Go Go Google Phone
It looks like Google’s venture into the world of mobile platforms is set for a 2008 public debut, and wouldn’t you know it, just in time for the holiday season.
According to recent reports, the first handset to use the open Android platform from Google should be available to the public before the end of the year.
This mobile device, the HTC Dream, is supposedly going to launch on T-mobile’s network and could be on the market as early as October or November. That should give holiday shoppers enough time to scoop up a few of these babies. I can see the lines forming around Best Buy already.
Does this mean the iPhone will finally have some solid competition? With a phone from HTC and platform from Google, I’m sure some people are thinking they could give Apple a run for its money. That is, if all the kinks are worked out by then.
Along with a bevy of blurry spy photos of the device and even blurrier video demonstrations, reports have surfaced from those who’ve had a chance to test out this new Google phone and they’re not all good. The verdict seems to be that the actual device is bulkier than the iPhone, and its interface is less user-friendly.
Even if these problematic reports are indeed true, I wouldn’t worry much. I mean, this is Google we’re talking about here.
I’m just hoping that some of that Google magic will rub off on those wireless networks and help carriers finally provide a phone that can actually make clear, uninterrupted calls. I have yet to use a mobile phone that can do so. Sure, the Android platform has all sorts of nifty extras like GPS, internet access, and media support for audio, video and images, but in my experience all those features seem to be a distraction from the fact that you can’t understand the person talking on the other end of the line.
Of course, I still can’t seem to master the call waiting function on my cell phone, so maybe I’m not the best person to judge a new mobile device before it’s released. I’m just interested to see if the Android platform can dispel all the rumors and influence mobile as much as Google has impacted the search world.
