Google G1 Phone

British gadget fans will be able to get their hands on the first mobile phone powered by Google today, as the much-anticipated G1 goes on sale in the UK for the first time.

The G1, which is being sold by the phone network T-Mobile, will be available from the company's shops from as early as 7am – with thousands of people expected to queue in order be among the first buyers.

A T-Mobile spokeswoman told the Guardian that the company was not sure how great demand would be today, but said 25,000 people had registered their interest since the phone was unveiled in New York last month.

The G1 comes free with a £40-a-month contract and boasts a number of high-end features including global satellite positioning, wireless internet access and built-in support for a number of Google applications.

It is the internet giant's backing which has generated most interest, as the California company attempts to move into the lucrative mobile phone market and take on rivals such as Nokia, BlackBerry and Microsoft. But the G1's major competition looks set to be Apple's iPhone.

The launch represents a big gamble for Google, which has only recently started producing full-blown software rather than internet-based applications. But engineers based in California and London have been working on the phone system, called Android, for the past three years, and the company hopes that a number of manufacturers will sign up to use its software. Wider take-up will have to wait until next year, though, since T-Mobile has negotiated an exclusive 12-month deal to run Android on its phones.

Despite the excitement over the launch, reaction to the G1 so far has been mixed. Leading gadget blog Gizmodo said that it was not the finished article but represented "a good start", while technology review site CNET called it "weird"‚ and said it was "not quite there yet".

In the US, where the handset went on sale yesterday, retailers are already starting to slash the G1's price to boost sales.

Highlights:

3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with HVGA (320 X 480 pixel) resolution.
Full 5-row QWERTY keyboard.
One-Touch Google Search™.
Customizable Home screen with instant Email, text message and IM notifications.
Instant access to mobile Internet services (Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™, Google Talk™, Google Calendar™).
High-speed 3.5G network connection.
Wi-Fi technology with seamless transition to open networks.
3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus.
microSD™ (SD 2.0 compatible) expansion slot.

Other Specs:

Processor Qualcomm® MSM7201A™, 528 MHz
Operating System Android™
Memory ROM: 256 MB
RAM: 192 MB
Dimensions (LxWxT) 117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm
(4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in)
Weight 158 grams (5.60 ounces) with battery
Display 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution
Network HSPA/WCDMA:
Up to 7.2 Mbps down-link (HSDPA) and 2 Mbps up-link (HSUPA) speeds
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Device Control Trackball with Enter button
Keyboard Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
GPS GPS navigation capability with Google Maps™
Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Audio Built-in microphone and speaker
Ring tone formats:
AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MIDI, MP3, WMA, WMV
40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 1150 mAh
Talk time:
Up to 350 minutes for WCDMA
Up to 406 minutes for GSM
Standby time:
Up to 402 hours for WCDMA
Up to 319 hours for GSM
Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features Digital Compass, Motion Sensor