On the same day that Vodafone started selling Google’s Nexus One, Optus has given its customers yet another high-end Android handset option, quietly adding Motorola’s Milestone phone to its handset range.
Milestone was launched in the US as the Droid, but has been re-badged as the Milestone internationally with the addition of WCDMA/GSM support. Its launch on Optus was reported by Australian technology blog Techanist in mid-June, but Optus never officially confirmed the launch.
According to Optus’ site, the Milestone is available on a 24 month contract on a range of different monthly plans, starting from $19 (for a total minimum cost of $879) and ranging all the way up to $129 (total minimum cost of $2,996). The news appears to have been first reported by Android Australia today.
Optus has three different plan structures — its ‘yes’ Social plans, which are aimed at mobile social networking and internet use, its ‘yes’ Cap plans, which are aimed at those with high call and text needs, and ‘Timeless Max’ plans, which are priced at the top end of town and aim to remove the normal calling and data usage limits. The Milestone is available on all three plan structures.
The Droid was also launched in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong late last year, and in India in March. So far, it has only been available in Australia through online vendors such as Mobicity.com.auand not directly from any mobile carrier.
The phone includes a slide-out keyboard as well as a 3.7” touchscreen display at a resolution of 854×480, a 5 megapixel camera, MicroSDHC card support and a 550Mhz CPU, according to Wikipedia. Australian technology publication CNET.com.au has comprehensively reviewed the phone, giving it an editor’s rating of 8.5 out of 10.
The news comes as Vodafone is today scheduled to start selling Google’s Nexus One handset in Australia — a move that Telstra has reacted to by slicing the price of its flagship Android handset, the HTC Desire. A wave of other rival Android smartphones are currently hitting the market – such as Samsung’s Galaxy S, the LG Optimus and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.
Image credit: Motorola
What a shame it’s not the Droid X :(
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