The Samsung Blaze 4G will run on Google's Android 2.3 platform, and features a large AMOLED touch screen display, a 1.5-gigahertz dual-core processor powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, and preloaded entertainment content. Additional details, including pricing and launch date, are not yet available.
The Blaze 4G marks another high-end smartphone offering from T-Mobile as the company tries to lure back customers it lost during nine months of uncertainty surrounding the AT&T merger.
T-Mobile remains the sole U.S. carrier that does not offer Apple's iPhone due to its AWS spectrum network, and continues to bolster its Android offerings to compensate. The Samsung Blaze fits in nicely with T-Mobile's string of high-end devices running Google's OS, joining other popular Galaxy models on its roster.
The Blaze, with its high-speed capability, also plays into T-Mobile's strategy to emphasize its 4G offering. T-Mobile also said it will work on expanding its HSPA-plus network, which it calls 4G, and not launch an LTE network right away.
The move is controversial, since Verizon and AT&T have existing LTE networks in place and Sprint will launch its own network this year, but T-Mobile feels its current network already rivals the speed of LTE.
The Bellevue, Washington-based company also added mobile instant-messaging capabilities to its Bobsled service, which will allow users to send free messages to any device or social network in any country. The feature will bring Bobsled on par with rival services like Apple's iMessage or RIM's BBM, both of which prove extremely popular with their user base.
In the wake of the failed merger, T-Mobile plans to refocus its energy on highly popular family value plans that are a big draw for budget-conscious consumers, but the company needs higher-end devices like the Samsung Blaze 4G to satisfy its tech-savvy users too.
T-Mobile is moving forward with new offerings while staying true to its roots, a strategy that could prove the company's best chance for a comeback in 2012.
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