San Francisco gadget lovers got a chance Tuesday to purchase the T-Mobile G1 smartphone the night before the device went on sale to the general public. Anxious shoppers waited in line for up to 10 hours at the 3rd and Market Street store for an opportunity to be among the first to p0urchase the phone. The G1 is the first mobile phone to be based on the Android software developed by Google.

Android is an open-source software platform that allows third-party developers to create applications and games, and provide these programs to customers at little or no cost, without the hassle of licensing or approval by T-Mobile or Google.

A crowd of about 150 people had gathered in front of the store by 6 p.m., when the phone was slated to go on sale. Eager customers chatted, mostly about the G1 and what they were going to do with their old phones. Blackberries, Sidekicks, and even iPhones were being retired or passed on in favor of the Google-powered G1.

Brody Azaki, 26, a Business Administration student, previously owned both incarnations of the iPhone and recently switched over to T-Mobile because dissatisfaction with AT&T's data service.

The release of the G1 was not nearly the spectacle of the latest iPhone. This was largely intentional on the part of T-Mobile. According to Christopher Price, editor-in-chief of PhoneNews.com, T-Mobile wanted to avoid the mistake made by AT&T with the iPone by marketing the product nationally as a 3G device when 3G coverage is not available in all areas. "They are only going start promoting this in areas where they can guarantee 3G coverage, but still give customers the option in older markets."

3G stands for "Third-Generation" data network. Data networks allow mobile phone users to send email, browse the web and transmit photographs and files on the fly. 3G is the current benchmark for wireless networks, providing the fastest available service.

The G1 runs on a 3G data network, and also features Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS, a large touch screen, slide out keyboard and trackball for precise navigation of web pages. It is optimized to utilize popular Google services, such as Gmail YouTube. The device retails for $179 and combined voice and unlimited data plans start at $65 a month.