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Tomorrow, our Editor Iyaz will be on hand to witness T-Mobile’s debut of the first Android phone.  Android is the open source mobile phone OS from Google that we’ve been talking about for what seems like years.  Here on the eve of the preview, here is what we’ve collected on what we can expect.

Pretty?
With Google’s love for the iPhone, the UI will be good looking (surprisingly, not all UIs are—I’m looking at you, Windows Mobile).  From the image we’ve seen and what Google has shown, this is going to be a very appealing UI.  Google has their stuff together for their web properties; expect clean and simple from this phone as well.

Applications
I expect to see a browser (maybe a Chrome mobile?  Wait a sec, was the launch of the desktop app just so we’d know the name of the mobile app and thus, accept it easier?).  I hate being bamboozled.  Also expect a Google Maps app, a Gmail app, perhaps a specific search app for the phone similar to Google desktop.  I expect Google is hard at work on apps for its properties. 

How about 3rd party apps?  You bet.  Google has worked to foster a developer community, not unlike Apple.  Their own developer contest brought out some gems and hopefully point to how creative the community will get around an open source phone.

Expect to see at least 2 impressive applications that make it stand out on Day 1.  Will we see Google Navigation?

Hot swap batteries?
The iPhone gets ridiculed for its short battery life while being chastised for its closed system.  The Android phone should have us making fun of its short battery life thanks to the ability to run multiple programs in the background.  Expect battery life to be short due to the openness of the platform.

Condoms are for sailors
The chances you’ll catch something (like a virus) are higher with an open system than a closed system.  Plain and simple.  With the potential for a virus is high, expect Norton (or similar) to provide an anti-virus app.  With no monitoring of the apps available, these apps could be Trojan Horses. 

I see websites similar to Palmgear, a trusted source of apps becoming necessary for the OS’s health.

First go round
There is arguably more riding on this launch for Google than for T-Mobile.  This will be the first real test for the OS, the first real public reaction, the first reaction from the developers.  If things go really, really well, more developers will flock to the open OS charm.  But with one iPhone app creator saying he’s grossed $250k in just 60 days, that argument is getting harder and harder to make.

How close do you think we are?  Let us know in the comments.

Read [Electricpig]