Crave

(Credit: MySpace)

Last Friday, days before the official launch of the Google Android-based phone, the T-Mobile G1, MySpace announced the availability of its MySpace Mobile application for the phone.

The company said that the the app has been live for those who already have an Android phone and will be made "officially" available on Wednesday to all users when the device is launched.

The MySpace app for Android's features include:

* Instant photo uploading from Android to a MySpace profile

* Check out tour schedules on band profiles

* View and comment on photos, profiles, and bulletins

* Search and add new friends

* Send and read messages

* Update and view mood and status

The app is also integrated with Shazam, a music discovering engine that allows users to identify music and connect to the artist's MySpace page.

This is the third major platform that MySpace has developed applications for, apart from the Sidekick and the iPhone. The company says that it's currently developing a similar application for the Blackberry.

NEW YORK--Nearly a year after word of a "Google phone" started spreading, T-Mobile USA and the search giant are revealing the first mobile device to run on Google's Android operating system. Anticipated is a smartphone manufactured by Taiwanese electronics maker HTC called Dream. Below is CNET News' live coverage of the event here, which has concluded.

Click here for full coverage of Google Android.

10:15 a.m. ET: We're waiting for the event to start. As noted by my colleague Stephen Shankland, some photos of T-Mobile's G1 phone--also known as the HTC Dream--are emerging shortly before the official debut here.

10:30 a.m.: T-Mobile USA's chief technology and innovation officer, Cole Brodman, takes the stage and introduces everyone for the launch. Andy Rubin of Google takes the stage, as does the chief technology officer of Deutsche Telekom, Christopher Schläffer.

10:35 a.m.: Schläffer announced that Deutsche Telekom is also announcing the Android phone across the pond on T-Mobile by the end of the year. He is talking about how Deutsche Telekom has grown its data revenue by 43 percent. Traffic has grown 250 percent, and the company is ready to capitalize further.

A first official view of the G1 phone, aka the HTC Dream. Google's Android operating system, on which it runs, lets people view photos and add them as shortcuts to the phone's desktop.

(Credit: T-Mobile/CNET Networks)

10:40 a.m.: Andy Rubin takes the stage and introduces Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. He starts off by congratulating everyone, from Andy Rubin to the whole T-Mobile team. We're 15 minutes into the press conference, and we still haven't seen the phone. That said, Chou described the device and called it iconic.

10:45 a.m.: Brodman says the company is going to drive change by working with third parties. No more fuzzy pictures, and no more unsubstantiated blog posts. "Here is the G1." And he reveals it. They start to play a video on the big screen. Everyone in the crowd holds up their phones and cameras to get a picture of it.

The supposed HTC Dream

(Credit: iMobile via Engadget)

Engadget managed to find really convincing photos of what appears to be the HTC Dream on a Chinese forum. It certainly seems to match the FCC documents of the premier Android device that surfaced a couple of weeks ago.

While the combination of a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard sounds nice, I can't help but think this looks a little clunky. It certainly doesn't look too revolutionary. But, of course, you can't tell just from the photos. So here's hoping we can get this device in our hands in the not too distant future to give you our own take on it.

These screen shots show the Android-phone interface to the Android Market. The software shows what applications can be downloaded and reviews of applications that people are browsing.

(Credit: Google)

Arguably one of the best things to come out of the iPhone 2.0 firmware update, as well as the launch of the iPhone 3G, is the ability for the iPhone to install third-party applications directly to the phone via the App Store. Well, Google's new Android OS will also support such a service in the form of the Android Market.

As Google announced on Thursday, the Android Market is an online marketplace that will let you find, buy, download, and rate applications (which sounds eerily similar to the iPhone App Store). And, as you can see from the example screen shots, it appears that applications like a ringtone editor, a talking compass, and a barcode scanner, are already in the works.

This brings up the question of the kind of applications we would want for the Android phone. Access to Google apps like Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Reader is a given (we assume), so that leaves the door wide open for more innovative applications. We would personally love to see a multi-IM client, and an Android equivalent of the iPhone's song-identification apps like Shazam would be nice, too. One thing we would really love is turn-by-turn directions, which the iPhone currently lacks.

