T-Mobile G1 Officially Announced: First Google Android-based Cellphone

Today is probably the second biggest day of the year for cellphones (the first was iPhone 3G day, of course), when T-mobile officially announces the G1, the first cellphone that runs on Google Android. It should go head-to-head against the iPhone as far as consumers looking for a little more from their cellphone goes.
Here’s what you need to know.

The Phone
The G1. It’s made by Taiwan-based HTC, which has been making generally decent cellphones for a number of years now. As far as we know, it’ll only be available on T-Mobile for $179 with a two-year contract. It has a touchscreen like the iPhone, but also has a hardware keyboard like a BlackBerry or Sidekick. No more “did the touchscreen recognize my input” when texting a friend, in other words. Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi round out the package. Though announced today, it won’t be available till next month.

Android
That’s the name for Google’s new operating system for cellphones. It’s open source, which means that anyone can create applications for it, totally for free, so long as they have the knowhow. Expect lots of neat little apps that take advantage of the built-in GPS chip. And since it’s from Google, expect Android to absolutely scream when accessing things like Gmail or Google Maps. This could be big if Google plays its cards right, which remains to be seen.
Why?
Google’s looking to get into the cellphone business for one reason and one reason only: so it can sell advertisements. It’s widely expected that mobile advertising will be the next big thing in the advertising industry—remember, Google is primarily in the ad business these days—so for Google to have its own platform to deliver ads only makes sense. Image this: your walking about your city and need to find a café or restaurant ASAP. Using your G1 (more Android phones will become available as we move forward), you open Google Maps, search for “café” and up pops a list of nearby cafés. And because there’s a built-in GPS chip, you’ll get results that are relevant to you as you stand. “Oh, look, Number One Café is three blocks west, let’s go.” That type of thing.
It should be a big deal.
T-Mobile G1