HTC Magic Android Phone To Launch On May 5th

Vodafone's website now says that the second Android smartphone, known as the HTC Magic, will be available for sale on the 5th of May, nearly three weeks after it was originally scheduled to be launch.

The successor of the HTC G1 Dream, the first smartphone that used Google's mobile platform, was delayed due to a "last minute hardware change" and will be available for sale on a monthly contract exclusively at Vodafone and partners.

Unlike the previous version, there are no signs of any unlocked version. Expansys sells the unlocked version of the G1 for a staggering £699.99, more than twice the price of a PAYG iPhone.

The Magic - which you can already preorder on Vodafone's website - will be available on contracts starting from £30 which will pit it directly against the G1 which is on sale for £31.50 at T-Mobile.

A 2-year contract will bring you 600 minutes, unlimited texts as well as unlimited mobile internet and email. The HTC Magic no longer has the physical keyboard of the G1 which was the key differentiator between G1 and the many iPhone clones on the market, relying instead on the virtual keyboard.

The HTC Magic is about to be launched as another Android-based smartphone from HTC, the Fiesta is rumoured to be launched later this year by Orange.

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