Don't Rule Out G1 Android Yet

By: Jennifer Hong
Staff Writer
Published: Oct 12, 2008

T-Mobile USA's G1 mobile device has more than 1 million pre-orders. The G1 is using Google Inc's new Android mobile operating system. Analysts say that the recent pre-orders could put a dent in Apple iPhone sales.

T-Mobile USA has 1.5 million pre-sale orders for its G1 mobile phone. The G1 uses Google Inc's Android mobile operating system. The carrier is also expecting another 2 million units to sell in retail stores.

In addition to that, the Android mobile phone has sold out. In the meantime, T-Mobile is pressing to get more inventory to place more orders.

Google is on track to make a big impact in the smart phone market. Analysts say that Android will make its debut as a serious competitor with the Apple iPhone 3G. The G1 is expected to hit store shelves after October 22.

The recent pre-sales orders demonstrate that consumers want their own Google phone. Some buyers of the new mobile phone are those that were left out of the loop with the iPhone 3G release.

HTC is the maker of the G1 phone. T-Mobile has already tripled their original number of orders with the cell phone maker. While the G1 is sold out, T-mobile has issued more orders from HTC to cover the pre-sales. The mobile phone carrier said that more inventory is on the way.

Android is is the software platform and operating system for the new G1 mobile devices. It is developed by Google and later adopted by the Open Handset Alliance.

The mobile OS allows developers to write managed code in a Java-like language that utilizes Google-developed Java libraries. Google has pledged to make most of the Android platform available under the Apache free-software and open source license.