THE Google Phone, widely touted as the first serious rival to the Apple iPhone, is being launched in Australia today through Optus.
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Made by Taiwanese electronics company HTC, and dubbed the Dream, it is the first smartphone in the world to use Android, an open-source computer-style operating system built by Google and based on the Linux system.
Optus's owner, Singapore Telecom, sells it in Singapore and T-mobile sells it in the US and parts of Europe.
The Dream is a quad-band touch-screen GSM 3G phone, fitted with WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS capabilities. It also has a three-megapixel camera. Bundled features include access to YouTube, Google Maps, an MP3 player, instant messaging and email.
It is being sold exclusively in Australia by Optus on plans starting at $59 a month for 24 months, plus a surcharge of $15 to pay for the phone.
Telstra says it has not yet decided whether to include the HTC Dream in its range. "We continue to consider how an Android-based phone might fit into our range and market," said a spokesman, Martin Barr.
