so hopefully this means I can get a good phone and not have it crippled to death like Verizon did to the LG Env.

does unlimited data mean "unlimited" or 5Gig?

LOL

Sony Ericsson it not too notable to me, as they have one of the best OS's on the handset market already.

Maybe Nokia will join later. I have never owned anything but nokias.

ads? if i had a phone, I would hate to have ads on the phone every time i started it up or something....that would really piss me off

@jakebathman: Agreed. I don't care if it's for a free service, but if I pay for a phone, I sure as shit don't want advertisements.

When I am traveling I wouldn't mind seeing ads for local places worth inventigating (food, shows, pubs). It would be worth it to have the open source option. We see Google ads all over websites now. You don't like them you don't read them. That is what I do. As long as I am not forced to watch anything before proceeding it is all good.

Its pretty apparent who ISN'T involved and why

Nokia = S60
Verizon = Crippling ugly Red interface
Sony= UIQ
Blackberry/Rim = Duh
Apple = Duh
AT&T = Hmmm... too in bed with MS and Apple?

I think it's going to be evident that, no matter what the vocal minority thinks, this effort is going to fail. Why would anyone want to willingly put up with ads on their cell phones? Huh? Are you kidding me?

This effort has FAIL stamped all over it.

Sorry, Google.

Everyone needs to relax. So far, there is nothing to indicate that this platform will be filled with ads. Those are GIZMODO's words, not Google's. The whole idea of an open platform is that it allows each manufacturer to decide how they want to use it, which means it will be up to each manufacturer to decide on things such as ads.

And @GAIKING, yes that would mean that Verizon could cripple their Android-based phone if they want to.

It's nice to see one major U.S. carrier in the alliance, but considering Sprint can't deliver a decent signal to my house (a mile away from their HQ!), I can't get too excited.

So T Mobile and Sprint? The 2nd tier of GSM/CDMA in America?

It really doesn't make any sense to me that Google is not selling it unlocked.

"Basically, anyone who is sick of Windows Mobile and other closed up phone systems."

Umm.. don't you mean anyone who is sick of iphone and other closed up phones? I have a WM6 phone and I have NO restrictions to what I can do and put on my phone. I can edit the registry make COMPLETE backups of EVERY file possible on the phone. I can install any program and control any feature. I am very confused why Microsoft is the main one mentioned and Apple wasn't, when everything they do is closed up.

@OGHowie: These are just the partners in the Open Handset Alliance. By definition, it is an open platform so ANYONE can use it. If the platform gains traction, AT&T and Verizon will have no choice but to adopt it.

@LOGANT: There is no "locked" or "unlocked". This is an OS, so it makes just as much sense to say that a Series 60 phone is unlocked or not. The phone itself may be locked but the OS is not.

So it comes down to this... Google or Apple.

WM6 Blows my balls.

@Niam: When you say "who would put up with ads on their phones?", you're making a lot of incorrect assumptions. If its google developing this platform, I highly doubt a viagra ad or an invitation to get a free PS3 will pop up every time you want to make a call. Like google, their "ad revenues" will result from providing services, searches, and adSense referrals. Those "ads" are minimally invasive...I mean, we all use google and I'm not really bothered by google's ads. Are you?

@Krutch: They didn't say that Apple wasn't one of those who has a closed phone system. They did, however, mention that it was funny Apple wasn't on board since google collaborated with Apple to put YouTube and Maps on iPhone. For every apple "fanboy" on giz there's a bitter "anti-fanboy" and has to scream "bias" every chance they get. Don't you have anything better to do, man?

And really....WM6 sucks.

@honozooloo: I don't use google, never have, always used Yahoo and been more than happy with it.

I think everyone is thinking that google's search engine success is just going to automatically carry over to cell phones, and I am sure I'm not alone in having doubts.

Throw in the fact that it is Sprint and T-Mobile as the carriers here in the states and you have a platform that is going to be severely limited...or didn't you pay attention to Sprint's Q3 earnings that have them scrambling?

@honozooloo: I like Apple I am just tired of the constant attacks on Microsoft for no reason. I am sorry but besides the Multi-Touch feature of the iphone my HTC blows it away. I have not found one single problem with WM6 and I have yet to find a road block. How many apps can you install on your iphone with out going through the trouble of hacking it? Apple closes everything to the people, I would think that they would be the first example instead of Microsoft.

