After months of anticipation T-Mobile and Google have unveiled the G1, the first commercially available handheld to run Google's Linux-based Android mobile operating system. The smartphone, made by HTC, will be available on Oct. 22. The G1 will support 3G, EDGE and WiFi, includes a wide touchscreen besides of a slideout QWERTY keyboard, a 3-megapixel camera, a music player and applications like Google Maps with Street View. More applications are expected soon, developed by the community.
In response to Android's entry into the market, the leading cell phone maker Nokia is planning on freeing and making its Symbian platform royalty-free too. Nokia's David Rivas, head of technology management at Nokia's S60 business sees little future for the practice of billing handset vendors for each phone sold with a particular operating system.
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Member since:2006-01-10
I figure at the moment it only has to be 'as good' as the iPhone hardware wise. It is only first generation. I think I'm going to wait until my current phone's contract is up and hopefully by then the second generation ones will be out with higher resolution, better / different style etc.
I've only owned my RAZR2 V8 since February and with the mods, it's pretty sweet. But it definitely would be nice to have full 3G, etc.
Member since:2005-11-10
The iPhone is already been out for a year, so it's not really a valid excuse for T-Mobile to be tripping over the same problems Apple had.
No 3.5m headjack?? Really? Seriously, what is the name of the person who OK'd that decision? They should be made into a piñata.
I find T-Mobile and other carriers to be bumbling idiots who can't get their act together. I expect this new device to not even register as a blip on the radar compared to iPhone growth.
Being as good as the iPhone isn't good enough. People will still buy the iPhone. It has to be *better*, and nobody as of yet seems to have the industrial [hardware|software] design to best the iPhone (other than perhaps Sony, and still, they bumble.)
Member since:
2006-01-04
I really love the software ( although I was hoping for a new http://www.enkin.net/ like service from Google. )
But the hardware ..
-Touchscreen is low resolution like the iPhone ( VGA is a must for me )
-The keyboard seems not that usuable
-It just isn't that sexy
Conclusion:
HTC give me a Android Touch HD with 800x480 and a soft touch touchscreen and I am sold.
Edited 2008-09-23 22:09 UTC