Tyler the Tech Guy

What does it mean to have Google on your phone? In the case of the T-Mobile G1, it means that the phone is running Google's new operating system for phones, called Android. The G1 came out in late October and it, along with Android, is arguably the first real competitor to the iPhone.

Walt Mossberg, technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, calls the iPhone and the G1 "serious handheld computers" and he's right. Both phones have operating systems that are based off of operating systems used in computers, not phones - the iPhone operating system is a slimmed-down version of Mac OS X and Android is a variant of Linux.

Both phones are very capable, and are similar in a lot of ways. For instance, they each feature the same touch screen, and both phones have web-browsers that not only display complete Web sites, but are based off of the same code. They each have the same advanced, computer-like capabilities - a web-browser that surfs the "real" internet, the ability to handle email, a media player that can be an effective substitute for a standalone mp3 player, and the ability to install programs that were created by independent software makers.

Each phone has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, the G1 has a far superior instant messaging program, but the iPhone's media capabilities blow away those of the G1.

There are many other significant differences between the two phones and the two platforms, but it is really in the philosophies behind the phones where the true differences lie.

Apple and Google lie on two ends of the Silicon Valley spectrum. The iPhone is a very controlled, regulated, and closed platform, while Android is open-source and accessible to those interested in tinkering with it.

Developing an application for the iPhone means submitting that program to Apple's vetting process, and agreeing to allow Apple to take a portion of the revenue from that app. Apple is so controlling because it wants to control the iPhone experience, and make sure that there is a certain level of polish to every application on the phone (for the most part).

On the other hand, Google has released the source code for Android, so that developers can create programs that delve all the way down to the base code. This gives them greater power and flexibility when it comes to the kinds of applications that they can offer, and gives the phone more potential uses.

This philosophical difference extends to the phone hardware as well. The iPhone is sleek and sexy, but the G1 is chunkier and gives the user more options, with a physical keyboard and lots of buttons in addition to the touch screen. Also, because Google has created an operating system and not a phone, there will be forthcoming phones that run Android on different hardware.

There are a lot of things about the G1 that I have not even mentioned. The phone's tight integration with Google's online services (you must have a Google account before you can even use the phone), the fact that it is the first phone on T-Mobile's new faster 3G network, and even the design similarities between the G1 and the Sidekick devices (which is a plus for some, and a negative for others) are all important things (among many others) to take into account when considering purchasing one of the devices.

However, on a grander scale, the G1 is really important because it is a pivotal device when it comes to the future of computing. It heralds, along with the iPhone, the start of the age where the phone is a computer. Soon enough, people will be carrying around portable computers in their pockets with them, accessible at all times. The implications of this are huge. People will literally be carrying a sum of the worlds' knowledge in their pocket or purse.

Google's competition with the iPhone will determine the future direction of this type of computing. It could become closed and proprietary, or, if Google has its way, open and accessible.