I am not saying Microsoft is perfect or WM6 is, but atleast it's more "opened" than many other PhoneOS's.

@honozooloo: Google ads on a browser measuring 1280x1024 are minimally invasive. Google ads on a screen measuring even 480x320 will be slightly more invasive.

@Niam:

Google is also a rather small company going up against some giants that are better managed that Yahoo. For example, Sprint's bad quarter is Goog's whole year in terms of revenue.

So yeah, this is gonna be a toughie for them.

@drewheyman: Great perspective, Thanks Drew.

@Krutch: Hey Krutch, could you email me? I'm doing a story on WM and could use a non fanboy perspective.

@Niam: So you use Yahoo and you're worried about google's ad placement? Give me a break!! Google isn't the search engine with Target ads and the latest news about Brittney Spears smeared on its front page. Maybe thats why you're so worried about too many ads, too much Yahoo for you :) . Try google out.

@Krutch: I don't have an iPhone, I have an old school Treo 650. Palm OS is a bit dated but it gets the job done. I downgraded from a WM6 device because of the ridiculous number of screen taps I needed to input just to get anything done in WM6. I realize that its all subjective, but in my experience with WM6 it just was not an efficient, stable, or responsive experience. That's something I couldn't put up with.

In fact, WM6 was such a PITA that I settled for a phone that was 2 years older because it worked just as well.

WM6 has a uniquely Microsoft Mobile-y way of taking a few simple tasks and making them ridiculously complex. Case in point: Keep a straight face when you are telling me its easy to connect your HTC to a wifi network. Then try it with an iPhone and tell me which is easier. I'm actually not that much of a fanboy (I avoided the iPhone due to the closed nature of its OS) but hey, after so many years of suckitude, some basic functions should have been simplified by now on the Windows Mobile platform...but its the same as its been since wifi was included as a feature for the first time on an iPaq. Just IMHO.

...anyway, I think that everyone is forgetting how effectively google has designed its services. For example: gMaps generates ad revenue, you know....without obvious spamming. Just run a search for Papa John's Pizza and click through to the gMap location. Guess what? You just generated revenue. And no, there was no spam involved.

adSense/google ads are completely noninvasive on my Treo's mobile browser, and yes I DO google a lot on my portable device. I fail to see how or why it would be any different on a gPhone...

Flame on.

Don't be silly. You guys are all thinking low tech. Do you really read Gizmodo or do you just look at the pictures? Google is moving cell technology forward. Google is all about delivering personally relevant advertisement (pronounced "ad-ver-tiz-mant") to the individual. Think voice recognition. Your are talking with your girl about the latest flick and walla (pronounced "voi-la"), your conversation is interrupted by ten, count'em ten, guys, one by one of course, sounding like the guy from Moviefone (Classic!) to give you the next showtimes in your area. Apple just does not have the infrastructure to do that. And the others, will spend the next 5 years to trying to figure out how we did it.

@honozooloo: Dude, if you're going to badmouth someone, do it right.

It's spelled B R I T N E Y, not Brittney. And she's only the greatest singer EVER so lay off the aggression. Stop hatin' on her and spell her name right.

@omg-ponies: My bad.

@omg-ponies: Leave Britney alone!!!!

@honozooloo: What are you talking about? Yahoo is a portal and if I want to search, I'm surely not distracted by pretty pictures as apparently you are.

You want to say it's difficult to connect a WM6 device to a WiFi network? Uhm, I hate to break it to you, but techy devices may not be for you.

WM6 is client-heavy. Client-heavy devices are not as good, because the applications need to be compiled and installed on each device, and the user's experience does not travel with him/her to other devices. Therefore, WM6 is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Client-light is where its at. Android and Symbian are the two to look out for. Windows Mobile and Blackberry will be stuck in enterprise communications land until they either transform into client-light platforms or get replaced by Android/Symbian. Nothing against Microsoft per se, but client-heavy will lose the race.

And NIAM, the advantage of Android will be in the ability to extend web applications to mobile devices in ways that were no where near as cost effective with WM6 or Blackberry. For instance, I am pretty sure Android will include a SOAP push API for pushing any arbitrary data and waking an application up or updating a widget. Utility and efficiency win, ultimately.

@drewheyman

wtf?? Google is small now? Google's market cap is currently $171 Billion, which is more than half of microsoft's. PLEASE don't tell us that google is this teeny weeny little company with little internet influence