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Google Unveils First Android Phone
danieltdp writes "Google finally officially launched the first Android-enabled mobile device to hit the market. As expected, the first Android phone will be the HTC Dream (also known as the T-Mobile G1), a device with a large touchscreen and a slide-out physical keypad that will run Google's new mobile platform." You might also not be at all surprised to know that Google is working on an Android competitor to the Apple App store.
I agree with your disappointment in this phone. Personally, this sounds like a big mistake on Google's part. I haven't followed the phone market actively, but I am aware of the general goings on. Android has the potential to make a big splash, but being tied to this handset wastes that initial release PR boost. When you are fighting the gods of marketing and "hip" over at Apple, you gotta play the game right. I still have faith that Android will provide a good alternative for mobile platforms, but I think this release will take a toll. It may be more of an uphill battle than it had to be.
I got a catholic block.
There's also an announcement from the Android Community (and confirmed by Qualcomm) that the device will be running off of a new Linux-based and Linux-optimized Qualcomm chipset.
What I find most interesting, however, is their mention of an asymmetric dual-core processor, with one core optimized for specific phone functionality and the other designed as a general-purpose processor. If this works, it will be an interesting new trend and a big step forwards for phones, Linux, and Qualcomm, I believe. (Apparently, though, it still has a few issues... I wish luck to those design teams!)
>> Standing on head makes smile of frown, but rest of face also upside down.
The problem is that in order to get the phone, you need to sign a 2 year contract. As part of the contract, you have to agree to a credit check.
The bottom line that it will be quite easy for T-Mobile and/or Google to associate all of your most personal information (real name, address, SSN, credit history) with all of the information that Google already collects (your search history, email/IM contacts, location).
A paranoid person might think that the whole reason for Google releasing Android is so that it can get a bullet-proof correlation between a person's online and real life identities...
I use skype on WM5 with Sprint's EVDO. Cheap international calls anywhere. Works fine with the occasional nuttiness and dropouts.
I love how people defend the abusive practices of google, apple, tmobile, etc. "But, but, theyre watching out for us. Clearly you cant have VoIP over a cell data network!"
Fuck yeah you can.
we're already working on gplv3'ed ssh :) and its got some kick-butt features for terminal switching. check out the code and vids:
http://code.google.com/p/connectbot/
As you've noticed, hardly any phones come with a normal jack, so it's hardly a reason for not using this one.
Lots of phones come with 2.5 mm jacks, including other phones from HTC. It's a pretty standard kind of connector. Actually, I think there are fewer phones now with this jack than there used to be. I think the change happened because simple cell phones have mostly been displaced by fancy PDAish things that need a data connector. Having two connectors costs, so they combine data and voice in a proprietary connector.
There's a small inconvenience factor in having a proprietary headphone connector(you can usually find an adapter, and most of us use Bluetooth anyway). But I find the way manufacturers resist standardization (even within their own product lines) to be irksome. It would be lot easier for consumers if everybody used a USB-compatible connector for data and recharging, and a 2.5 mm jack for voice. It would raise costs slightly, but given the $400 typically charged for a smart phone (either directly or through a provider's loyalty plan), that's not really too much to ask. I believe it's actually required for phones sold in some countries.
OK, lack of standardization is par for gadget manufacturers. (How many different wall warts do you own? And how many gadgets have you fried by connecting the wrong one?) But one would hope that Do-No-Wrong Google would persuade its hardware partners to do better.