NOTE -- UPDATES TO THIS COLUMN:
Google phone at $199 and what it really needs to be a success
The Android Guys are are publishing what they say is a design diagram of the Android phone, which they say they got from "a trusted source claiming to be close to one of the three parties involved." Google, T-Mobile or HTC.
The design is functional, but doesn't have that Steve Jobs touch. Still only works on T-Mobile, so I hope Google can convince other carriers to take it as well.
Interestingly, Android Guys put this at the top of the article:
Update: Since we published this article, we’ve received some specs from a few people/places. Click here to see a compiled list of the inner beauty.
But when I click on it I get an ERROR 404 - NOT FOUND message.
UPDATE: The link to the specs has been fixed.
Garrett Rogers at Googling Google copied the specs before they disappeared. It comes with Gmail (and other) email, Gtalk (and other -- including MSN) messaging, ability to sync with Google Calendar, and Google Streetview with built-in compass.
Now if they can jazz up the design and developers create some great apps, they could challenge Apple and really shake up the cellular market.
Once that happens, it can be declared a success. Google doesn't need to sell a lot of these phones in order to be successful, it just needs this kind of design to catch on, and it will make sure its apps infiltrate the wireless business.
Then it can start on that long-awaited Android-based Google PC.
In case the specs disappear from ZDNET, too, I'll list them here.
- 528Mhz Qualcomm 7201 processor
- Data kit for USB connectivity in the box
- 64MB Internal RAM
- 128MB Internal ROM
- 1GB MicroSD card
- 5 Row QWERTY keypad
- Trackball
- Dedicated camera button
- 3.1MP camera (no flash) 2048 x 1536
- Video playback files - H.264, streaming, 3GPP, MPEG4, and Codec 3GP
- Dedicated YouTube Player
- Audio playback files - MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI, REAL AUDIO, OGG
- Wallpaper supports JPG, BMP, PNG, and GIF
- Speakerphone (mono, natch)
- Ringtones (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA)
- HTTP, WAP Push, xHTML
- Bluetooth (class 1)
- Picture Caller ID
- SMS and MMS support (Take that Apple!)
- POP, IMAP, and SMTP, AOL, and GMAIL email
- AIM, MSN, YAHOO, and GTALK messaging
- Quad Band (850, 900, 1800, 1900)
- 3G
- 802.11b & 802.11g
- UMTS (1,4), HSDPA, SUPL
- 1150mAh battery
- Screen size is 3.17″ with HVGA (480 x 320)
- Handset 117 x 55 x 16mm
- 5.6 oz weight
- Sync capable with Google Calendar
- Downloadable content via Android Marketplace
- Google Streetview with built-in compass