G1: the first Android phone

What is considered by many to be the main rival of the iPhone was presented today in the United States. The G1 is a mobile phone manufactured by HTC and is the first to use the Android platform, developed by Google under the Open Handset Alliance.

The equipment arrives on the market through the hand of T-Mobile, with a price of $ 179 and stands out not only for the price but for its capabilities, similar to those presented on the iPhone.

T-Mobile G1 by HTC

With a wide and touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G connection systems, G1 wins the market’s attention by promising an improved navigation experience thanks to Android. The platform allows you to surf the Internet, from your mobile phone, quickly, opening several applications at the same time – which is not possible with the iPhone – and facilitates the exchange of data between users, highlights the international press. The equipment includes rich HTML capabilities, allowing the synchronization of email, calendar and Gmail contacts, as well as with other POP3 or IMAP services.

T-Mobile G1 by HTC

The G1 also includes a 3-way camera megapixels and will soon allow connection to blogs so that users publish photos directly on the pages, from their mobile phone.

T-Mobile G1 by HTC

The fact that it is designed to support YouTube, allows users to browse and do the streaming of videos created on the Google platform.

Another novelty is the integration of an application developed by Amazon for the platform. This program connects users directly to the Amazon DRM-free music store, from which they can purchase and listen to music tracks, as long as there is a connection to the network.

The G1 is also the first device to offer access to the Android Market, which stores applications and mash-ups services designed by programmers around the world for the platform.

Despite being presented today, the mobile phone will only hit store shelves within a month. The plans associated with the sale of G1 are already defined. The mobile phone costs $ 179 with a two-year contract and has two types of packages: unlimited Internet browsing, which costs $ 25 a month, and the version with unlimited messaging and data transfer will cost $ 35 in the United States.

T-Mobile assured in the presentation that the mobile phone will arrive in the United Kingdom even before Christmas this year, possibly in November, although, for now, its commercialization is only for North American territory. Later, it will reach all European markets where T-Mobile has a presence, namely Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Holland.