T-MOBILE STICKS TO THE PLAN, BRINGS GOOGLE PHONE TO THE MARKET FOR $179

New York
The Economic Times

Google is jumping into the mobile phone business with its new G1 phone. The G1 is available starting on Wednesday for $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile. The new gadget features a touch screen, slide-out keyboard and a trackball. This alternative to Apple’s iPhone is the first phone powered by Google’s opensource Android operating system. Open source means the operating system’s blueprints are published, allowing software developers to create programs, or “apps,” that users can download. There are apps for the iPhone, but Apple hand-picks which ones are available, something that limits innovation.