T-Mobile announced today that it has launched the G1 smartphone and it is now available in stores. T-Mobile says that it has had strong pre-orders for the handset prior to launch. The phone is the first Android powered device to hit the market.

G1 hopefuls can buy the device and walk away with it at T-Mobile stores and in select third party stores in T-Mobile 3G areas. T-Mobile also says that for a limited time all of the applications available for the G1 are being offered free of charge.

“During the past month, we’ve seen unbridled excitement for the T-Mobile G1 and the positive impact it will have on the mobile lives of our customers,” said Denny Marie Post, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “In fact, among those T-Mobile customers who have pre-ordered the phone, roughly half have traded up from a basic handset, illustrating the leap many consumers are taking to a rich, accessible mobile Web experience. Its design, functionality, and value make the first-of-its-kind T-Mobile G1 a truly approachable device for the masses.”

Via T-Mobile