[Offtopic] google phone

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Hold the phone, Google's on line
Garry Barker The Age Feb 16, 2009 


THE Google Phone, widely touted as the first serious rival to the highly 
successful Apple iPhone, launches on the Australian market today.

Made by Taiwanese electronics company HTC and dubbed the Dream, it is the 
first and so far only smartphone in the world to use Android, an open-
source computer-style operating system, built by Google and based on 
Linux.

The Dream is a quad-band touch-screen GSM 3G phone fitted with WiFi, 
Bluetooth and GPS capabilities, a 3-megapixel camera and a single USB 
port but no 3.5 millimetre headphone jack.

A microSD card of up to 8 gigabytes can be fitted. Software includes a 
web browser based on Google's Chrome application.

Bundled features include access to YouTube, Google Maps, including Street 
View, a music player, instant messaging and email.

It is so far being sold exclusively in Australia by Optus.

Telstra says it has not yet decided whether or not to include the HTC 
Dream in its range. "We continue to consider how an Android-based phone 
might fit," spokesman Martin Barr said.

Like the iPhone, the HTC Dream is essentially a handheld computer that 
can also make phone calls, seen as primarily a consumer device and not a 
competitor for the BlackBerry in the corporate market.

"These days it is not just about the technology but about making it 
simpler and easier for the end user," says HTC Australia's marketing 
director, Anthony Petts. 

"There are now so many things you can do with your phone; people now use 
it just as they use their PC."

Some reviewers have gushed about the Android phone, others criticise its 
angular form and say it needs more work before it matches the iPhone.

They also point to rumours that a new, more capable iPhone will arrive 
about mid-year, said to have a body carved from a single block of 
aluminium, GPS navigation, 32GB of on-board storage, a removable battery 
and, possibly, a lower sale price.


For Google and Apple, as well as mobile phone network operators, the core 
of the smartphone market is not voice calls but software applications.


http://www.theage.com.au/national/hold-the-phone-googles-on-line-20090215-
8864.html

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cheers,
stephen