Abra-Ka-Dabra!!

Vodafone(the global partner of Verizon Wireless) will launch the HTC Magic, the Taiwanese company's second handset based on Google's Android platform, May 5--though there is no timeline yet for a U.S. launch date.

As expected, the Magic will be free with a two-year contract. In the UK the service will be about $51 per month. The plan includes unlimited web use, 700 minutes of calls, 250 text messages and unlimited calls to landlines and other Vodafone customers.

HTC unveiled the HSPA/WCDMA phone at Mobile World Congress in February. The device features a 3.2-inch touchscreen with a full virtual Qwerty keyboard, doing away with the T-Mobile G1's slide-out keyboard. The design also is much sleeker than the G1, which was criticized for its clunky form factor. The Magic has a trackball(this will be a test for true Blackberry heads), WiFi and features Google's various mobile applications.

Interestingly, the Magic has appeared in FCC documents with T-Mobile USA's logo on it, though the carrier has given no indication as to when it will launch the phone in the U.S. The phone is apparenly capable of supporting T-Mobile's 1700 MHz AWS 3G spectrum band.

HTC has promised at least two more Android phones, besides the Magic, before the year is over.


Sent from your Data Expert.