Google, T-Mobile Introduce the ‘Dream G1′

As promised, T-Mobile unveiled the first Android-enabled cell phone about an hour ago at an event in New York – and, while it likely won’t produce the same level of hype as the iPhone’s debut, the potential impact on the wireless marketplace could be just as significant.

Here’s what we’ve heard from NY:

* The G1 looks a lot like the Sidekick, but with a touch screen.
* Manipulating menus on the home screen is intuitive, and multitasking is easy.
* Google Maps is built-in, and very well integrated.
* The “Android Market” will host endless applications designed by third parties.

That last bit is the real driving force behind the Android concept, and Google is pushing Android as an open source platform that programmers will love. In fact, at the presentation, they rolled out a video of programmers expressing that love. A T-Mobile exec ran through a couple of example of these mobile apps, including a carbon footprint tracker called Eco Reo, and a Shop Savvy, shopping comparison tool. Over the coming weeks and months, the utility and creativity of Android will be on display as more and more developers push such apps.