How about you, dear readers? What would you want to see in the Android Marketplace? What do you think would make a killer app for the Android phone? Let us know in the comments below.

Google Street View on the Android platform.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)

TmoWorld has just published a slew of specs and pricing information about the HTC Dream, most of which has yet to be confirmed. Despite it bordering on rumor territory, the information bears mentioning, if only because it does sound pretty plausible.

First, TmoWorld claims that the launch date is October 13, 2008, with preorders available starting September 17 (preorders are purportedly only available to existing customers with a good history and can only be done online). Second, unlimited data and messaging will apparently cost $35 a month, and the Dream itself is priced tentatively at around $199.

And here are the leaked specs: Full QWERTY keyboard; 3G/Wi-Fi; full HTML browser; easy access to Google apps, maps (with Street View); YouTube; IM and text; e-mail; 3-megapixel camera; video playback; a music player plus a memory card slot; and an application store. In other words, the specs sound exactly like the ones on the prototype models we saw a while back.

Of course, this is all rumor and hearsay at this point, but seeing as the FCC documents were revealed recently, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of these "leaked details" coming forth between now and the actual launch date.

(Via Gizmodo)

News broke Monday that the FCC has finally given its seal of approval to the HTC Dream handset, which is purported to be the first cell phone to carry Android, Google's open platform for mobile handsets.

It appears that the HTC Dream will feature Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a "jogball"-type navigation toggle (similar to the trackball on the BlackBerry Pearl). There are even indications that it will support WCDMA 1700, T-Mobile's new 3G band.

Is the HTC Dream just a dream?

(Credit: Google)

Of course, the promise of the Android handset lies in its open platform. Earlier Monday, Google finally announced the first beta version of the Android SDK, which could send developers in a frenzy to develop applications in time for the Dream's release (which is purported to be some time in November, though there are rumors that it might debut as early as October).

But all of this still seems a bit pie in the sky. After almost a year of talk about the Google Phone, all we have are FCC sketches, prototype models, and demo screenshots of potential Android applications.

I understand it takes a long time for a product to come to fruition, but I'm afraid that by the time the Dream comes to market, it'll already be yesterday's news. Since it will face stiff competition by the likes of the iPhone 3G and the upcoming BlackBerry Bold, I think the HTC Dream will really have to pull out all the stops to compete on the same level.

So I pulled up my Google phone wishlist from November of last year. My list of must-have features were:

1) An easy-to-use operating system
2) Third-party application support
3) Select applications like a full HTML browser, POP e-mail, and a VoIP client
4) 3G and Wi-Fi
5) Full Bluetooth support that includes data tethering

It does sound like the Android OS will be close in fulfilling all five of my criteria, but even then, will the actual HTC Dream be a good phone? Will it be easy to use? Will the Android platform translate well to different kinds of hardware? And most importantly, will the applications be any good? There are more questions than answers right now, and I'm left feeling more skeptical than ever.

What do you, as early adopters and regular consumers, think of the Android OS and the HTC Dream? Do you think it will make a dent in the iPhone/BlackBerry/Windows Mobile arena? What do you want the HTC Dream to have in terms of design and features? Let us know in the comments below.

Google Android

It's been an interesting week for America's second-largest cell phone carrier. First, Verizon Wireless announces it would support unlocked handsets and third-party applications on its CDMA network, and yesterday the company's CEO said the carrier may support Google's new Android platform. "We're planning on using Android," said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam in an interview with Business Week. "Android is an enabler of what we do."

McAdam didn't say when, or if, Verizon would release handsets that use Android, and a Verizon spokeswoman also declined to elaborate in an e-mail. "We certainly expect some in the development community to embrace the Android platform in the open-access devices and applications they develop," wrote Nancy Stark, the spokeswoman. "We have not yet decided whether we will use Android in any of the devices Verizon Wireless offers." Stark added that the company has yet to decide whether it will join the Google's Open Handset Alliance (OHA), which is developing the Android platform. Though Sprint and T-Mobile are founding members of the OHA, neither carrier has confirmed when they will release Android devices.

