T-Mobile, HTC and Google have just officially announced the G1 – The first handset to run on Google’s Android Operating System. Having been codenamed the “HTC Dream” the G1 is going to be on sale in the USA on the 22nd October, with a UK launch to follow in November.
So whats so special about this phone then?
Well, the operating system is the first to be produced by a non phone/computer manufacturer. Its open source, meaning that any developer will be able to develop applications for it. With it being powered by Google, using the internet on the device should be excellent.
Specification:
Not the prettiest or smallest of handsets, the G1/HTC Dream does have some impressive specifications.
- 3.17″ Touch Screen
- 5 Hours Talk Time, 130 Hours Standby time
- 3 Mega Pixel Camera- Low resolution considering we’re now upto 8MP
- HSDPA with upto 7.2Mbps downloads
- Supports upto 8GB Micro SDHC, 1GB card bundled with phone
- In Built GPS with Google Maps & Street view pre-installed
- Android Market – Similar to Apple’s App Store, the Market will allow you to download 3rd Party Applications straight to the phone
- Amazon MP3 Store – The Amazon MP3 store hasn’t launched yet in the UK, but is not far off.
- YouTube, another of Google’s toys, YouTube support will be built in as standard.
UPDATE: If you want to have a play with the new Android operating system, T-Mobile have launched an online simulation that lets you experience the G1 in all its Android glory. Head over the the T-Mobile G1 Emulator to try it for yourself.
More details will emerge over the next few days, and I’m certainly keen to see reactions on how the phone is to use. Feel free to leave your comments below.
UPDATE: The T-Mobile G1 is due for release on the 30th October.
A bit mixed on this one in my opinion. As an open source fanatic I had high hopes for the G1 when I first heard about it. As I’m working with a company that took part in the Android challenge I got to play with the SDK as it was being developed. However, google haven’t handled things well and as a result a few critical features are missing in the release version, such as full bluetooth support. There’s also a few rumours doing the rounds that google have a ‘back door’ on the phone that allows them to track what applications you have on your G1 and can remotely disable them if they’re on the blacklist.
I also played with the device before it’s US release and I have to admit, it is one ugly phone!!! I hope Samsung can do a better job with their attempt, due for release in the 3rd quarter next year.
Still waiting to hear, at the moment it looks like its going to be a T-Mobile only handset, so if we do get them, they may be network locked.
I’ll update the post as soon as I know more.
Will you guys get this SIM Free?