Google announces GPhone Coalition: Open Handset Alliance
Google announced the formation of an "open phone" coalition, with the goal of developing an operating system for the Google Phone. The new OS, called Android, is geared specifically for cell phones and is the first joint project and core product of the alliance.
"This partnership will help unleash the potential of mobile technology for billions of users around the world. A fresh approach to fostering innovation in the mobile industry will help shape a new computing environment that will change the way people access and share information in the future," said Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt.
There are 34 members of the group which aim to develop technologies that will significantly lower the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services. The Android platform is the
first step in this direction - a fully integrated mobile "software
stack" that consists of an operating system, middleware, user-friendly
interface and applications. Among the participants are NVIDIA, Intel, Texas Instruments, Synaptics, Marvell, Qualcomm, Motorola, Samsung, TMO, Sprint, LG, HTC, KDDI and DOCOMO from Japan and China Mobile Comm. Corp.
"As a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, T-Mobile is
committed to innovation and fostering an open platform for wireless
services to meet the rapidly evolving and emerging needs of wireless
customers," said René Obermann, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche
Telekom, parent company of T-Mobile. "Google has been an established
partner for T-Mobile’s groundbreaking approach to bring the mobile open
Internet to the mass market. We see the Android platform as an exciting
opportunity to launch robust wireless Internet and Web 2.0 services for
T-Mobile customers in the US and Europe in 2008."
The first early look SDK will be released on November, 12th. Consumers can expect the first phones based on Android to be available in the second half of 2008.
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