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Today T-Mobile's G1 phone went on sale in the U.S. which isn't that news worthy on its own but when you consider that it's the first phone to carry Google's Android Mobile Device Platform you'd think we'd hear a bit more about it. Now, if you haven't heard about Android yet, we'll let the Wikipedia page introduce you..
Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices, based on the Linux kernel, developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance.[1] It allows developers to write managed code in a Java-like language that utilizes Google-developed Java libraries,[2] but does not support programs developed in native code.[3] The unveiling of the Android platform on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[4] Google has pledged to make most of the Android platform available under the Apache free-software and open source license.[5]
So yes, a mobile platform that is open source and based on the Linux kernerl. And here's the part where you start to wonder what Android can do.
Android supports a wide variety of connectivity technologies including GSM/EDGE, UMTS, CDMA, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. There's a touchscreen, GPS, accelerated 3D graphics,SMS and MMS. Android also supports advanced audio/video/still media formats such as M-PEG 4, MP3, AAC, JPG, PNG and GIF.
After reading these specs and details you'd think that a lot of people would be waiting in line for Android but it really was the opposite. This Computerworld article mentions a store in Cambridge, Mass. that only had 5 people waiting outside for the phone, which is nothing compared to the big crowds that were waiting for the iPhone.
It makes you wonder if the first day sales would have been bigger if there was no iPhone on the market or if Google/T-Mobile had put more into advertising. I admit that I love my iPhone but being a big supporter of Open Source means that I would have to give this phone a try. Not only for the principal behind it, but it really does sound like a promising smart phone.
The G1 with Android went on sale today with a price tag of $179 combined with a 2 year contract from T-Mobile. For more on the Android, check the official Android page here and the Wikipedia page here.
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