Attending the launch of the T-Mobile G1 was a mixed bag this morning... a bag of being too warm because I wrapped up with too many layers anticipating sub-zero temperatures mixed in with joy at actually seeing people queuing for the handset.

There was a part of me that thought there may genuinely be nobody outside the launch given that T-Mobile had decided against publicising it in the same way as Apple/O2 had with the iPhone 3G.

But around 25 people turned up in the morning, and to be fair to the T-Mobile store staff, the branded umbrellas, the coffee and the pastries were all there too in order to keep spirits high.

And there was a genuine buzz around the store when the first people went up to the tills to buy the first handset. But the problem with this launch isn't the way it was handled - it's the handset itself that should make people worry.

Clues

The real clue behind the likelihood of this handset succeeding came when I spoke to Richard Warmseley, T-Mobile's Head of Internet and Entertainment.

"When we launched Web 'N' Walk in 2005, we found there were lots of early adopters waiting to work on the 'net over their phone.

"Android is very exciting - in the history of the internet as soon as things are made open, people will quickly take to it. The freedom [Android brings] is very exciting, and it comes straight to the mobile."

And therein lies the rub. Having tested Google's Android OS on a number of occasions, I can indeed vouch for the fact it will likely change the face of mobile communication in the future. Open source is a brilliant concept, it just needs a brand to embrace it and not try and shut it down through fear.

But the G1 is not the handset to bring Android to the masses.

If faced with the option of buying a new phone, most consumers will be put off by the QWERTY keyboard straight away, as that feature says one thing to most consumers: business phone/BlackBerry/the work side of life.

It's not right that they think that, but it's true.

Perhaps T-Mobile's strategy has shown it thinks the same thing. "We contacted the 32,000 customers and invited them to come down today, although a lot of them will be buying online," said Warmseley.

Closed group

It seems the network is looking at this initial launch as applicable to a pretty closed group... those that are interested in the phone itself and not pushing to get the general public involved in the same way that Apple has.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think T-Mobile is looking to keep this handset secret or anything... the amount of posters and adverts pushing the phone are testament to that. But the lack of push over the actual launch day itself speaks volumes, instead preferring the customers to come to their own conclusions over whether they want the handset.

"Obviously the G1 is our main focus over the next few months," added Warmseley. "We don't know where we're going next [with Android], or what devices or updates we'll bring.

"We know other manufacturers are looking at Android-based devices, but we're working with Google still to keep opening things up so that customers are getting a richer experience, and getting value by using more apps."

So in the future, once the Google train has fully got up to speed, the Android OS will deliver all the things T-Mobile are looking for. But the G1 won't be the handset that delivers them.