T-Mobile, HTC and Google finally introduced the result of their collaboration, unveiling yesterday the new Dream phone. The device is expected to provide some real competition for Apple’s iPhone, which at this point is considered one of the most appealing products in the smartphone market through its design and functionality.

The phone’s biggest asset is the new operating system developed by Google, called Android, which not only puts Google for the first time on the mobile industry’s map but also brings a lot of new features, raising the bar when it comes to Oss for mobile phones.

Even though the official presentation is finished, T-Mobile announced that the device will be available in the United States starting with October 22, which could be linked to some technical difficulties, shipment plans or simply a marketing strategy meant to increase the anticipation and curiosity even more. The campaign so far proved extremely successful, with numerous reports and articles filling the blogs and review pages, in addition to the many questions asked by people interested in buying the product.

Some analysts claim that the Dream brings very few new add-ons in comparison to the iPhone and its market success will be rather limited. One thing everyone agrees on is the fact that it will grow the use of internet on the go. “I am not sure people are going to be lining up at stores for this device,” said Rajeev Chand, an analyst with Rutberg & Company, as quoted by the New York Times. “The iPhone was a game changer from a consumer perspective. The Google phone may be more of game changer from an industry perspective.”

The Dream, produced by the Taiwanese electronics maker HTC, has a large color touch screen with a full slide-out keyboard. It features a 3 megapixels camera, Wi-Fi access, Internet browser, GPS navigation. Users will be able to easily access Google’s search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and there will also be available an application store. T-Mobile prepared a special two-year voice and data plan which will lower the phone’s cost to $179, $20 cheaper than the iPhone.

Google’s co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin arrived on Rollerblades at the New York news conference, with Mr. Page stating that “This is as good a computer as you had a few years ago.” Mr. Brin also joined the discussions, saying that their mission does not necessarily concern this device. “We want people out there to use the Internet on their phones a lot,” he said. “It actually doesn’t matter if it is Android, the iPhone or something else.”

"We think Android is future-proof because it has openness built in," said Google's vice president of mobile products, Andy Rubin. His belief is shared by everyone involved in the project, and their high expectations for the Dream’s success can be considered justified to a certain extent. Once the device rolls out, not only in the United States but also worldwide, we’ll be able to get a clear image of the market trend and the companies involved will get the needed info for their next moves.