Google’s New Grooves: The Search Giant Enters the Cell phone Biz James Finley
The News Yesterday Google/T-Mobile announces the joint release of the G1 The new Google phone will run on T- Mobile service Uses the Android operating system Public release date set for Oct. 13 th -22 nd Reports vary on release date
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: Welcome the OHA Open Handset Alliance Developers of the Android Program ChinaMobile, HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, Telefonica, LG, and Ebay Program will become part of the future “HTC Dream” product
The G1 takes the Stage 3.2 in display (320 x 480 HVGA) Touch screen and trackball navigation Full QWERTY keyboard Dual band UMTS and HSPA GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band Wi-fi and Bluetooth enabled GPS 3.2 mega pixel fixed focused camera Micro SD slot (w/ 1gb card) support up to 8gb
Additional Features Include high-speed internet browsing that rivals laptop browsing speed. Photo sharing and publishing Instant Messaging Comes loaded with G mail and G maps YouTube accessibility Also syncs with AOL, Yahoo, and MS mail
Service Cost: $399 or $179 w/ 2 year contract* $35 for unlimited data and messaging $10/mo. VoIP service Automatic switching between call network and Wi-Fi for faster speed and coverage
So What’s Android anyway? Open source operating system –Amend, improve, and customize –Write new programs for OS Linux based operating system Break the mold concern which apps work on which devices / OS / phones
What Else? Amazon’s MP3 music store is directly linked to G1 Non DRM-music can be uploaded Android programs can be downloaded (for free?) from the Market –WikiTude, Cab4Me, GoCart Will come with a “lite” version of Chrome
Oh No you Didn’t! Current T-Mobile customer based (31.5 mil.) can’t hack it Far behind competitors in service size. Currently trying to improve from 2 to 25 cities by year’s end 3G data plan may be expensive and include hidden costs Android will have difficulty unseating Apple and In Motion Ltd. (Blackberry) with 2/3 of the “Smart” market: Says IDC, a mobile device research company)
YouTube: A first look at the Google Phone Bloomberg.com Worldwide First 'Google phone' unveiled by T-Mobile - Yahoo! News Google Phone Live blog First Google Android phone is unveiled News - Wireless - CNET NewsLive blog First Google Android phone is unveiled News - Wireless - CNET News YouTube - Android Demo RESOURCES