14 DAY TRIAL // The Taiwanese company High Tech Computer (generally known as HTC), already an important name when it comes to production of smartphones, has recently revealed the first phone based on Goggle's Android platform, the HTC G1. The device will start selling in the US on the T-Mobile network starting October 22, while preorders for it already indicate it will be successful.
According to industry insiders, T-Mobile plans to order almost 2 million phones, out of which 400,000 to 500,000 are expected to be sold by the end of 2008. This would mean that HTC could make NT$7 billion (new Taiwan dollars) in Q4 2008, and if all goes the way T-Mobile plans it, an additional NT$18 billion next year.
The G1 is designed to be a competitor to Apple’s iPhone, the Samsung Omnia and HTC's Diamond smartphones. The device, if stripped away of the Google mark on it, would be a slide-out phone with a full QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen, measuring 4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 in.
Nothing too fancy about it, but when the phone runs the Google Android platform, it gives users built-in application services by Google, including Google Maps, Gmail, Youtube and Google Talk. These are the most attractive features for users, aside from the fact that they can also directly browse Google’s online shopping platform, Google Market.
Some have already said that the G1 doesn’t top its direct competitors in terms of exterior design, but industry insiders, although agreeing on that, say that the device is very appealing due to its easy-to-operate interface and more convenient network functions developed by Google.
As noted before, T-Mobile will start selling the G1 in the US starting October 22, at a retail price of 179 US dollars per unit with a two-year contract. At the end of the year, the company will launch the phone in Europe as well. Considering all of the above, it seems that, until now, the expectations of both T-Mobile and HTC in terms of units moved are pretty accurate.