PM

Didn't take long at all following HTC's official announcement of the Touch Dual for carriers to start getting on board. First up is O2 German with the "Xda star," continuing O2's longstanding tradition of appending somewhat random words onto "Xda" to come up with names for its smartphone hardware. The Xda star's design differs slightly from the Touch Dual reference design -- note the retooled button layout below the screen -- but specs are otherwise unchanged. It'll be available in the SureType-esque 20-key layout only when it launches next month for just shy of €30 (about $43) on a two-year contract. Man, can we get it for $43 on contract, please?