MetroPCS unveils first Android device

MetroPCS Communications Inc. (PCS) said it will begin offering LG Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Optimus M device, the carrier’s first smart phone powered by Google Inc.’s Android operating system, beginning Nov. 24.
MetroPCS said the device will sell for $229 and require a monthly service plan of $50. The no-contract plan will include unlimited domestic voice calling, messaging and Internet access.
MetroPCS currently offers a Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. smart phone using Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 6.1 OS that also requires the $50 per month plan as well as a Research In Motion Ltd. BlackBerry Curve device that requires a $60 per month plan. (The carrier is currently offering a $50 per month special on the BlackBerry Curve.)
The Optimus M runs the 2.2 version of the Android OS and includes a 3.2-inch touch screen and 3.2-megapixel camera.
T-Mobile USA Inc. (DTEGY) rolled out its version of the Optimus earlier this month and sells the device for $30 with a two-year contract, while Sprint Nextel Corp. (S) is offering a CDMA version of the device that it unveiled last month for $50 with a two-year contract.