A few months ago people were still under the impression that the Google phone, a phone based on a technology stack named "Android" based on the Linux kernel, was nothing more than a pipe dream. 

The reality has finally come, and the first Android based phone is being brought to T-mobile while T-Mobile simultaneously launches their new 3G network.  T-Mobile was the last of the "Top Tier" US carriers still  offering "EDGE" internet as its only "high speed" mobile internet service.  (If you have a phone with EDGE you already know that the term "high speed" belongs no where near it.)

What really sets this phone apart, though, is that the focus is on software and not hardware.  Gadget addicts usually drool over the latest chipset/display capabilities/touchscreen/GPS enabled device, and it's important to note that the Android based G1 is impressive for those reasons as well.  But what's really impressive is how focused people are on the fact that the OS is open source and thus infinitely extensible.  Imagine an iPhone that doesn't corral it's users into a single App store to get new programs.

Since this OS is being offered for free to phone makers, its a no-brainer for them to base a few phones on them.  When the OS penetrates the market we should see some really interesting things happen.

For one, there should be a lot more focus on mobile computing and a lot less focus on desktop computing.  The average person neither needs nor wants to use a big clunky machine to check their email and send a few IMs.  This small pocket device can be everywhere you can be with all the most important functions of your computer right there with it.  Computers have been shrinking for decades, and it looks like the next generation is going to be a huge conceptual step forward.

At less that 600Mhz, the processor would be considered outdated in any desktop computer.  The reality is, though, most people don't need anything even remotely close the power of a just a $400 desktop computer.  Linux users know this quite well since the hobby (yeah, I call using linux a hobby)  also usually involves hording and revitalizing old hardware.  You can browse the web with 8 year old computers if you aren't trying to do it in Windows or OSX.  Windows especially contains a lot of unnecessary processes.

This is very exciting for gadget fans and the average person, since there the paradigm of computing is going to change in a fundamental way.