Both announcements mark a distinct change in Verizon's practices. The company has a long-standing reputation in the cell phone world for being the most draconian of carriers. Not only did it prohibit the use of unlocked phones on its network, but also it limited Bluetooth use, banned third-party applications, and saddled its handset lineup with an unintuitive and stodgy menu interface.

Will Google's Android and the Open Handset Alliance result in the perfect phone?

(Credit: Open Handset Alliance)

One of the promises made with Google's new Android platform and the Open Handset Alliance is that we as consumers will finally be free from the tyranny of cell phone carriers. Thanks to Sprint and T-Mobile's agreement with the OHA philosophy of open and free cell phone usage, maybe we can finally truly find the perfect phone that'll match all our needs and be affordable at the same time.

But what does a perfect phone mean for me? Of course, right off the bat, I'm hoping for a compact device with generous screen real estate, a functional keypad or QWERTY keyboard, plus a 3-megapixel camera, but an open platform would not necessarily dictate the design of the hardware. So I'll focus mostly on software and desired features.

1) First and foremost, I want an easy to use OS. Sorry, Symbian and Windows Mobile--though both these mobile OSes have plenty of power, they're not the easiest for the smartphone newbie to understand. Palm is a fine OS, but it's getting to be rather dated and sadly underpowered. Ideally, the Android platform will be as easy to use as OS X on the iPhone, but with a lot more flexibility.

2) Google has already come to my aid with the second feature I want--the ability to install and use a wide range of applications. I would be happy with the Google apps alone--I use GMail and Google Calendar religiously, and Google Docs would be great to have--but if Google truly believes in the open-source movement, they would open the doors for their competitors to enter the gate as well. This means I want to see apps from Yahoo and Microsoft on here along with all the other third-party ones.

3) Following up on number 2, these are the applications I want on the phone: A fast and well-built browser that supports Flash as well as Java, a multiple IM client, an e-mail client that supports POP and IMAP, compatibility with Microsoft's Exchange server for work e-mail, and perhaps this is a pipe dream, but I want a VoIP client. Ideally, I'd like a mobile Skype app, as well as compatibility with something like T-Mobile's HotSpot @ Home, where I get to make free calls via WiFi.

4) It needs to be fast. That means I want 3G, and I want Wi-Fi as well (OK, so this is encroaching on hardware territory a bit). Thankfully, Qualcomm has mentioned that 3G will be a big part of Android, so this isn't too far from reality. That said, 3G and Wi-Fi together in one package would be ideal.

5) Open up Bluetooth as much as possible. That means I want stereo Bluetooth as well as the ability to tether my PC to the phone via Bluetooth and use it as a modem. This combined with the phone's 3G abilities would obviate the need for a separate EV-DO or HSDPA PC card.

That's a pretty hefty wishlist for sure, and I haven't even gone into the details yet. Perhaps there's a phone like this already and I'm not aware of it, but it would be nice to have Google's Android as well as the OHA produce something like this. I can guarantee you that if a well-designed phone comes out with all the above features and more, I might be willing to fork over my hard-earned cash for one.

How about you, dear readers? What is your ideal phone? And do you think the Android platform plus the OHA will come up with it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

P.S. OK, also, it'd be sweet if I could access my home computer while I'm on the road. All right, I'm done now.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Google will make a big announcement on Monday that will detail the company's partnerships with various handset makers and carriers for its much-ballyhooed "open" mobile OS. Apparently U.S. carriers T-Mobile and Sprint are slated to be in on it, while Taiwan's HTC is a safe bet for a handset manufacturer.

Other manufacturers are also possible (Samsung, LG , and Sony Ericsson, to name a few), but we won't know until Monday. As we've previously theorized, these Google-powered phones could have a Linux-based OS, along with a few Google-branded software applications. News.com has attempted to confirm this report, and both Google and T-Mobile have replied "no comment" to the speculation.