Android Rolls Out Today

Google and T-Mobile put their mobile Internet phone out on the market today, and Google broke with its tradition of keeping its search page clean to promote the phone. The move has left some critics sniffing about violating the purity and cleanliness of Google's search page, as well as threatening the slow down the load time due to additional characters. According to Information Week, a Google representative claims it's not uncommon for the company to occasionally add a few words temporarily promoting one of its own products, or supporting causes like earthquake relief.

Despite the buzz, not everyone is thrilled with the new phone. Take, for example, everyone who lives in Washington D.C. T-Mobile's G3 phone network hasn't yet been established in the nation's capitol, so while people can buy and use the phone, it will run like molasses until the network is up and running in late November. With all the people who work in D.C. and depend on instant access to the Internet, you'd think this would be a market Google and T-Mobile wouldn't want to overlook by the launch date, but there you go.

Meanwhile, some critics are decidedly underwhelmed by Android's open-source apps so far. The Guardian's Jack Schofield tried to find something as basic as a note-taking app, but couldn't find it or other, similarly practical services. On the other hand, he found a Pac-Man app in a matter of minutes. "Is the G1 phone really aimed at nostalgia-prone retirees?" he snorted.