google

Our headline on Electronics Weekly was: Google, T-Mobile, HTC unveil G1 Android phone

And I’ve previously highlighted a nice description of the runup to the launch from Des Smith of T-Mobile, worth checking out in full:

I remember one morning a few weeks before the announcement I visiting Google, chillin’ in cafe Moma in full Google attire (t-shirt, jeans and vans) when Andy Rubin and my big boss Cole Brodman came walking in – I thought I was busted for sure, T-Mobile guys were always wearing dockers and button down shirts…but they both smiled, said hello and asked me how the project was coming – were we going to make it?  How was the Android team to work with (awesome people like +Hiroshi Lockheimer & +Keva Nelson, +David Conway, +Grace Kloba, +Peisun Wu, +Erick Tseng, +German Bauer – just to name a few).  Was I excited to finally “launch”? and more.

But of course, soon as you mention births you must also consider gestation periods…

Android

To be precise, 23 September 2008 saw the official announcement of the first commercially available smartphone running Android, the HTC Dream, which was also known as the T-Mobile G1.

The software system of Android itself is a different matter, of course, with Wikipedia providing the following exact timelines. In July 2005, Google bought Android Inc, a company co-founded by Andy Rubin a number of years before, in October 2003. And the Android OS was officially unveiled by Google on 5 November 2007.

Features

Anyway, back to the HTC Dream.  Features of the phone included:

• Size: 117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm (LxWxT)
• Weight: 158 grams
• 3.2in Touch screen
• Drag and drop UI
• Slide out (full QWERTY) keyboard
• HSDPA/WCDMA: Europe: 2100 MHz, US:1700/2100 MHz
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b/g
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate (headset, hands-free profile)
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM7201A, 528 MHz
• Memory: ROM:  256 MB, RAM:  192 MB
• Talk time: Up to 350 minutes for WCDMA, 406 minutes for GSM
• Music support (one-click ordering through Amazon)
• Compass mode (location awareness)
• Support for Push email

Apparently, The device was priced at $179, with two data pricing plans available – $25 for unlimited Web usage with limited messaging, and $35 for both unlimited Web browsing and messaging.

What a significant landmark. A moonshot that succeeded…

Read the full Electronics Weekly news story from 2008 »

But ten years have gone…