debcook

Most every tech blog across the Internet is talking about Google’s new cell phone. It is not surprising that the brand new G1 from T-Mobile is causing such excitement among those that know what it means.

The G1 is an Android cell phone. In case you are not aware why that is important I can get your attention with one word – Linux. Yes, the G1 has a Linux Operating System (OS). It has been rumored that Google was getting into the mobile phone business since they first purchased a small company called Android, Inc. in mid 2005. Just over three years later Google has done just that.

The Google Android cell phone (G1) is branded to the T-Mobile network. It is a slider design with a QWERTY keyboard, a trackball, a 3.2” Touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity. The integrated camera is 3-megapixel. Email can be Gmail, POP3 or IMAP.

Messaging capabilities include SMS, MMS, and XMPP.

· SMS – Text messages between cell phone or from a PC (Short Message Service)
· MMS – Text messages that include pictures, audio, video and rich text (Multi-media Messaging Service)
· XMPP – Allows instant messaging to Google Talk users (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol)

Applications for the G1 will come from the Android Market. Music for the G1 will be downloads from Amazon. Web pages are not optimized for the small screen but surfing is quick.

So far reviews of the Google G1 is positive. There are pros and cons to most every feature but I am betting that the G1 will get a pass for some of the cons. This cell phone has been a long time coming and the uniqueness alone will carry it a long way.