August 19th, 2008Android comes out of the clouds, supports AWS spectrum
The news is spilling over the interwebs that the first Google Android handset is close to (finally) seeing the light of day. Long maligned by the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Nokia and everyone else as mere vapourware, it’s now decidedly looking less and less vapourous. The first model is the HTC Dream (nice name). Supposedly to materialize between November and January, depending on your level of optimism. In any case, the dream really exists, it just passed FCC trials. You may remember it took similar time for Apple’s first iPhone to move from FCC to production and launch.
The significance for north of the border? The first handset directly supports the same 1700MHz 3G band (AWS) just auctioned in Canada (thanks T-mobile). An entirely hypothetical bonus, at least until any/all players get around to rolling out service on the shiny new ether. But one hopes a sign of good things to come. Mmmm open handsets, open mobile platforms. The idea almost makes us misty.
