OStatic

So the details are in on the T-Mobile G1--the first phone based on Google's open source Android operating system. It's got some interface attractions not found on the iPhone, including a trackball and a slide-out keyboard, and it ties in with a broad range of Google's services, including StreetView, Google Maps, Gmail and more. At $179, it's cheaper than the iPhone, but it has some disadvantages in comparison, especially the fact that T-Mobile only offers 3G service in 21 cities. Let's not forget that this phone runs an open source platform though. Here are some thoughts from the LiMo Foundation, and predictions.

The fateful day has arrived for the first Android-powered phone. This Google-backed open phone will likely be sufficient for a large number of users -- if not in its first incarnation, certainly within a few models and revisions.

But it certainly isn't the only open phone. It isn't the first by any means, and it has another competitor hot on its heels.

Some more pioneering souls might forego the tamer Android for the Neo FreeRunner or the upcoming NeoPwn.