Specifically, the G1 is loaded with Google Search, Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube and other popular Google software that PC users are familiar with. The phone will be available in the U.S. on Oct. 22 with prices starting at $179 for some existing customers with a two-year voice and data agreement, undercutting Apple's iPhone 3G through AT&T by $20. Customers can preorder the phone on T-Mobile's Web site.

"The Internet and the mobile phone are both indispensable tools for our hectic lives, but only a fraction of us access the Web on our phones. The T-Mobile G1 is our opportunity in the U.S. to accelerate the mass adoption of the mobile Web by unleashing Google innovation with a unique software experience that mobilizes the Google services [that] hundreds of millions of consumers rely on every day," said Cole Brodman, chief technology and innovation officer at T-Mobile USA.

'Most Important Platform'

The G1 builds on the promise of the Google mobile operating system , which gives users access to the Android Market. There customers can find and download applications to expand and personalize the HTC-made handset. Google pushed its developer-friendly theology at the launch.

"Increasingly, connectivity does not just mean a phone call, but rather access to the world's information," said Andy Rubin, senior director of mobile platforms for Google. "Today's news signifies an important first step for the Open Handset Alliance: With Android, we've opened the mobile Web not only for millions of users, but also to mobilize the developer community that understands the next most important platform in the world rests in the palm of our hand."

With one-click contextual search, users can search with the touch of a finger. A full HTML Web browser lets users see any Web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then zoom in to expand any section by tapping on the screen. Users who don't want to launch applications and calls with the touchscreen can use a trackball device for one-handed navigation.

"T-Mobile, Google and HTC share a similar vision for making the mobile Internet practical, relevant and fun," said Peter Chou, president and CEO of HTC. "The T-Mobile G1 represents the culmination of this vision by offering a variety of services, applications and content that introduces an Internet experience that everyone can enjoy." (continued...)

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