Early views of Android phones bubble up
Photos of the T-Mobile's G1 phone--known as HTC's Dream and the first to use Google's Android OS--are emerging shortly before its official debut.
- Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
A few hours ahead of the official launch event in New York, T-Mobile has begun showing views of its G1 phone, the HTC Dream model that will be the first to sport Google's Android operating system.
For a peek at some of the photos, we recommend a look at Boy Genius Report, which got its shots from T-Mobile's G1 site.
Also worth a peek are some shots at TmoNews and Gizmodo, which shows some comparatively rare white-case models of the handset.
The views reveal few surprises for those who've seen Google's earlier Android demonstrations, earlier leaked shots, the Dream specifications from the FCC's Web site, and a grainy video. The phone includes an orientation sensor that can shift the display from portrait to landscape mode, a sliding screen that reveals a five-row QWERTY keyboard, and a rollerball to point and click.
Also unsurprising: the phones run Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, and of course Google search, which is where Google hopes to make its money off the Android project.
Stay tuned for CNET's live blog of the T-mobile's launch event at 7:30 a.m. PDT.
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