Speculation has been shrouding the Google G1 Android phone not because of what it can do (well partly) but because of what it’s up against, the iPhone (News - Alert). Google teamed with T-Mobile is determined to “kill” the iPhone with its G1, due out in the United States on October 22^nd.

 

The device is made by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC (News - Alert) and runs on Android, an operating system designed in part by Google that aims to bring the desktop computing experience to mobile devices. The G1 gives one-touch access to popular Google (News - Alert) online services, such as its email service, the YouTube video-sharing site and Google Maps.

 

 According to a news website, Pulse2.com, T-Mobile (News - Alert) sold out of its initial US allocation of G1 handsets, which were set for existing T-Mobile subscribers, leading the network operator to triple its order with HTC. Further handsets have been marked for sale through high-end retail stores when the phone hits shops in the US on October 22.

 

What this means is, according to UK paper The Telegraph, that about 1.5 million G1 phones have already been sold through pre-orders, with about another two million devices earmarked for purchase in high-street retail stores.

 

The G1 features a touchscreen and a slide-out Qwerty keyboard, as well as internet browsing via 3G and Wi-Fi, music downloads, and the ability to buy and install additional software, programs and games on the phone from the Android Market application store.

Some technology experts however, have suggested that the 1.5 million pre-order estimate is too high. First impressions of the G1 were largely positive, with many technology experts seeing the potential of the Google operating system if not the design of the handset itself. But, as analysts have pointed out, the launch of the G1 needs to be a success if Google is going to establish the Android platform as a potential "iPhone killer".

 

"Google needs the G1 to be a hit," said Anders Bylund, an analyst with Motley Fool. "Given all the hype around the Android platform, a weak or disappointing first example could turn a lot of prospective buyers off entirely."

 

According to Apple (News - Alert), more than 1 million iPhone 3G handsets were bought in its first weekend of sale, and Apple is on course to hit its target of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of the year.