T-Mobile Pulse ‘does not cut corners’

A new handset that has hit the market carrying the branding of its support network has been launched that a recent article has suggested may be worthy of attention, despite not carrying the "glamour" of its rivals.

In a piece for Trusted Reviews this week, Edward Chester considered the pros and cons of the T-Mobile Pulse, a smartphone that runs using the Google Android operating system, but is designed for the entry-level market.

Available for around £180 on the network’s pay-as-you-go packages, the device was noted as a budget alternative to the Apple iPhone 3G, with a host of features also highlighted that betray its low-cost status.

Mr Chester explained that on unboxing the gadget, he expected the phone – which is actually built by Chinese manufacturer Huawei – to have had its technology tailored to fit its price, but this was not necessarily the case.

"For T-Mobile to make a smartphone so cheap it seemed impossible for it not to have cut some essential corners. However, nothing could have been further from the truth," he said.

The design of the handset was noted as minimal with attractive "glossy black lines" and the 3.5-inch screen was praised as better than that of the iPhone.

Another welcome addition was microSD support for up to 16 GB with a 2GB card coming with the Pulse itself and although the 3.2-megapixel camera was found to disappoint, Mr Chester concluded that with 3G HSDPA and Wi-Fi the T-Mobile Pulse "has all the essentials for a modern smartphone".

Other recent Google Android powered smartphones to be announced include the Samsung Galaxy i7500 and the Motorola DEXT – which goes by the name CLIQ in some international markets.