T-Mobile G1 Android powered phone is packed with features; Open Source is focus

Today at the T-Mobile G1 announcement, the long-awaited handset did not disappoint. In fact, it is chock full of features and the demo has thoroughly branded in our heads that “there’s always something new to discover.”

The G1 is to offer true multitasking with browsing by album or artist, Amazon one-click ordering and more. Traffic view and street view are supported, contacts pop up as you type, instant messaging the search is tailored to your actions and though there’s no multi-touch, you can frame with a resizable box and zoom.

But the real focus, at least for the first portion of the event was open source.

The Open Source nature of the Android platform was the true focus with ample time given to the subject. Third-party applications are viewed as the heart and soul and the real future of the platform. There were even third-party developers present such as CompareAnywhere, ShopSavvy and Ecorio. It is apparent that the goal here is to create the most robust platform ever, and to Google, that means opening it up for all.