On October 22, Google and T-Mobile will launch the G1, the first hand-held computer that’s in the same class as Apple’s iPhone. You can buy the gadget for $180 with a two year contract and that’s a reasonable price, cheaper than Apple’s offer. Google wants to use the mobile phone in order to accelerate the use and sophistication of mobile Internet browsing. Even if it’s not like an iPhone entirely, it’s the closest contender yet.

One of the main differences is the keyboard. While Apple’s phone has a touchscreen only, Google’s Android offers you the possibility of a physical keyboard, complemented with a trackball for navigation, similar to the one on a BlackBerry. The G1 has a slick touch interface to go with the physical keyboard and it includes a powerful operating system that’s given the phone’s name: Android. Furthermore, you can organize your desktop easier than on the iPhone and it also has a higher-resolution camera. Unfortunately, not even this camera can shoot video. Another advantage of the G1 is the possibility of sending photos through simple MMS (Multimedia Message Service). The rival, iPhone, can only send photos through an e-mail.

Many of the applications that exist on the G1 use Google services. Besides the obvious Gmail, there’s a feature that allows you to access YouTube and another for Google Maps. In addition, you can’t even use the Android if you do not have a Google user ID and password. In order to get contacts and calendar items, you have to synchronize with Google’s online calendar and contact services.

All in all, Google and T-Mobile’s android is the first piece of technology that can match Apple’s iPhone, but it remains to be seen if it will win.