The world’s first WiMAX mobile phone appears

HTC has launched the MAX 4G, the only WiMAX 4G handset on the market today.

Slight snag though, it’s just for Russia right now on their Scartel network.

When will we see the handset elsewhere? Well, when other places have rolled out a WiMAX network we guess and is capable of supporting such a beast.

Think of the chicken and the egg scenario, and then go around and around in circles until you find the answer. Hopefully, with this handset out now it’s only a matter of time before the egg gets laid or the chicken gives birth to itself.

The HTC MAX 4G comes off looking like a big brother to the HTC Touch Diamond. Being the first GSM/WiMAX it’s got a lot to live up to, so hopefully we’ll hear good things over the next coming months.

As expected the Russian network is talking up the high-speed wireless Internet possibilities of the phone and why not.

Their ‘Home package’ provides users with access to online games, maps, messaging and file exchange applications whist on the move. They’ve much hailed their traffic prioritisation algorithms allowing online films, video and TV programmes to be viewed on the large WVGA screen.

Unbeknown to us they broadcast 14 free channels, with another 23 channels by the end of 2008 for their mobiles. Ideal for the 3.8-inch, 800 x 480 screen on the HTC MAX 4G which by all accounts can display up to nine TV channels simultaneously.

It’s running Windows Mobile 6.1, with their Touch FLO 3D user interface over the top, all with a 5MP camera and 8GB of onboard storage.

Some will undoubtedly say ‘Why not run Android on it instead’; well perhaps over time it could be possible. Keep an eye on the xda-developers site for further developments.