In a session at the Google Developer Day in London, Google executive Mike Jennings demonstrated a working Android mobile phone. According to Jennings, who is the head of Android development, this is “the first time in Europe.” The new handset looked like the HTC Dream, which is rumoured to be launching as soon as the next fortnight. The branding of the handset had been covered up.

In the demonstration, Jenning showed Google Maps, but without the Street View. “The cool stuff is running your own apps”, said Jennings. “I spent two hours writing my own apps using a background thread and surface view to access the hardware buffer.” He then showed ‘blue dot application’ which was hooked in to the accelerometer in the device. There is also built-in GPS in the device, as expected. Jennings claimed it was running with 40 frames per second on the handset.
Technically little seemed to have changed from the earlier leaked videos, but this device looked more polished, as a finished commercial device. Jennings continued: “Manufacturers are not going to be charged for putting this on their phones. Lots of people use mobile phones. Lots of people in Europe have two. We wanted to get into that. We’re really hoping the mobile community comes round this and continues to bring it forward. We think it’s cool. You’ll be able to write apps and distribute them to friends very easily.”

“I can’t show it off any more, I’ll be out of a job,” added Jennings, when someone in the public asked him to make a call on an Android headset. He confessed that he uses one of the handsets, but not in public.

Labels: News

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