T-Mobile and Google are gearing up to launch the world’s first Android phone. The T-Mobile G1 will debut in just a few short minutes. What are you waiting for? Read on for second-by-second updates as the iPhone meets its biggest challenge yet!
16:15: That’s it. The announcement’s over. Seems Sergey’s still wearing his roller blades. He’s just been asked, “do you need a ramp, or can you use stairs?” We hope his insurance company’s not reading this…
16:14: Oh, now we understand. Larry and Sergey came from New York’s Grand Central station via roller blades… since the roads were closed it was quicker. “Were there any paparazzi following you?” someone just asked. “Not on roller blades!” said Larry!
16:13: Larry’s challenging people in the audience to a “search race” – without your laptop. Putting search in your pocket it much quicker and more convenient…. “especially when you’re roller blading”.
16:12: Larry’s been reading e-mail on it. “I’ve been giving lots and lots of feedback. There are 3 billion mobile phones, and a billion new ones every year. This is as good a computer as you had a few years ago. In terms of access to the internet, being able to use the web, and the applications we all make, it’s a tremendous opportunity.”
16:10: Sergey has been using a G1 for “a while now”. The first app he wrote is “one where you throw it up in the air, and it measures the time before you catch it again… or it drops on the store.” He hasn’t put it on the app store yet… “Hmmm, maybe I won’t” he says.
16:10: Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are here!
16:09: At the moment, there is no support for Skype. After a bit of muttering… No. There’s no Skype app currently available.
16:08: The G1 supports AAC music files, as well as WMA and MP3.
16:07: Questions about Gmail on the phone. “It’s a pretty robust Gmail experience”. Threading, archiving, labeling, search is all included. It’s also the first implementation of online presence inside the phone book, so you’ll instantly see if your contacts are online through Google Talk.
16:05: Bluetooth support is limited to headsets and hands free kit. Google’s Chrome browser isn’t on the device yet, although the webkit browser that is on there is the same as Chrome’s underlying code.
16:04: The G1 will be backed by the biggest marketing push T-Mobile has ever undertaken.
16:03: SIM-lock is cropping up again: questions about hackers are flying around. Particularly about how the iPhone was unlocked. The answer: “There are no guarantees in technology. We’ve seen a lot happen in the last year and a half with the device you mentioned. We want to make sure consumers use it on the network we optimised it for, hence why we’ve locked it.”
16:02: The phone will also come to countries without 3G networks, although T-Mobile’s going to stress that it won’t perform as well.
16:01: Gmail will be pushed to the phone. There’re no plans for a desktop application to sync applications. It all happens on the device.
16:01: The phone will be SIM-locked to T-Mobile. Again, we wonder how long that will last.
16:01: There’s support for Word documents, Excel and PDF built in. No support for Exchange at the moment “but that’s a perfect opportunity for 3rd party developers.”
16:00: “Will this function as a tethered modem?” – the answer is “no, this is an all-in-one device. It will not function as a tethered device” We’d like to see how long that lasts once developers get their hands on it.
15:59: Andy Rubin says Android isn’t finished. “We have the body here, but it’s the long tail that’s interesting… Google’s going to enable that.”
15:58: Talking about Europe now. It’ll be out in the UK in Early November.
15:58: If that price comes to Britain, we’re looking at under £100.
15:57: The T-Mobile G1 will cost $179 and existing T-Mobile customers can pre-order them from today. It’ll become available on October 22nd. Tariffs will cost $25 for unlimited web and internet and some messaging, and $35 for unlimited web and unlimited messaging.
15:56: That’s the end of the main presentation, but now we’re moving to a Q&A.
15:55: That video’s over too. Didn’t really tell us much about the apps available. We’re now being introduced to the development teams behind Ecoreal, an app to track your carbon footprint, and Shop Savvy, a barcode-scanner that pulls up price comparison for products from the web.
15:53: One developer who’s been writing apps said “The Google people would reply [to e-mails] on weekends. They gave their lives up for this!”
15:52: Another video. It’s about developers this time. “Open source doesn’t limit what we’re trying to do…” We’re shown lots of people saying pretty much the same thing. There’s a little dig at Apple’s SDK in there: “nobody’s going to charge you any money to join their programme”. Ouch.
15:51: The demo’s over. Now we’re hearing about developers. “Android is a rich toolkit to build applications and build them to market. One thing we can count on is change, but as time changes, consumer needs change and technology changes, this platform will adapt.”
15:50: Lastly, we’re shown the Android Marketplace. Lots of apps. Namco’s Pacman is on-screen.
15:49: One long press on a web page lets you send a link to a page by e-mail.
15:49: The web browser looks great. If anything there’s more space on the screen than the iPhone, since it doesn’t need to keep the Forward, Back and Bookmarks buttons at the bottom.
15:48: Google Maps with Street View is in place. But you don’t just have to scroll around using the touchscreen. The G1 has a built in compass, so as you move the phone around, the display on screen rotates.
15:47: We’re seeing multitasking in action now. Chatting while using the music player. Very slick. It uses the “window shade” at the top of the screen to blend the two apps.
15:46: One-tap purchasing from Amazon. “long press” while listening to music to get more options.
15:46: The Android interface isn’t multi-touch, but uses “tap and hold” to achieve almost the same effect.
15:45: We’re seeing a new video now. More in-depth.
15:45: There are two models being held up, a black and a white version. And Android OS looks very polished indeed. Apple should be watching this very carefully.
15:44: A quick chance for some photos. It’s all very informal.
15:42: “We’re finally here to introduce the T-Mobile G1 with Google.” we’re seeing a video. Youtube, Gmail, Amazon’s music service, chat. It looks REALLY fast.
15:40: Now we’re getting a history of the Android platform.
15:39: Peter says the Android platform is the most “nimble, agile and powerful” he’s ever seen.
15:39: There’ll be a “variety” of Google services on the phone. We already know Gmail and YouTube will be on there, and we’ve seen demos of Maps with Street View too.
15:38: Lots of congratulations all-round. But we want final confirmation of the G1′s specs, as well as a price please!
15:37: He’s still calling it the T-Mobile G1. Come on Peter! We all know it’s really the HTC Dream!
15:36: Rubin’s explaining Android. He says the G1 is great for developers. They can develop apps, but also modify the platform itself to make it stronger. He says Android is “future-proof because it has openness built in.” He’s introducing HTC’s Peter Chow now.
15:35: Shloeffer just described the G1 as “disruptive innovation.” Disruptive to who? Surely he can’t mean Apple, can he? We think he does! Andy Rubin is taking the stage now.
15:34: The G1 is all about T-Mobile building its web services. “Mobile internet is the most dominant force in our industry” says Shloeffer.
15:33: The T-Mobile G1 will launch “at the end of this year”. It’s already on our Christmas list.
15:32: Andy Rubin, senior director at mobile platforms, Google, is there, but Deutche Telekom chief Chris Shloeffer is taking the stage. He says the G1 will be launched at the same time in America and the UK.
15:30: We’ve just seen a fancy video. We’re off. We’re being told how important phones are in keeping us connected. “We haven’t been able to rely on the integration of the mobile phone and the internet… we’re here to change that”
15:27: Just a few minutes to go now. Amazon has already announced its own music store for the T-Mobile G1. What other surprises will be in store?
15:23: The stage is set (and the photos have leaked). We’re waiting to bring you live updates from T-Mobile’s G1 announcement in partnership with Google.
