The Google Android OS has been released, and here is the first phone that will be using it – the T-Mobile G1. Announced at a press conference in New York, it is set to launch on October 22 for US$179 on a two-year contract, or US$399 contract-free. Existing customers will be getting it first, before giving it out to new customers.

However, those in the UK will get this phone in “early November”; and the phone will also launch in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2009, all under T-Mobile.

It will feature WiFi and 3G support, a 3 megapixel camera, and support for the Android Market and Amazon’s MP3 store – similar to the iPhone’s iTunes Music Store App and the Apps Store. Full specs below:

  • WiFi, HSDPA 1700/2100 and quadband EDGE connections
  • 3D graphics acceleration
  • 1GB on-board storage, with microSD support
  • 3-megapixel camera, but cannot record video.
  • Android Market (apps store) and Amazon MP3 app (music store)
  • All of Google services; including push Gmail support
  • Google Maps with Street View
  • Full HTML client
  • Bluetooth (no A2DP)
  • No Microsoft Exchange support
  • No desktop sync