September 23, 2008
Will G1 Kill the iPhone Star?
Probably not.
The new G1, which was unveiled today, takes aim at Apple's popular (and, arguably, somewhat cloying) iPhone. The Google phone offers you a slideout keyboard (not a clumsy touchpad), can download songs remotely via Wi-Fi (through Amazon, iTunes), and is available to T-Mobile customers (and not AT&T's). Also, it uses something called the Android operating system. Basically, it's the phone FROM THE FUTURE! Oh, and it has a 3 megapixel camera and full HTML browser. (Let Valleywag tell you all about it here.)
And the best part? It goes for $179 (probably with account activation) on October 22. But will you take a ride on the G1 line?
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I'm no Mac fanboy, but I've got to say, that is an absolute abortion of industrial design.
the initial android release probably wont do much damage to the iPhone in terms of market penetration -- the iphone was marketed to millions of consumers, and the android community seems more geared towards the open-source developer/geek/techie community.
hopefully it will be an additional catalyst in getting the US mobile device industry out of this decrepit slump its in.
@fizzandpop ::: yeh HTC could've done a bit better design for the 1st release. But remember, the android OS will run on any device, so hopefully other manufacturers will get off their a$$e$ and put out some great devices for consumers.
I'm excited for this. It does look ugly, though I've heard a bunch of times already that it's better looking in person; plus my current phone is the Nokia 3390.
I just hope I can wait for some more handsets to come out before pouncing on this one.
some notes to ponder.
It is nearly 30% thicker and almost 20% heavier than the iPhone.
No built-in video player — you have to download one from the third-party software store.
You cannot use standard stereo headphones with the G1. You need special ones, or an adapter.
And $179.99 is for 1GB...
What's promising? copy and paste functionality and a so-called MMS program, which sends photos to other phones without using email. YES.
3Megapixel camera. Nice!
More flexibility in organizing your desktop. In addition to placing icons for programs there, you can everything from individual contacts, music playlists, folders, web pages, and more.
@kapshure
I'm all for anything that isn't Windows Mobile.
I'd all hold your horses on that handset purchase. 8 megapixel camera phones with DivX video are weeks way*.
*In the rest of the world, but not the good ol' US of A (blame your lame carrier).
But will you take a ride on the G1 line?
No.
If the iPhone is cloying, I'll take more cloy, please.
I am a die-hard Mac user, but I HATE AT&T and I already have T-Mobile, so I'm all over this.
Nope. I'm no early adopter here. I'd rather sit back and watch you all volunteer to be guinea pigs while I wait for the bugs to shake out and prices to come down.
And yeah, that design is pretty horrible. It looks like a Nortel Meridian handset, circa 1997.
Who cares about MMS? Geez. Text messaging is for... text.
i'm pretty enticed by this too -- especially the camera. but t-moble is pricey, yes?
T-Mobile is usually cheaper than AT&T
@Row D
But that's the beauty of it - with the (mostly) open source SDK and tons of support from the pre-existing base of Java developers, you'll be able to choose what video player you would like to use rather than be locked into Apple's proprietary (but admittedly good) software. Expect lots of ports of existing desktop standards forthcoming.
At least initially this is going to appeal to an entirely different type of user - I don't see it being able to compete in a straight shoot-out with the iPhone for another 6 months to a year, especially with the headstart Apple has. However, I personally enjoy the freedom of not being tethered to an Apple-approved iPhone store for my applications, or being forced to use iTunes with my phone.
I may wait for a prettier device though - the physical keyboard is nice, but otherwise yuck.
Also, I wouldn't worry about the 1GB thing - I don't see the HTC Dream/G1 killing the iPhone, but a future device running android just may.
yes!!!!! i can finally feel glad i subscribed to T-Mobile!
@fizzandpop
yeh, i hear yah. WM* just bloze. I had been using the MDA on TMO for 2 years now, and after I broke it a few weeks back, I got bumped to a burner (Nokia 2610 P.O.S!!) while I wait on the android release. i can't afford to switch carriers now, and I have 1500 mins on TMO for $49 -- you can't beat that on any other carrier. Unfortunately, as any wireless tech fan knows, TMO has just been dragging tail as the 4th major carrier to JUST now getting 3G deployed -- at least the LTE test runs look promising.
@Row D
is 12.3mm vs 16.5mm THAT big of a deal?
true, lots of iphone (non)fanboys are going to have a field day breaking this phone down, criticizing, etc.. I am just thankful I can get a 3G phone now on TMO.. if it does suck, then I'll just bite the bullet and everyone can go "neh neh neh.. told you so".
what i wanna know is.... "will it blend" ?!?!
T-Mobile gives you 600 minutes for their $40/month plan and 1000 for $60/month, vs. 450/900 for the other carriers, so strictly speaking they're cheaper per minute. However, they may not be the most economical option depending on one's usage patterns. For example, AT&T has rollover, which can make them cheaper for people who have wide variability in how many minutes they use per month.
Brock: I can't yet vouch for the quality of the hardware, but I've worked with the Android software in my UI class semester and it is pretty sweet. There are a lot more possibilities than on the iPhone for cool applications both on a technological level as well as on a policy level -- you won't see Android apps banned because they make the built-in ones look bad.
Its seems so ancient and backwards that cell providers still offer/charge service by the minute. It's truly laughable.
It's the second coming of the JesusPhone(tm).
I am a heavy WM6.1 user, and love this thing for business use. The iPhone is a little lame in that regard, though they sort of got it right now with the second pass if the 3G iPhone.
The G1 looks promising. For me, a phone isn't a work of art. It's a tool. The iPhone is sexy, but it's pretty lame because of the strict controls that Apple has maintained over it.
When are these things going to start coming with expandable memory? If I'm going to use my phone for music, I need at least 40G.
@Compour - G1 has expandable memory, but good luck finding a 40gb flash chip to put in it.
Compur: OpenMoko has a microSD slot.
New Renoir has microSD and 70G on the phone (I know it's a really odd number). But you'll have to get a grey import.
Sorry, I'm smoking crack on the 70G, I read it wrong. But it does have a microSD slot.
@brock: t-mobile is not any pricier than anyone else, and they are actually nice on the phone. i've had the service for five years and i don't hate them, which i've heard is pretty rare in the wireless industry.
@izzyizzy
TMO has consecutively won JDPowers customer service award in the wireless/cellular arena for like 5 yrs straight I think