Android to Launch in Australia
6 Feb 2009, 12:07 pmThe first Android-powered mobile phone – HTC’s Dream – will go on sale in Australia on Optus post-paid plans from mid February.
The biggest competition for the HTC Dream will come from Apple’s iPhone, which has similar 
features but a more elegant design.
The HTC Dream features a 3G touch-screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-megapixel camera and the ability to synchronise email, calendar, contacts and documents stored on Google’s online applications in realtime.
Based on the Google Android operating system, the HTC Dreamwill initially only be available on plans from Optus starting on February 16.
Last year Kogan announced it would begin selling the first Android-powered phone by Christmas. The launch was delayed until January 29, then but, on January 16, Kogan announced it was aborting the release, citing “potential future interoperability issues”.
The Dream, which is currently sold in the US and UK, is the only Android phone on the market today. Other manufacturers including Motorola, Lenovo, Sony Ericsson and Samsung have all announced plans to begin selling phones with the Google Android operating system later this year.
Telstra appears a little less enthised with the Android operating system, in a recent interview with CNET News.com, Telstra chief executive Sol Trujilo said the company was looking at testing Android but so far it “isn’t at the stage where it’s really robust”. “It’s still in evolution right now. It’s very Google-centric. And there are limitations. We are hopeful that it will be more open, because it offers a great alternative operating platform. But it’s not there today,” he said.
Struggling Motorola announced that it was shifting its focus from the Windows Mobile platform to Android. It will unveil its first Android-powered device in the second quarter of this year..
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