14 DAY TRIAL // The highly expected Android Phone from Google will be launched tomorrow in New York during a press conference. Google chose Taiwanese manufacturer HTC to build its smartphone, but little is known about the exact model that will be used. With all that, it is almost sure that its name will be G1.
If we are to follow the trail of online videos presenting Android, some things about its features become more clear. It is very likely it will have a slide-out keyboard for rapid text input, as well as a touchscreen interface. Also, it will have a built-in GPS, a tilt sensor for gaming, and a camera.
Google is expected to have its newest web browser, Chrome, installed on the G1, along with Google Docs and Google Maps. Other applications that are to come with the phone are “BreadCrumbz,” a GPS navigation system that will also allow users to view real-world photos of the area in which they’re situated, as well as its surroundings, and “TuneWiki,” a karaoke player for mobiles that synchronizes lyrics to YouTube songs.
Another feature will be the ability for users to download additional software and programs for the device, just like iPhone owners can download extra applications.
The price for G1 is expected to be situated somewhere around 108 pounds or 190 US dollars, with sources inside HTC saying that they expect to ship somewhere around 600,000 to 700,000 units this year alone, a number far greater than the one forecast by analysts.
More Android phones are expected to be launched in the following year, from manufacturers like LG and Samsung. Nevertheless, although chances of this happening are pretty high, it is not 100% sure yet.
Okay, let us now explain a few things more, just in case you’re wondering why all this fuss around the Android platform. First of all, it's free, meaning any user can download the source-code and modify it to their liking. Secondly, users can develop their own applications, which is really useful if you are a programmer. But, even if you're not, you will most probably be able to download programs written by developers, some – if not most of them - free, so you can customize your phone to the extreme. Think about Linux and Windows, because it's perhaps the best analogy; this is the difference between Android and other mobile OSes.
So, if the Android platform will prove to be stable, Apple might have a really big competitor sometime soon, since the cost of a G1 is lower, while software updates and additional programs will probably be cheaper for Android Phones.