Google's Android Coming Soon

It's being  reported that the first phone to ship running Google's Android software could begin shipping in October. The phone will be by handset maker HTC and will run on the T-Mobile network. Early reports are that the phone is technically powerful but not as elegant as Apple's iPhone and OS X. This all comes after much speculation of a Google Phone and Google confirming its interest in developing for a mobile device almost a year ago. It will be interesting to see the public response to Android considering the grumbling regarding Apple's newest 3G offering and the high expectation for just about anything that Google releases. Also, there is in issue regarding the purported preferential treatment of certain development teams by Google. After all, the whole concept behind Android was for it to be an open platform for phone development. Another question remains about the ability of T-Mobile to handle 3G traffic on its network. Currently it is only testing 3G in a couple of markets. Plans to roll out 3G to all of its customers seem to coincide with the release of this Android phone. It remains to be seen if T-Mobile can avoid the problems that AT&T experienced when the large number of iPhone 3Gs hit their network.

FYI, 3G basically refers to third-generation cell phone technology. When all is well, 3G speeds rival those of wireless technology allowing for snappier browsing on cellular phones.