G-Phone goes on sale today for $179 (Update 1)

The new T-Mobile G1 with Google phone is shown at a T-Mobile store in San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
NEW YORK — Google is jumping into the mobile phone business with its new G1 phone. The G1 is available starting today for $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile.

The new gadget features a touch screen, slide-out keyboard and a trackball.

The phone isn’t likely to draw the hype that Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone did, not that it will matter to Google. More important to the Internet search giant is acceptance of the operating system Android than sales of the first phone. The code for Android available to developers through an Apache 2.0 license that lets developers add to the codebase. The open-source mobile device, available thru T-Mobile.


According to Canaccord Adams analyst Collin Gillis, Google wants the developer community to build “nifty gee whiz” applications that make the Android operating system the most attractive one out there. “If people clamor for that, it helps drive the major carriers to offer Android phones and gives Google leadership in mobile search,” said Gillis.

Google is aspiring to become the de facto mobile operating system that manufacturers use, given expectations are high that the mobile Internet could be as big, or even bigger than, the fixed Internet. Android is an open-source software platform, which means the developer community has free reign to design features and applications that will run on the Android-based mobile phones. Android is focused on making great Web access.


The G1 Smartphone is available to consumers in cities where T-Mobile’s 3G service is available including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York and Seattle. The G1 has a touch screen, a full QERTY keyboard, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The phone sells for $179 with a two-year contract. The data plan is $25 a month on top of the calling plan.

Related Posts :

Sources :

1. The Huffington Post: Google's mobile phone goes on sale today for $179, October 22, 2008 07:57 AM EST
2. Fox Business: Google Launches G1 Phone; Developer Acceptance Key, October 22, 2008
   

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