September 23, 2008, New York City. This morning, the first Android based mobile device is being rolled out. Based on Google's operating platform, the Android G1 is aiming to assimilate users who might otherwise look to the iPhone.

To view the press conference, visit: Andriod Press Conference

For more information about development, see: Android - Open Handset Alliance Project

For more information about HTC, Visit: HTC Press Release

HTC Specs on G1, visit G1 Specs

Additional Coverage about Android at BBC News

I'd like to see the metrics on how many streams are being delivered today for this press release as I've seen a lot of congestion, this from one of their edge providers: edgeboss.net

The G1 seems on paper, and video to be the first real challenge to the iPhone with the added benefit of a full qwerty keyboard for those of us who have been hooked on the Blackberry.

According to Cole Brodman. Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at T-Mobile, the G1 will see its commercial launch on October 22nd.

Some other important information to know about a T-Mobile contract:

The unit will retail for $179.00
The company will offer two tiered plans for data and messaging
$25.00 per month for unlimited web with some messaging
$35.00 per month for unlimited web and messaging

When I spoke to a company rep however, I was told the G1 would fall into the same category as other HTC units, namely $19.99 for what they call Total Internet.

You have 30-days to try the phone or return it
You have 20-days to accept the contract

Some other questions on the technical side include how well the 3G network will work as there are 21 planned cities and two regions. Metropolitan areas with T-Mobile's 3G - coverage by October 22, 2008:

Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Long Island, NY, Los Angeles,
Miami, Minneapolis, New England, New York City, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle

T-Mobile has had a reputation of offering lower cost at the expense of voice and reception quality, this from the people I know who have had their service over the past two years. While I would expect an improvement over that time, working in the canyons of New York City I can attest to call quality issues with both Verizon and AT&T who have more robust networks.

By Levi Shapiro

iStock ™

Rod Serling, producer of "The Twilight Zone" television series once commented, "It is difficult to produce a television documentary that is incisive and probing when every twelve minutes is interrupted by 12 dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper". Although we may not like advertising, the reality is that a variety of the most successful video delivery platforms, from television to the internet to mobile, have reached their success when pricing was reduced through advertising. The upcoming national launch of WiMax (the next generation of mobile broadband) in the United States presents an opportunity for content owners to reach audiences on any device, anywhere. Low pricing, supported through advertising, can help spur the adoption of WiMax.

Continue Reading, WiMax, Advertising Goes Here

Last week IFP hosted their Filmmaker conference in New York City. Among the topics covered was specifically that interested us, Alternative Distribution via the ITV space. The track, The Digital Download highlighted two films, The Cult Of Sincerity and Helvetica and their producers efforts to market in the online space.

While there was useful information specific to identifying a films audience early in the production process and learning how Gary Hustwit, Director of the film Helvetica reached out to a targeted community of graphic designers to market the film, there could have been more practical information. For example, how creatives should attack the problem of navigating the myriad of options for distribution online, the technology issues from shooting for ITV, too an Encoding primer. The difference between aggregators and super aggregators and which work with Indies and the platforms considerations for fixed and mobile devices to name a few. Eric Opeka, Senior Manager of distribution for New Video spoke about his companies services.

After the panel I spoke with Daniel Nayeri, writer and producer of the film The Cult of Sincerity who worked with YouTube to premier their film.

Perhaps the lack of outlining a road map for Indies in the ITV space was due to an industry still in its formative years with people unclear as to what if any formula works? Perhaps its as simple as a lack of eyeballs and CPM which is the bottom line regardless of what strategies are employed? Perhaps there are other factors that are less apparent. Whatever the reasons, I'd like to see a more targeted round table or series of ideation sessions where people dig into these issues going forward.

By: Levi Shapiro

iStock ® stock image

Cuban-American mommy-to-be Gloria Dobal "loved everything" about online pregnancy site Baby Center. However, she had difficulty sharing the experience with family members who prefer Spanish. "My mother is from Cuba and I wanted her to enjoy this with me," she said. After two days, Gloria switched to Baby Center En Espanol (www.babycenterenespanol.com) and its mobile version. Although the sector is still nascent, some brands and agencies are beginning to target Hispanics with mobile tools and campaigns.

The numbers suggest an attractive demographic for mobile marketing. Nielsen's Q2 Mobile Advertising Report cites Hispanic data users as more likely (41% compared with 30%) to recall seeing ads on mobile phones and more likely (22% vs. 13%) to have responded. Moreover, according to ComScore m:metrics, Hispanics significantly over-index on mobile content consumption (71%) compared with the market average (48%). Brian Colbert, VP of mobile sales at ESPN, comments that in "all things mobile, the Hispanic audience over-indexes quite a bit."

Ansible Mobile President Larry Harris (who previously ran multi-cultural advertising at Bank of America) advises "the most important best practice is to consider what's in it for the consumer. The focus has to be on great content, integrated within an existing strategy and traditional DM at the local level." Ansible worked with a variety of agencies on J&J's mobile Spanish version of Baby Center (before there was even an English version) and attracted 4,000 active users, including Gloria Dobal. "Content is king," says Larry. "Just offering a short-code is not enough." The mobile program achieved opt-in retention of 93% last year and 85% this year.

Continue Reading: Targeted mobile marketing and Hispanics

By Levi Shapiro

Jim Messer started Transverse last year in New York with a cadre of wireless industry veterans. This year, the company relocated to Austin. "We found everything we need in Austin-- at happy-hour prices. My commute is 10 minutes and I get double the house I had in San Diego for half the price". The combination of technical talent, creative culture and low costs has made Austin the newest hotbed in the wireless industry.

Take a walk down 6th Street and in addition to live music at The Dizzy Rooster, "Kinky Friedman for Governor" posters and fried pickle spears at Katz's Deli, you will probably see signs saying "Keep Austin Weird". Austin's development owes as much to its vibrant, bohemian culture as the concentration of tech companies like Dell, Qualcomm, Siemens, Intel, AT&T, IBM, Motorola, Apple, AMD, ARM, Marvel, Borland, Google, PayPal, Vignette, Texas Instruments, SD Micro, Silicon Labs, Broadcom, Freescale, nVidia, Trilogy, etc. In his groundbreaking book "The Rise of the Creative Class" (Basic Books, 2002), Professor Richard L. Florida correlated the density of "Bohemian Clusters" with a city's economic development. Austin has attracted wireless entrepreneurs by offering an eclectic, tolerant alternative to the sterility of Silicon Valley- which author Joel Kotkin calls "Nerdistan".

Continue Reading: Austin Round-Up: The New Hotbed for Mobile