First Google Android phone to debut next week

Just 10 months after Google first announced the creation of its Android open source mobile phone platform, T-Mobile will unveil the world's first Android-powered phone next week.

The phone, which is widely expected to be called the HTC Dream, will get its first airing during a press conference on Sept. 23 in New York City. T-Mobile says that the event will include presentations from Google and T-Mobile and will give attendees the opportunity to conduct a hands-on product demonstration. While T-Mobile will be the first carrier to offer an Android phone, carriers such as Sprint Nextel and Verizon have also signed on to support Android devices in the near future.

[ Special report: Google Android: Invader from beyond ]

Although the phone will be the first official Anrdoid-powered device to hit the market, Google has been giving live demonstrations of the Android operating system in action on an unknown mobile device.

Android is a Linux-based open platform for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware, and some key mobile applications. The idea behind the platform, Google says, is to spur innovation in developing mobile applications that will give users the same experience surfing the Web on their phone as they have on their desktop computers.

Because Android is an open source platform, it will let users connect to any network they choose, and will also let them add whatever applications they want. To encourage application development, Google announced last year that it would give $10 million worth in prizes to software development companies to develop innovative and useful applications for the platform. The application contest winners, which Google announced late last month, help users do everything from calling their nearest taxi cabs to comparing sale prices at different stores to calculating their carbon footprint.

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