T-Mobile is expected to unveil the world’s first commercial phone running Google’s Android mobile operating system today, dubbed the T-Mobile G1. The press conference is set to begin today at 10:30 EDT in New York and the Internet is rife with rumors of a presale of the device to directly following the event.

The G1 is expected to come pre-loaded with basic phone dialing software and other Google Applications such as Maps, Gmail, Youtube, Calendar and a Gtalk chat client. From there users will be able to load any one of the numerous applications created for the Android Developer Challenge from the Android App Market.

Currently, T-Mobile is expected to release the G1 only in designated 3G markets to ensure a good mobile web experience. The company began rolling out its 3G network just this May in New York City and is expected to launch in as many as 27 other markets in coming months.

The press conference this morning, which will be simulcast on the web, should clear up any questions about which features will be available in the first Android handset. There are still questions about whether the G1 will support taking video, bluetooth stereo an, most importantly, corporate email accounts.

Another question that remains unanswered before the announcement is the date that the phones will actually ship. While many customers believe that T-Mobile may hold a pre-sale event this week, estimates on when the phones will arrive range from early October until nearly Thanksgiving.

While some people may think that the Android release has been built up so much that it’s destined to disappoint, industry insiders are keeping a close eye on the launch. By using open source technology on the phones, Google is giving users unprecedented control over the applications and services they can choose for their phone.

Google has done an excellent job in attracting a strong developer community. These loyal fans are likely to rush to the aid of the Android development team in filling any gaps in functionality that they see. Time will tell if this open source model creates great user experiences in the long run, or a phone built by geeks for geeks.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 am under Cell phones, Google.

Read more entries by Dave Jeyes.
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