What is Google Phone

Google Phone generally refers to cell phones or mobile devices using Google's Android mobile platform including an operating system, middleware, and some key applications.

Features

Features of the Google phones include

• Integrated web browser based on WebKit Open Source Project
• Optimized graphics support
• Wide media support for audio, video, and image formats
• Java virtual machine
• Different wireless technologies can be supported, such as GSM, EDGE, WCDMA, 1x RTT, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G technologies such as EV-DO, HSPDA, HSUPA, HSPA+.
• Hardware support includes video/still cameras, GPS, touchscreen, accelerometers (acceleration detection), compasses, etc.

Google Phone vs. iPhone

Since it's pretty much Google's product, you can expect that the Google phones can support wide varieties of web applications such as location-based service, search, blogging, photo (picasa), video (youtube), social networking, email/calendar, IM, gaming, etc. In other words, very much like the Apple iPhone.

Android Market vs. Apple App Store

Like the Apple Apps Store, the Google Phones can download 3rd party applications (including free apps) from the Android Market. According to the blog, it seems that the Android Market gives the application developers more controls in distributing the applications than the Apple App Store, where the applications are carefully censored by Apple.

First Google Phone

The first Google Phone will be offered by the U.S. carrier T-mobile in late September or early October 2008. The phone is made by HTC, one of largest Smartphone makers in the world (most of early HTC phones were re-branded to carrier name or other brands so that you may not be aware of them much). It is powered by Qualcomm's chipset supporting HSDPA and GSM. Ironically, HTC is probably the largest cell phone maker utilizing Microsoft's Windows Mobile Platform.

This site will be updated. Please stay tuned.