Introducing HTC G1 and the Google Android OS
What do you think of the HTC G1 that was released today- the first handset to feature Google's Android OS?
I have not taken a closer look at the G1, or its specifications until this evening, but now that I have, I really think it is quite an attractive handset. I did not realize the G1 had a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but it looks very cool.
And you cannot really argue about the price point - 180 $ (w/o taxes and fees) with a two-year plan on T-Mobile in the US. Pretty interesting what that will translate into here in Europe - I read the G1 is slated for a November UK release.
I for one might be very tempted…
The really interesting thing is of course the Android OS in itself. How will Android fare in the mobile handset market? Will it be able to attract a sufficient user buzz … and a developer base? How will users perceive it? For all the Google cleverness, is Android able to match the offerings of other, more established mobile phone OSes, like Windows Mobile or Symbian?
The fact remains, with the release of the first Android handset, two new mobile phone OS have entered the global market space in less than 18 months (the other of course being Apple's Mac OS on the iPhone). That is a very clear indication of the value being attributed to the global mobile phone market.
It will be very interesting (and probably quite bloody) to observe how the struggle to provide users with a winning combination of handset hardware features, applications and services now commences.
Check out the full list of HTC G1 specs at GSMArena.com.
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