Last year, I devoted a few Tech Tutor articles to the rumors of a “Google Phone.” Back then, the best information available pointed to Google’s development of an open source mobile platform called Android.
Now, almost a year later, the Android operating system is being included on an actual production phone. The T-Mobile G1, as it’s called, is an HTC Dream smartphone that is branded and distributed by T-Mobile in the US. In addition to the open source operating system, the G1 also includes Google’s own mobile web browser: ChromeLite.
So far, public response has been impressive. T-Mobile has already increased the level of pre-order units available and expects to sell half a million units in the 4th quarter of 2008. The G1 will be available in early 2009 to buyers in the UK, Europe, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
What’s so special about the G1?
The hype surrounding the G1 is due, in large part, to Google’s promise of an open source mobile platform. In an age where consumers are empowered to create their own applications and utilties for their personal computers and the web, Android represents a logical progression of this open source philosophy to the mobile environment.
When combined with HTC’s hardware, the G1 appears to be quite a crowd-pleaser. Based on intial reviews, the G1 includes an ample display, capable CPU, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a set of convenient navigation buttons with a trackball, support for audio files, still camera, and expandable memory.
Although the G1’s initial hardware profile doesn’t appear to be the iPhone-killer that Google might desire, it is the utility and name brand power of Google that makes the G1 a stand-out in a market that is saturated with mobile devices. In every sense, the G1 is a web phone. When combined with applications like Google Earth, Google Maps’ Street View, and Gmail (not to mention Google’s ubiquitous search engine), the G1 will allow users to get more use from the mobile web than ever before.
What Else?
While this initial release of the Android OS is a landmark event, what may be more important is the future that Google envisions. At the same time that Google throws its hat into the mobile OS market, the internet powerhouse also makes a play at changing the market itself.
Google has recently filed for a US patent titled “Flexible Communication Systems and Methods,” which describes how future mobile devices may be able to select from available networks and route calls or data according to the cheapest path. In this model, users would not be tied to a particular network provider, but would instead be capable of choosing their service based on price and connection speeds. If Google has its way, mobile users would not only have control over their operating systems, but their service provider as well.
Glossary
• Android – the open source mobile operating system developed by Google.
• ChromeLite – an mobile version of Google’s open source web browser.
• Google Earth – a “virtual globe program” that provides a bird’s eye view of the earth via satellite images.
• Street View – a feature of Google Maps that provides 360-degree panoramic views street-level views of selected cities and metropolitan areas.
Links
For more information about this topic, visit these links:
• “ Google Patent Network-Hopping Cellphone: Best Price Guaranteed”
• “ How the HTC Dream Became the T-Mobile G1: A Look Back”
• The T-Mobile G1 website
• " T-Mobile Expects Half a Million G1 Sales in Q4”
• " T-Mobile G1" Let's Go Digital Article
Now, almost a year later, the Android operating system is being included on an actual production phone. The T-Mobile G1, as it’s called, is an HTC Dream smartphone that is branded and distributed by T-Mobile in the US. In addition to the open source operating system, the G1 also includes Google’s own mobile web browser: ChromeLite.
So far, public response has been impressive. T-Mobile has already increased the level of pre-order units available and expects to sell half a million units in the 4th quarter of 2008. The G1 will be available in early 2009 to buyers in the UK, Europe, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
What’s so special about the G1?
The hype surrounding the G1 is due, in large part, to Google’s promise of an open source mobile platform. In an age where consumers are empowered to create their own applications and utilties for their personal computers and the web, Android represents a logical progression of this open source philosophy to the mobile environment.
When combined with HTC’s hardware, the G1 appears to be quite a crowd-pleaser. Based on intial reviews, the G1 includes an ample display, capable CPU, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a set of convenient navigation buttons with a trackball, support for audio files, still camera, and expandable memory.
Although the G1’s initial hardware profile doesn’t appear to be the iPhone-killer that Google might desire, it is the utility and name brand power of Google that makes the G1 a stand-out in a market that is saturated with mobile devices. In every sense, the G1 is a web phone. When combined with applications like Google Earth, Google Maps’ Street View, and Gmail (not to mention Google’s ubiquitous search engine), the G1 will allow users to get more use from the mobile web than ever before.
What Else?
While this initial release of the Android OS is a landmark event, what may be more important is the future that Google envisions. At the same time that Google throws its hat into the mobile OS market, the internet powerhouse also makes a play at changing the market itself.
Google has recently filed for a US patent titled “Flexible Communication Systems and Methods,” which describes how future mobile devices may be able to select from available networks and route calls or data according to the cheapest path. In this model, users would not be tied to a particular network provider, but would instead be capable of choosing their service based on price and connection speeds. If Google has its way, mobile users would not only have control over their operating systems, but their service provider as well.
Glossary
• Android – the open source mobile operating system developed by Google.
• ChromeLite – an mobile version of Google’s open source web browser.
• Google Earth – a “virtual globe program” that provides a bird’s eye view of the earth via satellite images.
• Street View – a feature of Google Maps that provides 360-degree panoramic views street-level views of selected cities and metropolitan areas.
Links
For more information about this topic, visit these links:
• “ Google Patent Network-Hopping Cellphone: Best Price Guaranteed”
• “ How the HTC Dream Became the T-Mobile G1: A Look Back”
• The T-Mobile G1 website
• " T-Mobile Expects Half a Million G1 Sales in Q4”
• " T-Mobile G1" Let's Go Digital Article
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