Open source phone

Mobiles go online with the Goo-phone.

Google is attempting to extend its dominance of the online world to mobile phones with today’s launch of its open source Android operating system for the G1 Smartphone.

G1 Smartphone has been developed by the Taiwanese electronics maker HTC, launched initially in the US and Britain, to be followed in Europe. But in an effort to make it as easy as possible for anyone on any platform to access Google’s services, the Android operating system is open source. This means that anyone can use and adapt it - and it is supported by a broad alliance of handset makers, carriers and technology firms.

Therefore, dozens of Android phones from different phone manufacturers will hit the shops next year and may even bleed into developing countries where mobile phones, not desktop computers, could become the main sources of internet access.

Limitations of the G1, like the iPhone, is that is doesn’t support Flash videos. The most notable user of the video technology is YouTube. The phone won’t support the videos because of the type of processor chip used.

Although it has a three-megapixel camera, the G1 cannot record video.

However, the Android development team, according to sources, might add this functionality to future versions of the device.

Change of mobile landscape

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