Finally, after months of speculations and rumors the first consumer device based on the already famous Google Android operating system is here. In fact, like in the case of other anticipated devices, several details were already known, thanks to the leaked technical specs and photos.

As it was rumored, the T-Mobile’s G1 has a touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard and prefect integration with Google applications for mobile phones.

It is the first phone to on T-Mobile's 3G network, but it offers also support for WiFi, quad-band GSM plus dual-band UMTS, which means that G1 is ready to function in every corner of the planet.

For e-mail and instant messaging, G1 offers (how else?) Gmail and GTalk, but it does not have support for multimedia messaging or Exchange. Of course, we can assume that soon these issues will be solved.

In addition, as it was rumored, the G1 features a web browser based on Webkit, the foundation of Google’s newly unveiled Chrome.

Also, it’s to early to tell how good is Google Android, but judging on what the various demos posted online, it seems so far like a robust and stable operating system. On the multimedia side, the G1 offers a 3 megapixel camera, but no video capabilities.

However, in my opinion, the big surprises brought by the G1 are two: the price and the mobile version of Amazon's MP3 store.

According to T-Mobile, the G1 will sell for $179, with data plans starting at $25 for unlimited Web and some messaging to $35 for unlimited Web and messaging.

The price scheme is a clear sign that T-Mobile and Google are looking forward to compete with Apple’s ultimate gadget the iPhone.

Also, the integration with Amazon MP3 store, is another clear sign that Google is gearing up to challenge Apple’s domination in the music business. Similar to iPhone, the G1 will have the Android Market, a place where the users can download several applications created by third arty developers. Of course, right now Android market has only twenty applications and several games, but don’t get fooled by this slow start. Soon, there will thousands of applications.

However, the big question that it will get a lot of answers in the next few weeks is: is the G1 capable to be an iPhone killer? Or it will fail as some other devices already did?

While is hard to anticipate how the consumers will react to the new shiny gadget, today’s event has proved that Google and its partners was paying attention to Apple’s “moves”.

It seems like the G1 integrates almost every feature available on the iPhone. Touchscreen? Check! 3G? Check! Music? Check! Maps? Check! Full HTML browser? Check! Applications through a virtual store? Check? A famous brand? Check! Marketing budget? Check! Hype before launch? Check! Consumer-oriented device? Check!

As I said, it’s tough to predict how the G1 will be received, but so far is the first phone which seems to be capable to compete head to head with the iPhone. And, for a company that is making its debut in the mobile phone business, that already means a lot!