Google releases the/a Google Phone

Despite claims that "Google will not compete with our vendors", today Google released the NexusOne, an Android-based phone endorsed and sold by Google (although made by HTC). This new device is designed to be the most advanced Android phone to date with AndroidOS 2.1, a 1 GHz processor, and 512 MB of active RAM (only 1.5 GB of storage space, though). It will be sold on Google's own site either unlocked or with plans from T-Mobile or Verizon (or Vodaphone overseas). Early reviews are fairly enthusiastic, though not without negatives, and have some tech journalists talking about abandoning the iPhone (although the fact that Google gave them out free may have influenced that decision). It may be the first phone to truly challenge the iPhone - although we were saying that about Droid only a month ago.

My own thought is a real competitor to the iPhone can only be a good thing for the market. We had hoped the Palm Pre would mount a real challenge, but sales have not kept up with expectations. We had hoped past Android phones would spur on Apple to excellence, but none have captured the public. And the less said about Windows Mobile and Nokia, the better. Here's hoping Apple and Google can truly drive a revolution in wireless phones and portable computing.

Android (GPhone) SDK is out

It has been released for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Check out the linked video, which shows off the features pretty well.

Google Phone announcement: Android

Ever since the Apple iPhone debuted and left some people wanting, some people have been hoping desperately for a "gPhone." This imagined phone from Google would be everything that the iPhone was not: open source, cheap, and with 3G hardware for high-speed wireless away from Wifi. Some even predicted the phone might wind up being free for consumers, paid for by advertising that came up when you web surfed or perhaps played before allowing an outgoing phone call.

Well, Google has finally made its mobile phone announcements and it is not quite what the utopians had dreamed of... but it is interesting:
1. It is an open platform called Android
2. It is linux-based
3. It is designed from the ground-up to be infinitely user-customizable ("Choose your own dialer, your own picture manager, etc.")
4. It is going to be supported by multiple manufacturers (Motorola, HTC, etc.) and cell phone companies (T-Mobile, Sprint, etc.)
5. The first devices are expected toward the end of 2008

Unsurprisingly, the biggest phone companies - AT&T and Verizon - refused to sign on and open up their walled gardens. And also unsurprisingly, those with their own proprietary platform - Apple, Palm, and Microsoft - were nowhere to be seen in the presentation. It will be interesting to watch and see if Android goes from vaporware to reality. The cell phone space could use some freedom, that is for sure.