Joining the herd
The Android bandwagon continues to gather momentum today, with the announcement of Vodafone's first ever own-branded Android device - the Vodafone 845.
The 845 runs Android 2.1 - otherwise known as Éclair, has a 2.8 inch QVGA display, 3.2 MP camera and is manufactured by Chinese telco giant Huawei. As you can tell from the spec, it's not designed to take on the likes of the Nexus One in terms of market positioning.
Which is just as well, because Vodafone finally starts selling the Google Phone this Friday, having started accepting pre-orders yesterday. The HTC-made Nexus One is positioned as the ultimate Android platform as is priced accordingly at £35 per month for a ‘free' one - the same price as the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.
Vodafone isn't revealing the UK pricing for the 845, but has stressed that it's positioned as a relatively entry-level smartphone. The HTC Desire, which is considered pretty equivalent to the Nexus One, is on offer for £30 per month at Vodafone, while the HTC Legend goes for £20 per month. We think it's safe to assume the 845 will be available ‘free' for £20 per month or less.
Quite a few other own-brand devices have been announced by Vodafone today, but none of them Android. The 546 is a 2.5G QWERTY smartphone intended for emerging markets, while the 543 and 547 are touchscreen feature-phones with the Opera Mini browser. Lastly, the 246, 247, 248 and 350/346 are ultra-low cost handsets aimed at emerging markets.
Here's a piccie and a vid.
