**Correction, 8/29/2008: AT&T’s unlimited 3G service is $30, not $40, hence the corrected headline. **

For all the T-Mobile subscribers out there who are this close to canceling their service because the company’s Internet is subpar, T-Mobile continues to quietly launch the faster 3G Internet service in various markets. The speedy cellular Internet should be in more than 20 markets by the end of the year, including Orange County, according to speculators at The Unofficial T-Mobile Blog.

So far, T-Mobile’s media guy tells me, its 3G service has launched in seven markets: New York City, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and San Antonio. But few markets had an official announcement. Why has the company been so shy about it? Perhaps it’s because they are the last of the major cell-phone carriers to offer 3G service.

Dave Henderson, with T-Mobile, remains tightlipped about the launch even though there is  new excitement over the company because it may be the first with a Google phone (Android developers announced today that Android applications will get its own store!). But what he could tell me is this:

“We haven’t announced 3G pricing as of yet. For now, data pricing remains the same as it has been,” he said.

That means in the cities with 3G, users are paying a minimum of $19.99 a month for data — the cheapest plan available for smartphones. Data plans go up to $89.99/month for Internet and enterprise e-mail service on the Blackberry.

Comparably, 3G iPhone users are paying AT&T $40 $30 a month for the unlimited data plans.

Of course, the only way to access those speeds — above 1 mbps — is to have a 3G phone.

And T-Mobile has several, Henderson said. These are the Nokia 6263, Samsung t639, Samsung t819 and the Nokia 3555. All are pictured below.

The company also just announced the Sony Ericsson TM506, which is T-Mobile’s first HSDPA-capable handset and pictured at the top right of this post. This phone should see an average data rate of 600 kbps and peak at 1 mbps, he added.

The Sony phone will be available in early September for $100. Features include a 2.0-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, TeleNav maps and, of course, Web access.

Related:

• T-Mobile 3G facts (TMNews.com)
• T-Mobile 3G launching Oct. 1 (TMNews.com)
• Carrier Scorecard: T-Mobile (Unstrung)
• T-Mobile announces 3G Sony (CNET)
• Why wait for Android when iPhone is already here? (Gadgetress)
• BillShrink quickly shows how to save on cell bill (Gadgetress)
• Early test of T-Mobile $10 home phone service hits one snag (Gadgetress)
• Starbucks’ free Wi-Fi isn’t cool with T-Mobile (Gadgetress)

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