Google’s Android operating system is approaching its 13th birthday this year, and before the first Android phone, the HTC Dream (G1 in the US), launched for consumers there was the HTC Exca 300 – or the Google Sooner, and you can get your hands on one now.
A seller on eBay has popped up with five of the phones, of which four have already sold Update: They’ve all sold out. Given their significance they were going for a relatively cheap $195USD + shipping – that works out to about $317AUD.
The phone specs aren’t up to much with an TI OMAP 850 processor, 64 MB of RAM and 64MB of on-board storage – don’t worry it supports mini-SD, while the 2.4-inch display not only doesn’t support touch input but has a mere 320 x 240 pixel resolution – remember those days?
There’s a tiny 1.3MP resolution camera which does support video recording, but with only a 2G radio inside it’s not going to work on any network here in Australia.
The phone is supplied in a non-descript white box, but does include battery, ac adapter, and mini-USB powered earphones.
The non-touch interface is supported by a full Qwerty keyboard, a four-way d-pad, and four system buttons. The phone will run a developer version of Android, which from previous looks at the phone is vastly different to the Android 1.0 version which was officially unveiled on September 23, 2008.
It’s not every day you get a chance to look into the history of the development of a smartphone OS, but if you get your hands on one of these – and it actually boots up – it’s a good chance to look at an early version of Android in a new way.
The auction is still current, so if you’re a keen mobile collector, or just want a piece of Android/Google history then this is a great opportunity – but you’d better get in fast.
