The dream has come true: T-Mobile G1 with Google

The dream has come true: T-Mobile G1 with Google

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Published on: 23 September, 2008 by PhoneArena Team

The dream has come true: T-Mobile G1 with Google

Click to see a large image.
No more speculation, Android and the G1 are here. T-Mobile and Google officially announced the device at their press conference in NYC this morning, and here are the dirty details. It will be available for $179 on contract with a voice and data plan, and will launch on October 22. A "limited number" of existing customers can order the device today and have it delivered on launch. The G1 will come to the UK in November, and be available across Europe in 1Q 2009 including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. Unfortunately the device will be SIM-locked to T-Mobile, but keep in mind that, unlike the iPhone, the G1 is merely the first Android device, not the only one.

Click to see a large image.
The device is quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS, and features Wi-Fi as well. T-Mobile will have 22 3G markets at launch, and 27 in November covering "all major metropolitan areas." Its browser is WebKit based; when prompted they said it could be referred to as Chrome lite, but in reality it shares the same code base (as does Safari, Mobile Safari and the Sybmian browser) though is a different browser optimized for Android and the small screen. There is no desktop sync application, but the device will synchronize with Google applications such as Google Calendar, GMail and GTalk over the air. For the first time there will be online presence indicators with GTalk in the phonebook; AIM, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live will also be supported though there was no mention of phonebook presence. GMail will be push, POP3 and IMAP will be supported for other mail services. The GMail application is "robust," and similar to the web version with threading, labels and archival.

Out of the box the G1 is capable of reading Word, Excel and PDF documents, though there is no editing capabilities. Exchange is not currently supported, but they were quick to point out that Android is open and there is nothing stopping a third party developer from bringing that functionality to the phone. When the G1 is released Google will make the entire OS available, and no doubt it's strength will be the support of developers.

Click to see a large image.
Android Market will house third party applications. Unlike the iPhone, applications will be able to run in the background, which will allow the user to be on the web while listening to music and receive an IM from a friend, for example. Speaking of music, Google and Amazon have teamed up to bring their MP3 store to Android, and users can purchase tracks directly on the phone. Again undercutting Apple, Amazon's 6 million DRM-free tracks run $0.89 and albums range from $6.99 to $9.99. Users can search, sample and purchase music while on the cellular network, but downloading can only be done over Wi-Fi.

Other features include a 3 megapixel camera, which from the looks of things will be integrated into many exciting apps. There is a dedicated search button on the QWERTY keyboard, and its function changes based on where you are on the phone. For example, if you're on the web it will bring up web search, but in your phonebook it will search your contacts. YouTube will also be integrated into the device, and we'd expect the user to be albe to upload videos directly to the site from their device. MMS is supported, and users will eventually be able to upload pictures directly to their personal blog.

Data pricing will run $25 for unlimited web and limited messaging and $35 for unlimited messaging, a bit steep but better than $50. This is T-Mobile's pricing, and it will be interesting to see what Sprint, who currently offers a $30 package for unlimited everything else (including navigation, TV and more,) will do when they launch Android devices in the coming months. There will be no tethering with the G1, though it wasn't clear if that was a limitation of T-Mobile, the device or the OS.

Let the revolution begin.

T-Mobile's G1 site
HTC's G1 site

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0
1.
wow... this looks excellent except the fact that it doesn't have stereo bluetooth and led or xenon flash for the camera but you can live without them so its all good
0
7.
I've heard that A2DP is available ;)... but i'd like to see it first
Reply to this comment
0
11.
what is a2dp?
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #7 ( Show )
0
14.
It's a bluetooth profile that supports stereo sound.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #11 ( Show )
0
21.
a2dp is not available, can connect only mono headset, and bluetooth file sharing is missing too
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #14 ( Show )
Reply to anonymous Hide 4 replies to this comment
0
2.
is it me, or does the screen look crooked when the keyboard is present?
0
3.
I guess something is wrong with these pictures. I'm fan of this phone and may get one once they appear without a contract.
Reply to this comment
0
9.
i think it looks crooked because of the shape of the screen you have a round corner on one end a a slightly less round corner on the other so it may look like it is and you can see the way the light is hitting it. is it me or does this look like a sidekick on steriods
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #3 ( Show )
0
30.
it does look crooked...this worries me! Hopefully the final version wont be like this..
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Reply to anonymous Hide 3 replies to this comment
0
4.
The screen is straight the picture jus doesnt angle the phone very well
0
31.
look at it again. it is VERY crooked. the bottom part where it says MENU is straight...notice the top part, screen, angling toward the left. crooked :(
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0
5.
will you be able to transfer files with the bluetooth?
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0
6.
I just got the Instinct a few days ago and am SERIOUSLY thinking about returning it and just waiting for Sprint to come out with their own Android phone. The browser is EXTREMELY slow on the Instinct and I just have a feeling I would be better off waiting. Anyone have any suggestions for me? Wouuld I be wasting my time?
0
15.
Supposedly there is an update to the Instinct's browser that is scheduled to hit tomorrow, so you may want to wait a day and see if it helps you out.
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Reply to realism121 Hide 1 replies to this comment
0
8.
sprint sucks.......just change carriers
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0
10.
to bad it is on tmobile right now....wait for verizon to get one.
0
13.
to(o) bad verizon isnt participating in the open handset alliance.... so theyre not getting one, and if they do join the alliance, wait for a good 2 years for a crippled android phone with a vga camera, no flash...
Reply to this comment
0
19.
Verizon is a part of the alliance...as evidenced by their new month-to-month contracts and previous interviews.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #13 ( Show )
0
22.
vzw and att are NOT members. http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #19 ( Show )
Reply to anonymous Hide 3 replies to this comment
0
12.
Is it only me or there are people out there who think the same. I have been waiting for this phone for 6 months but was disappointed with the fact that it is so BIG, the bottom part, below the screen is so unnecessary - it fills up the pocket. HTC has made nice phones with sleek design such as Diamond. Why did the choose this kind of design? Also, they should have added video-capture (which is a typical feature in other cheap phones too) and FM radio. These two features, I can live with but the bulkiness of the phone, emmmm. I haven’t decided completely but I am thinking about waiting for Samsung Omnia with AT&T. Anyway, let me wait and hear from professional independent reviews (phonearena.com and gsmarena.com). Since it is the first generation device, there is also a chance of being a test-customer. Anyway, time will tell, but good job T-Mobile, the first true smart phone device. Also, thumbs up for Google for its first mobile OS. Let me hear what you have to say fellows.
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0
16.
very god OS
0
17.
I don't see what the big deal is with this phone. The most important thing for me is to be able to run certain programs, which unfortunately are only available for Windows Mobile. So, to me, this is sort of like another iPhone. To be fair, though, I suspect that Google will be more lenient with allowing 3rd party software, but it's just going to take a long time.
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0
23.
symbian also has good programs, far better than windows mobile,

OS in G1 needs modification, still cant send files via bluetooth like iphone, what a shame
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #17 ( Show )
0
28.
android os can run any program someone wants to make for it
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #23 ( Show )
Reply to xenon Hide 3 replies to this comment
0
18.
I just ordered a brown one from tmo's site (I wonder if I can call tmo and tell them to send me a white one). This phone is awesome. I think it's dumb that it doesn't come with video capture but I am confident an app will be available to fix that. I would actually prefer to NOT have a physical keyboard, but this will be okay. I reckon some third party virtual keyboards could be downloaded.
0
20.
what colors it come in?
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  Total: 34 post(s)
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