The first hardware running Google’s open source OS “Android” has finally arrived. I first saw the news announcement over at Engadget. No doubt they face a pretty daunting market with the iPhone and Blackberries dominating much of the sales and with good reason. Might explain why they’re launching it for $179 with a 2-year T-Mobile contract, but more surprisingly you can get the phone for “only” $399 contract free. If you’re already a T-mobile subscriber you’re in luck, they are taking pre-orders for you faithful customers already.

Amazon has aligned itself with the new handset giving you access to their MP3 store, so obviously they’re aiming to be a music device too. So explain to me, where the hell is the standard 3.5mm jack?

Keep reading for picture, specs and link to official site.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty unimpressed after seeing this image and following Engadget’s G1 coverage.

Here are the features and specs found so far:

• HSDPA 1700 / 2100 plus quadband EDGE
• WiFi / 3G
• 3D Graphics Acceleration
• 1GB integrated storage and MicroSD expansion slot. (Up to 8GB)
• 3 Megapixel camera
• Android Market for app purchases.
• Amazon MP3 app for music purchases.
• Push Gmail support with full HTML support.
• Bluetooth (No A2DP)
• 480×329 65K color screen
• Weighs 5.6 ounces
• Dimensions: 4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 inches
• 5 hour talk time, 130 hour standby time

Check out the official T-Mobile G1 web site.

I think I’ll stick to my iPhone personally.