Will HTC's first Android phone live up to the hype and catch the iPhone? In a well-anticipated move, T-Mobile and Google unveiled the first phone to use the Android operating system, the G1. The G1 is manufactured by HTC, the company behind many of the leading smartphones. But until now, HTC phones have always been rebadged by other companies including Palm. This is the first time HTC will deliver a phone under its own brand. The G-1 provides 3G wireless and Wi-Fi access, just like the iPhone. It includes a large screen, a slide-out keyboard, a 3MP camera, an MP3 player, as well as email, browser and calendaring powered by Google’s Android platform. Google is attempting to disrupt the traditional cell phone market by providing Android as an open source platform, so its free of charge to cell phone manufacturers who would otherwise need to pay hefty licensing fees for software. Android support has been pledged by more than 30 companies.What sets the G1 apart from the iPhone is the sliding keyboard. The keyboard makes the G1 twice as thick as the iPhone, but that’s a fair trade-off for the email-addicted. However, some keyboards are better than others, so it remains to be seen how good the G1 is for typing. Still it’s hard to imagine it would be worse than an on-screen keyboard. The G1 will be available for $179 from T-Mobile in October with a two year contract. Tom Yager has also posted his first impressions of the G1.So what do you think? Is Android disruptive enough to make the G1 a serious competitor in the smartphone space against the iPhone, BlackBerry, WinMo and Palm? Let me know your thoughts. Open Source