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How Is Google's Android Shaping Up?

Ever since Google's Android was announced, we've been itching to see a handset running it. Can this first phone -- which will almost certainly be dubbed a GPhone by the press -- possibly live up to the hype?

We got a tantalizingly brief taste of HTC's Android-powered Dream device at Google's I/O developer's conference in May, and it was incredibly neat:

But since then, the rumor mills have been at full-tilt for the mobile operating system. First, the Journal says devices will be delayed due to holdups with China Mobile. Then, we hear whispers that Google's much-touted openness isn't so open. Throw in claims of an Android-Symbian merger, and even more reports of handset delays, and you can't help but get a little down on Android.

Through it all, Google maintains that the OS is on track, and a manager recently said the core operating system was about 80% complete. Recently, some blurry footage has leaked that supposedly shows an HTC handset running Android:

It's difficult to know if this is even real, or if it's the HTC Dream that everyone's been waiting to see. Let's hope it's not, because this handset just looks incredibly dull and boring. Sure, from the brief glimpse, the OS looked responsive and quick, but the Sidekick-like keyboard and flip-out screen look incredibly ugly.

It's still early, and I'm not going to judge a handset or OS by some YouTube footage that could be faked. But, I think some negative opinions on Android are already being shaped, and Google will need to have some "Wow" at the upcoming CTIA Wireless show to get potential customers and developers excited.

What are your thoughts on Google's Android so far?

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