First preview of Google's Android phone

You can see the much awaited google’s Android smart phone OS demostration by Google’s Enginner.


Owners of the new Google-powered mobile phone will be able to unlock the handset by drawing a secret shape on the screen.
The new 'signature unlocking' tool was among the features revealed during a sneak preview in California yesterday.
Other highlights include a built-in compass that will allow people to orientate maps as they use their phone to scout out a restaurant or venue, and a customisable homepage that lets people bookmark their favourite web pages.
The device - which is unlocked by drawing a shape only the owner knows on a nine-square grid - will also include a magnifying tool, to make zooming in on web content easier on a small screen, and a mobile version of the game Pac Man.
Google will not make the phone, but has helped develop the software that handset manufacturers will install in their devices. Samsung, HTC, LG Electronics, and Motorola are among the companies that have said they will produce phones that run on Android.
The device on which Mr Rubin gave the demonstration (see the above YouTube video) had a touch-sensitive screen, but the software will work equally well on other devices, he said, including those with a so-called 'tracking ball', which has been used by BlackBerry.
Android is what is known as an 'open-source' operating system, meaning that developers can access the code and create software that works with the device. Apple has announced a similar inititiave which allows developers to create software for the iPhone.