T-Mobile has today announced the international launch of the first Android powered cellphone in the world.
It is available 'soon' say T-Mobile, for customers in both the USA and Europe. The T-Mobile G1, as it is called, will feature full touch-screen functionality a combined with a QWERTY keyboard and the familiar Google experience thrown in. Most importantly though, it is the first to be driven by that Google Android OS and enable access to the Android Market, an Apple App Store alike site for downloading applications to the handset.
With one-click contextual search, T-Mobile G1 customers in a flash can search for relevant information with a touch of a finger. A full HTML Web browser allows users to see any Web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then easily zoom in to expand any section by simply tapping on the screen. With built-in support for T-Mobile's 3G and EDGE network as well as Wi-Fi, the T-Mobile G1 can connect to the best available high-speed data connection for surfing the Web and downloading information quickly and effortlessly.
T-Mobile customers in the U.S. can, from today, pre-order the G1 although quantities are said to be limited. It will also be available for over the counter sales in T-Mobile stores stateside from October 22nd.
Pricing has been confirmed at $179 with a two-year voice and data agreement.
As far as Europe is concerned, the T-Mobile G1 will become available beginning in November, and across Europe in the first quarter of 2009.
"We are proud that T-Mobile is the first operator in the world to launch an Android-powered mobile device" said Christopher Schlaffer, Group Product and Innovation Officer of Deutsche Telekom. "Since 2005, Google has been an established partner in T-Mobile's groundbreaking approach to bringing the open mobile Internet to the mass market. With the T-Mobile G1 we are continuing our strong tradition of being pioneers in the world of the open Internet."
"Increasingly, connectivity does not just mean a phone call, but rather access to the world's information," said Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google. "Today's news signifies an important first step for the Open Handset Alliance: with Android, we've opened the mobile web not only for millions of users, but also to mobilize the developer community that understands the next most important platform in the world rests in the palm of our hand."
