Check out Alex giving a live demo of ShopSavvy at the G1 launch in Manhattan last week on eWEEK here.

Matt over at VentureBeat is suggesting that Microsoft is delaying Windows Mobile until 2010.  Steve, have you heard about Android?  What about a suite of Microsoft applications for the open platform instead of spending time on your own operating system for mobile phones that no one can afford?

T-Mobile’s first Android based phone, the G1, has sold out almost a month before you can actually get your hands on one.  This according to TmoNews, the Unofficial T-Mobile Blog.  People are desperate to get their hands on this device.  The handset is great, but the real story is Android, the open platform that makes the G1 go.  If you want an early look at the G1 and you happen to live in Dallas you can check it out at the Startup Happy Hour on Monday (RSVP here).  We will have at least two live G1 units where we can demo our application.

If you are interested in becoming part of the Android developer community in Dallas we invite you to join us at AndroidDevCamp on October 25th (RSVP here).  In the spirit of iPhoneDevCamp, AndroidDevCamp seeks to capitalize on the release of the first mobile phone running Google’s open source operating system, Android. The power of Android isn’t grounded in a particular carrier or handset maker, instead the power of Android comes from you - the developer. The promise of Android is great, with backers including Google, HTC, Intel, Motorola, Qualcomm, Samsung, LG, T-Mobile, Nvidia and Wind River System (all members of the Open Handset Alliance). Come be a part of the future of mobile phones and build applications based on a set of open standards for ALL mobile devices. Dallas is home to not just one Android Challenge Winner, but TWO! Rylan Barnes, the original developer of GoCart (now ShopSavvy) will be demonstrating his application and sharing his year long odessy of development on the Android platform. Jason Hudgins, part of the team that developed TuneWiki, will also be demonstrating his application and sharing his experiences with Android as well.

Visa finally announced their credit card payment service for the Android mobile phone platform.  The opportunity to use ShopSavvy’s barcode reading and pricing comparison engine combined with the ability to BUY IT NOW! with Visa is game changing.  We are VERY excited about the opportunties that Visa brings to the mobile space and specifically to the Android community.  Read more about the convergence in a post by Jacqueline Emigh of BetaNews, ‘Convergence for the smartphone and credit card is nearer.‘

According to ZDNet, Apple is reducing production of the iPhone by 4 million units for the remainder of the year.  Is this because of the launch of the G1 Android based phone, the state of the economy or perhaps just a miscalculation by Apple?  You decide.

Big in Japan is hosting AndroidDevCamp Dallas on October 25th (the first Saturday after the release of the first Android phone - the T-Mobile G1).  SInce I posted the Upcoming notice we have been talking to Android developers around the world and our plans have expanded.  Beside the event in Dallas we are working with developers to host events in major cities throughout the U.S. and Canada.  In the vein of the success of iPhoneDevCamp, we are hoping to generate community interest around the Android platform.  If you are interested in coordinating/organizing an AndroidDevCamp in your city just ping me and we will work to coordinate our activities.  More details and information to follow!

Oh and if you are local (i.e. Dallas) and interested in building applications for Google’s new phone platform please RSVP here.

Great article comparing both SDKs by Neil McCallister in Infoworld today.  Interesting read (FYI - open wins).

Great ShopSavvy write up on Gadgetell here:

Thanks for everyone who spent time playing with ShopSavvy yesterday.  We are really excited about the official launch next month.  For those of you who wrote posts (see below) we appreciate it:

http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/09/dallasbased-big-in-japan-inc-t.html

http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2008/09/23/t-mobile-g1-android-gets-big-in-japan/

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151459/hands_on_with_htcs_google_phone.html

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/09/24/google_makes_its_move_on_smartphones/

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=104757

http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_and_partners_roll_out_first_apps_for_Android_Marketplace/1222206519

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/eric2_0/2008/09/googles-web-sur.html

http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=27874

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/story?id=5870750&page=1

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=google-t-mobile-launch-g1

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/23/a-sneak-peak-at-the-android-app-market/

http://biz.yahoo.com/paidcontent/080923/3_327871_id.html?.v=2

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=368

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080923/BLOG01/80923035

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/technology/general/view.bg?articleid=1121173&srvc=rss

http://www.switched.com/2008/09/23/t-mobile-officially-unveils-the-g1-google-phone/

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/live-blogging-from-google-phone-event/?apage=3

http://www.macworld.com/article/135714/2008/09/g1handson.html?lsrc=rss_main

http://www.mad.co.uk/Main/Home/Articlex/0f33bdf52bd0444ab3ba14ceb95fbecd/T-Mobile-to-sell-first-Google-mobile-in-November.html

If you have ever wondered how Apples decides which applications get in and which are excluded, Nitrozac and Snaggy from the Joy of Tech have the answer in this simple flow diagram:

Got an email from a recruiter indicating Motorola has created an entire division dedicated to Android based handsets.  They are looking for software engineers in the Bay Area to join their team.  The division was spearheaded by Sanjay Jha the new Motorola CEO.  Very good news…

Sascha Segan has a great article suggesting that if you think T-Mobile’s G1 (i.e. their Android phone) targets the smartphone market (i.e. 19% of the overall mobile market) you are missing the point.  Android is focused squarely on what Sascha calls ‘feature phones’ comprising the other 81% of the mobile phone market.

The real mobile market consists of ‘feature phones’ running Nucleus and P2K built by companies like Samsung and LG.  These phones have fairly robust hardware, but have lacked a standard operating system like Android - look out for Android phones from both companies in 2009.  As Sasche explains, “it’s the real reason to get excited about Android.”