Google Phone Goes on Sale

Google is jumping into the mobile phone business with its new G1 phone. The G1 is available starting today for $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile.

The G1, which has iPhone-like features - such as a touch-sensitive screen, Internet access and a music player - runs on Google's new operating system, Android.

The phone has a dedicated button for Internet searches and comes with Google applications like Google Maps with StreetView, Gmail and YouTube.

Unlike the iPhone, the G1 slides open to expose a full keyboard, which could attract heavy e-mail users. The phone also adds a trackball - something like the one on some of RIM's Blackberry devices - for navigation.

The G1 starts up to a configurable home screen onto which you can drop any application you'd like, along with a big analog clock and a Google search box. And this home screen is completely configurable—you can even throw out the phone dialer if you want.

It also comes pre-loaded with software that connects users to Amazon.com's music store, giving them access to 6 million songs, and further pitting the device against Apple's iPhone and its iTunes service.

But whether it's got the right stuff to knock out the iPhone, iPod and Mac-maker, which sold a million of its latest version of the iPhone in the first weekend that it was out, remains to be seen, analysts said.

(October 22, 2008)