Long Awaited Android Phone - T-Mobile HTC G1

The first of the long-awaited Google Android phones was announced today by T-Mobile, the HTC G1.  Available in the US on October 22 for $179 with a 2-year contract, it is the first serious competition to the Apple iPhone.  Like the iPhone it has a large, color touch screen, a real Web browser, 3G data connectivity, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, camera, etc. Most importantly, it has a complete application development environment and an application store.  Unlike Apple's version, the G1 app store is completely open and does not require a developer to get approval from Google, T-Mobile, or HTC, something that in Apple's case has kept some applications off the market that Apple or AT&T felt would compete with their existing products or services.  The processor is the Qualcomm MSM7201A, a 32 bit ARM chip that is slightly faster than the part in the iPhone.

Some other features of the G1 that have been missing from the iPhone are:

• Hardware QWERTY keyboard
• Multitasking allowing an app to run in the background
• Context menus
• Copy & paste  
• Removable battery
• One-click contextual search
• Multimedia Messaging (MMS)
• Micro SD slot (up to 8 GB) 

Some features which are still missing from both the iPhone and the G1:

• Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
• Video recording  
• Over-the-air music purchase
• Ability to tether to a laptop to function as a modem 

There form-factor is not as sleek as the iPhone, leading some people to question whether the G1 will have the same mass appeal, and the touch-screen lacks the iPhone's two-fingered "pinch" technique for zooming.  The music store is Amazon's instead of Apple's, and the network is T-Mobile, which is still in the process of rolling out its HSDPA network.  There are actually two email applications, one that is closely coupled to GMail and the other that is used for connecting to other services via IMAP.  There is no desktop or server-based synch to Outlook or Exchange.

There are some features that were planned for Android 1.0 but  dropped at the last minute, such as the GTalkService and the Bluetooth API. Some of the missing features, such as video playback, are available from the application store. Presumably others will be provided by third party developers, perhaps testing T-Mobile's commitment to openness with applications that enable tethering or video uploads.

An open question is whether Google and T-Mobile are prepared to spend the kind of marketing money Apple did to create consumer enthusiasm.  For now, the enthusiasm is mostly in the tech community which is thrilled to have a phone that offers an open development platform.

The G1 and other Android phones that are sure to follow are a test of whether the openness of the Android platform will result in a cornucopia of useful applications that will prove more attractive than those arising from the more restrictive model Apple has enforced or whether they will just create mass confusion and a longing for a world where Steve decides what apps are good for us.   And the real test is whether either platform expands the "smart phone" category beyond the current hipster niche into the mainstream of mobile phones.

The complete specs of the G1 can be found on the HTC site.

Comments

[Phone Shop Finder]

This is definitely a good competitor of the Apple iPhone plus it has some features that are not available to iPhone. A great choice and a better alternative.