The new Google Android driven phone – a Dream for boomers?

September 18, 6:42 PMSF Boomers ExaminerSuzanna Stinnett

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Sometimes a cell  phone contract is a good thing. My Sprint contract comes up for renewal in November, and I’m noshing to move up to the PDA plateau – or thereabouts. The iPhone has definitely had me excited, as friends demonstrate the expansive usefulness of a device which works as a phone or a teensy computer. Getting involved with social networking sites has also pushed me to leave the nest of the laptop. And then there’s mobility in general: I really want to be able to travel and write and stay connected. (Laptops were one step in that direction. Like, uh, ten years ago? Okay, they’re still relevant.)

Without that contract, I'd probably already be into my new cell phone/PDA relationship.

But something new has crept into my radar. It’s a Google product. It uses the new Google Android operating system (technically a software stack). It’s called a “Dream.” You think I can resist following that piper?

So what makes me think this is a boomer dream… well, that’s still a question. I don’t know where you’re at in the communication-technology continuum, but I don't think I'm alone in preferring a touchable keyboard. It’s the one thing about the iPhone that bugs me. (I’d be looking for some hackable add-on that would give me some kind of external keyboard, especially one of those that is projected onto the table. But I don’t know how great that would be, and that makes me nervous.) I think the size of the phone and the fact that it appears to be more tactile might make it more appealing to some boomers. In the photos, I see the top slides over and the keyboard appears. Kind of a sweet touch-ability. It looks like a little accordion. I found some actual photos of it here at engadget.com

So yes, I’m having a dream about a Dream. The dream is mobility, the vehicle is technology, the destination is The Conversation. (And that’s tomorrow’s Glossary term.) I’ll keep you posted on the Google Android Dream. We’re watching for a more official announcement (with better visuals) September 23rd, and availability is rumored mid-October. Price? Also a rumor, but believable at $199.

Suzanna

P.S. I’m still nervous about the relationships. A relationship with T-Mobile? Wonder what that will be like.

Read more rumors about Google's G1 Dream