Standby for the biggest geek frenzy since Apple’s iPhone first appeared in Steve Jobs’ paws.

This morning Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page roller-bladed onto a New York stage to unveil the first cellphone to run on Google’s Android software.

The G1 Dream (the official name for the handset formerly known as the gPhone) will be sold by US carrier T-Mobile to run on its 3G network. Tied to a plan, it’s priced from $US179 – undercutting Apple’s cheapest 3G iPhone deal at $US200.

The specs are as leaked yesterday: a 117x55x16mm, form-factor with a full QWERTY keyboard that swivels out from behind the 3.7-inch screen, but with the extra info that the G1’s touchscreen has a new trick beyond Apple’s iPhone – a “long press” that can be used to zoom and select. Another previously unreported feature is G1’s Web Kit browser. It’s not Chrome, but Sergey and Larry say we can think of it as “Chrome Lite”.

While there’s no iTunes, the G1 does match the iPhone for online music capability thanks to Google’s hook-up with Amazon.com’s music store – also announced today – which will allow G1 owners to download DRM-free content directly to their phones.

The three third-party Android apps that come with the G1 – all winners of a developer contest run by Google – drew immediate wows.

They were ShopSavvy, which utilises the G1’s 3 megapixel digital camera to scan bar code prices then do an online price comparison; BreadCrumbz to create a step-by-step visual map using photos (which will be able to take advantage of another G1 feature, its built-in compass); and Ecorio, which measures your carbon footprint.

With the cellphone traditionally being a tightly closed and controlled platform, such a potpourri of software is one of the open-source Android’s biggest draws.

Aiming to put its Android software on as many phones as possible, Google is in talks with telcos beyond T-Mobile in the US, and around the world.

Telecom NZ, like Vodafone, has released a number of cellphones made by HTC, the Taiwan-based maker of T-Mobile’s G1 (and, under contract, the unrelated HTC model rebadged as Telecom’s OKTA).

Telecom spokeswoman Rebecca Earl says the open-source Android platform is still “in its infancy.”

“Telecom NZ will closely monitor its uptake and stability with customers before we launch devices. We look forward to more handset manufacturers launching devices with this as their primary operation system,” she says.

Vodafone NZ’s Paul Brislen says his company is keeping a “watching brief.”

Full specs for the G1 have been posted to T-Mobile’s website.