Confirmed: T-Mobile to unveil Google phone next week

T-Mobile looks set to announce the HTC Dream—the first Google Android phone, and the latest of the would-be iPhone killers—next week, according to the Wall Street Journal, with the phone itself arriving in stores by late October. Update: T-Mobile just confirmed the unveiling for next Tuesday.

The Journal's report doesn't include any details on pricing, but it does confirm a few rumors that have been floating around in recent weeks; for example, that the Dream will have a "large" touch screen, a "swivel-out" keypad, and a trackball for navigation. The Dream will also be somewhat heftier than the iPhone, according to the Journal.

We already got most of these details—including the news that the Dream will include Wi-Fi and support for T-Mobile's 3G network—last month from the FCC, which has approved the phone for use on U.S. airwaves.

But the Journal's story is the first to authoritatively nail down an announcement date: Sept. 23, to be specific. Word is that existing T-Mobile subscribers will get the chance to pre-order the Dream at that time, with the actual ship date coming later next month. (T-Mobile, Google, and HTC are all still mum about the Dream.) Update: I just got an e-mail from T-Mobile, inviting me to see its "first Android-powered phone" next Tuesday morning (Sept. 23). Consider the rumors confirmed.

Other purported Dream details that have been making the rounds include a built-in 3MP camera, a music player, and—most importantly—Google's new, open-source Android OS, complete with access to Google services like Gmail, Maps, and Search. (Check out these video on Engadget for a glimpse at the interface; note that the image above comes from one of the videos.)

So, should we expect an iPhone killer here? Probably not; as with any first-generation handset, I'm guessing that the Android-powered Dream will arrive with plenty of kinks that need ironing out, and it sounds like the Dream itself will be somewhat clunkier than the svelte iPhone.

That said, I'll be looking more carefully at Google's Android OS than at the Dream hardware—and not just at how polished the interface looks, but how much potential it has as a mobile OS. Remember, Android itself is open source, and the upcoming Android Market will be much more open to developers than Apple's walled-up App Store—and that means much more transparency, and hopefully rapid progress from one version of Android to the next.

What do you think? Will the Dream be an iPhone killer? Anyone looking to snap it up next month? Or is Google' s Android no match for the iPhone?

Related:
T-Mobile's Google-Based Phone Nears [WSJ]