A freshly published Google patent filing suggests that, while the company may be on good terms with cellular carriers now, in the future the telcos might be a little more resentful. Titled “Flexible Communication Systems and Methods”, the document describes a system whereby a mobile device - such as an Android cellphone - could monitor and judge available wireless networks and route voice and data traffic over whichever was the cheapest. Google’s filing describes cellular, WiFi and WiMAX networks as all being potential routes, with the technicalities invisible to the user; their example is a mobile handset that works on home WiFi then seamlessly transitions to a WiFi hotspot or cellular network when outside.
The T-Mobile G1 was announced yesterday and one of the initial criticisms was the data plan restriction that limited usage to 1GB a month. If a user were to exceed this amount, their connection would be throttled back to 50kbps. But now, T-Mobile has issued a statement that claims the carrier is removing this policy from their terms and conditions.
At first glance the G1 settings menu doesn’t not seem to different from other devices. The items listed are Wireless, Call, Sounds & Display, Data Synchronization, Security & Location, applications, SD Card & Storage, Date & Time, Text and About Phone. The wireless section has options such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Mobile Network.
Today was a huge day for Google and T-Mobile with the announcement of the first phone to come loaded with Android. The official release date of the T-Mobile G1 will be Wednesday October 22nd. Pre-sales started immediately after the announcement for the upgrade price of $179. The G1 has a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution capacitive touchscreen, a flip-out full QWERTY keyboard, dual-band UMTS HSPA, quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. There’s also a 3.2-megapixel fixed-focus camera, microSD slot (with a 1GB card provided and up to 8GB supported) and a trackball for navigation.
Videos and hands-on images of the new T-Mobile G1 Google Phone after the cut!
Over at Android Community we like to give back to the community, and what better way to give back than to give away the first Android powered handset as it is announced. During the live cast of T-Mobile’s Android announcement tomorrow we will be giving the “G1″ away to one of our lucky members.
The rules are simple: you must be a registered user with a valid email address, be logged into http://androidcommunity.com/forum at the time of the Live Blog and watch the live web cast for the announcement of the winner! For more information and rules about the giveaway visit Android Community.
Remember, we’ll be Live Blogging the whole T-Mobile event tomorrow morning at http://Live.AndroidCommunity.com. Join us at 10:30AM EDT for all the details of T-Mobile’s first Android handset, the G1!
The time has finally arrived! T-Mobile will be launching the first ever Android-powered phone on September 23rd and Android Community is going to be there. We will be live blogging the entire event, which starts at 10:30 EDT, so be sure to tune in!
Besides the live coverage, you’ll also get the scoop on the latest hands-on footage, photos and more. The live product demonstration will ensure you all get familiar with the HTC Dream–the phone we expect to see unveiled–before it ever hits store shelves.
Availability is expected by the end of October, though we’ll know for sure come September 23rd. The G1 will be presented by both Google and T-Mobile, so be sure to point your browser to http://Live.AndroidCommunity.com/ at 10:30 EDT for the breaking news as it happens.
It’s been busy in the world of Android. In fact, so much has happened in the past week, we just had give you a little recap. Plus, there’s a few new things worth mentioning all you Android diehards are sure to appreciate. For starters, the winners of the Android Developer Challenge I were announced last week. Ten teams won $275,000 each and ten won $100,000 each for their interesting and useful application submissions. Just a few apps worth mentioning are cab4me, which helps you find a cab wherever you are GoCart, which allows you to scan product barcodes and compare product prices at local stores. There are many more, so be sure to check out the winners for yourself.
Just a few weeks ago we were all in the dark about what carrier the HTC Dream would be released on. But in less than a month’s time, we’ve gotten our first look at the smartphone, exclusive images and video of the long-awaited Android operating system and confirmation that the Dream will be called the G1 from T-Mobile. That’s a lot of ground to cover but in keeping with the world of tech, these announcements tend to fly out quickly and then get lost in the heap. Now that the first ever Google phone is being released very soon, we thought it would be appropriate to take a look back at some of the highlights of the HTC Dream and how we’ve gotten familiar with it over the past few weeks.
After it seemed like the Android was in development forever, information finally started rumbling to the surface about a month ago when a rumor that the first Android handset had been delayed was squashed. Soon after, a video was leaked that supposedly showed the HTC Dream in action. You can watch it below. Sure it was a little blurry, but it sent the Internet ablaze. Was this the real HTC Dream or was it a fake? After all of the image leaks, diagrams and more that have surfaced since then, we now know that video was 100% real and it gave us new hope. Android was definitely alive!
A week later, the FCC approved the Dream and we got a look at a diagram of the phone that revealed it has a jogball. And then the shocker came out. A phone called the T-Mobile G1 had been lurking around on the edges of our attention when all of a sudden all the pieces came together. The HTC Dream is the T-Mobile G1. T-Mobile will be the carrier for the very first Android-based headset. A rumor hit first that the device would be available starting September 17th, but now it seems you’ll be able to get your hands on one starting October 13th.
A little later, a diagram leaked showing some very interesting specifics about the new smartphone, including a “chin” area. Just last week we got our first clear look at the HTC Dream with T-Mobile branding and buttons through a series of images. A few days ago the Android Developer Challenge came to an end and Google revealed the winners, which ties in directly to the announcement of Google Chrome yesterday. The new browser uses the exact same Webkit as the browser contained in the Android OS. And with good reason, considering Google is the developer of both. To make it all the more fitting, today Google announced that Chrome would more likely than not be coming to Android sooner rather than later in a lite version.
Whew! The Android news machine has been cranking constantly and with the very first phone, the HTC Dream, now branded as the T-Mobile G1 to hit the carrier in October, this is most definitely not the last we’ve heard about it.
We do apologize for the lack of updates here on Google Phone. But to keep up with the latest on the Android OS, why not visit Android Community? If you want to join in the discussion, be sure to stop by our forums at http://androidcommunity.com/forums/.
