The HTC Dream – the first smart phone to use Google’s Android operating system – has finally been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Now, T-Mobile can start making plans to debut the phone within the next months and begin selling it, right in time for the Christmas shopping season. “The device is expected to have a touch screen, WiFi, a ‘jogball’ (like on a Blackberry), a full Web browser based on the same WebKit as Safari on the iPhone, and Google apps like Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. It should be fab,” says Erick Schonfeld at TechCrunch. (Video Walk-Through via Mobile Crunch)
However, we probably should not expect too much of the Dream just yet. It is the first phone of its kind and, at least for now, cannot be expected to catch up with the iPhone that even in its new version has a few flaws (but who cares – it’s so beautiful!). Other Android phone manufacturers can benefit from such flaws by learning from them and improving their upcoming devices accordingly.
The New York Times further states that “the new phone is an important step in Google’s plans to expand the company’s presence beyond the personal computer and into the mobile universe. Google executives have been vocal about how the mobile Web is key to the company’s plans for growth, as well as expanding the market for its products to a global audience.”
That being said, Google also released an updated beta version of its Android mobile software developers kit, which includes a new home screen and several new applications such as an alarm clock, a calculator, a camera, a music player, a picture viewer, SMS/MMS messaging, and other tools. JR Raphael (Inquisitr): “The Android phones might just offer an interesting alternative [to the iPhone].”
Now, that’s a dream!