No offense to hardware maker HTC, but the first Android phone (making its debut this morning in New York City) is really all about the OS and the applications. Based on Google’s open source Android OS, the new HTC Dream phone promises to be the first of its kind, an open, mobile phone “platform” for running actual built-for-mobile apps. While Google has already lauded the winners of its development challenge and their many cool apps, the actual feature set of the first Android phone is still under wraps (at least until about 10:30 am ET, when you can view the unveiling live). But if you’re looking for an educated guess at what to expect, Silicon Valley Insider’s Dan Frommer offers a pretty good wishlist.
The list revolves around what Google does best, cloud computing via Google Apps and now Chrome. Frommer’s list includes:
* A slick communications suite, including “push” GMail, Google Calendars, and IM. Basically a consumer-oriented BlackBerry service. Perhaps some sort of built-in file syncing between a PC/Mac, the cloud, and your phone — like Apple’s MobileMe, but free, ad-supported… and functional. * Some buy-in from big game studios like Electronic Arts (ERTS). We’re surprised how much time we’ve spent playing games on the iPhone; Spore, for example, is an addictive time suck. We’re ready for more. * A Web browser that’s fine-tuned to rock Google’s Web services, like Google Docs. * Video recording that can upload straight to YouTube. * A way to sync the Android phone with our Mac/PC that’s as simple and elegant as Apple’s iTunes. No one has come close. (Ideally via wifi/3G, in addition to USB.) * “Visual voicemail” that transcribes your voicemail into an email. * Copy and paste. Seriously.
All reasonable expectations (and that last one would be nice). But will Android deliver? Stay tuned.
