"Not one, but a thousand gPhones" promised

Open Handset Alliance discusses Android platform

5 November 2007 17:56 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

After a year in the making Google has finally revealed its "gPhone" plans dispelling another tech world myth.

Not actually a phone, rather than a physical handset, this will be an operating system known as the "Android" platform.

Today over a conference call, that Pocket-lint were invited into, Google and the CEOs of its partner companies in the Open Handset Alliance including Deutsch Telecom (parent company of T-Mobile), HTC, Qualcomm and Motorola talked about the new "Android" mobile platform.

Eric Schmidt, the Google CEO, stated that they are "very, very happy" to be launching this global announcement that will promise a "whole new mobile experience for users".

Promising "new applications never before possible" with the end result an "unprecedented global platform", the excitement for this new project was tangible.

Rene Obermann, the CEO of Deutsch Telecom confirmed that T-Mobile, who has partnered with Google on Web'n'walk services since 2005, confirmed they would be bringing Android handsets to market in 2008.

He stated that the T-Mobile Android offerings would offer "better than internet experience" and offer user driven content social platforms.

The HTC CEO, Peter Chou said that they were "honoured to be a founding member" of the Alliance and that they
"will create a new category of consumer-based mobile phones".

Motorola said that Android represents the future - where devices will work across multiple networks and that the "future of wireless not a single radio technology".

When asked if this gPhone would be forthcoming, one Google spokesperson said "there will be not one, but a thousand gPhones", but that an ad-driven model will not be available for some time.

Google also said that revenues will be shared between Google handset manufactures and operators.

"Developing an open system with all the codes, to innovate in the same way that I did in those graduate offices 10 years ago. I can't wait to see what the next generation will create with these tools", said Sergey Brin, the founder of Google.

Google has also said that to help third party developers it will offer hosted services to ease distribute costs of application.

Additional reporting by Stuart Miles.