T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), Google Android: What's it about?

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	Home / Cell phones

	T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), Google Android: What's it about?	By Sindre Lia, Monday 22 September 2008

The first Google Android based phone will be unveiled tomorrow, but what will the T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream ultimately offer you?

Building up to tomorrow's unveiling of the first Google Android based smartphone, the T-Mobile G1 by HTC, there's been a whole lot of wild reporting on what Google ultimately wants to accomplish by "going mobile". Let's take a look at the principal ideas of it all:

Principal idea #1

Have leading mobile industry companies working together on common standards to avoid further fragmentation of the mobile market. As such, the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) was established. At first sight, the alliance obviously lacks some key players, but that doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, it is OHA members like Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Broadcom and Intel that ultimately decides what's possible to do with a handset or internet tablet.

Principal idea #2

Offer an open-source operating system that can handle any kind of platform and hardware environment, ensuring that whatever the OHA members plan to do, they can do it by using Google Android as the operating system. The first phone to hit store shelves is the T-Mobile G1 phone, which has been manufactured by HTC based on a Qualcomm chipset.

Principal idea #3

Let the "Facebook generation" create services and applications for the new devices emerging, without the requirement of expensive development software, license costs and everything else that suppresses young geniuses from succeeding. With help from the Open Handset Alliance and Google Android, mobile projects brought to life in dorm rooms and garages around the world will get a smooth start.

Principal idea #4

Create an advertising model that'll encourage all involved parties to offer cheaper or more advanced offerings. Let's use Twitter as an example: Alerting people by SMS is an advanced offering, but the costs involved are insane. With help from the Open Handset Alliance and Google Android, Twitter and others coming after can do more advanced stuff with less costs. Ultimately, it could all lead to new messaging services, for both consumers and corporate customers that are both useful and for instance free.

And that's why the Google Android and the Open Handset Alliance is promising. They will simply offer change for those who see the possibilities of it all. The real challenge moving forward, however, is that the masses will not be attracted by theoretical possibilities, but real services and handsets that are better than what's already offered. Tomorrow, we'll know more about how that'll turn out initially. Stay tuned for our T-Mobile G1 launch coverage!