The Google phone upclose and personal
By Scott Moritz
NEW YORK – A brief hands-on experience with the Google (GOOG) G1 phone gives the impression that after a slew of touchscreen duds from other telcos, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone finally has a worthy rival.
The highly-anticipated HTC phone for T-Mobile (DT) was unveiled in New York Tuesday, and kiosks with technical experts were set up so media people could run the first Android-powered phone through some tricks. T-Mobile will start selling the phone Oct. 22 for $179 with a two-year contract.
The G1 has a large touchscreen, nearly the same size as the iPhone. But unlike the iPhone, there is a physical keyboard under the slide-open screen. People familiar with the iPhone will find the G1 a little lighter and thicker. The G1, for you ultra-thin fans, is about 3/4 of an inch thick, downright portly compared to the svelte half-inch iPhone.
Navigating the screen is fairly easy and there are several ways to move around. The touchscreen has a swipe capability that allows you to flick up and down or side to side. There is also a small trackball-type button at the bottom of the phone for scrolling.
The 3G network coverage at the show – only 16 cities currently have T-Mobile’s 3G networks – was fast. Google’s homepage loaded in five seconds and Google search results also popped up in five seconds. Sites like CNNMoney and Fortune took about 17 seconds to load. That is a fairly standard 3G speed.
Calls worked, and the sound was clear, for those considering the device as a phone primarily.
It is clear, however, that with Google’s support, Android and HTC have made a solid Internet device that combines web access with technology like GPS and software like Google Maps. Applications like Compass Mode, as Fortune’s Philip Elmer-Dewitt explains, gives you a 360-degree street view, a trick that has been limited to PCs until now.
The phone has so-called push e-mail through its Gmail service. As Fortune reported Monday, T-Mobile was considering a low-tier price plan that would give G1 users free e-mail without a data plan. T-Mobile technology chief Cole Brodman says the company looked at a few different pricing plans, but decided that the e-mail only data plan “doesn’t do the device justice.”
The G1 will have two monthly price options, $25 for data plan limited to 400 text messages or $35 for unlimited data. That’s compares with AT&T’s $30 and $45 data plans for the iPhone.
HTC’s touchscreen has some familiar features, like a shifting orientation if the user tips the phone on its side. It also has a zoom-in function that is done with plus and minus buttons on the screen rather than the two finger pinch or separate approach on the iPhone.
The G1 allows dragging and dropping of pictures and text, a feature the iPhone still lacks. The music player was easy to use and there is a direct link to Amazon’s music store.
Overall, and first impressions being what they are, the G1 stands well above disappointing touchscreens like Verizon’s (VZ) LG Voyager or Sprint’s (S) Samsung Instinct. And until Research in Motion (RIMM) delivers its touchscreen Storm BlackBerry, T-Mobile’s G1 is the toughest competition yet to the iconic iPhone.
Yeah! Not because I dislike Apple or the iPhone but because I believe in free market competition. I hope RIMs entrance into the touch phone game will be equally as robust. The reason this tech is getting so good is everyone is trying to one up each other. People can gripe all they want about Apple but the market owes them a debt for pushing the envelope, forcing their competitors to answer the call and subsequently give consumers real choices on what kind of smart mobile they want to carry.
good job not including a single photo of the device
The phone is ugly as hell. It’s way bellow iPhone, HTC Touch Diamond, Pro, HD and Xperia. I know all the focus is the OS, but I think they needed a first good impression, hardware included,to catch some attention from the general public.
Looks like a calculator. Only a Old Geek would want this. My iPhone rocks so I’ll say no thanks!
finally, something for people that don’t want to be sheep to Apple and the “I” craze. hooray for open source!
here we go again with the brainwashed bandwagonners brigade (and that includes the media-collaborators):
iPhone is King!!!
Apple Rules!!!!
Restistance is Futile!!!
Jobs to world domination!!!!
Macs just Work!!!!
We told you!!!!
I want to puke!
Okay, this phone is not intended to be an iPhone killer, the only iPhone killers I believe are Nokia’s Nseries phones (N95, N85, N96 etc…), this phone is intended to be just an adept phone with some cool features (compass, streetview) along with an open-source OS that will allow tons of 3rd party apps that will not be profit regulated by T-Mobile or Google. This means cooler and more useful apps for the phone that will enhance its current launch specs, like VoIP services so that I can use my $3/mo. unlimited voice services. Apple;s greedy As will never do that for their customers.
Heck I can’t send an MMS or send a file via Bluetooth to the iPhone. Again, it’s not an Iphone killer, it’s an obvious(they’re on different networks…) alternative.
Its manufacturer HTC called it “The most exciting phone in the history of phones.” I compiled a list of all software, hardware and service flaws of G1 and asked the question, “Would Apple have been utterly crucified and AAPL have tanked if the iPhone came out with so many shortcomings?” in:
Good one, Scott! Nice to see you change your error on pricing, with no mention of your original mistake. Gotta love the internet.
This is the first and lookie lookie! Theres been plenty of coments about locked to t-mobile but its a t-mobile phone, guess what, everyone else can make one too, even at&t.
Thats the beauty of this entire google venture, everyone can have a piece of the pie. I can’t wait for the next line from other carries!
What about video on the G1? The iPhone is missing video streaming that is available on WinMo — and 3G would be great for video with open standards (H.264) in addition to Flash.
No exchange support out of box?
No multi-touch?
Locked to T-Mobile?
No desktop syncing?
No headphone jack?
Only one Google account can be used?
No thanks, I’ll stay with my iPhone… 
I think you are mistaken on the plan cost, the $25 and $35 are for limited data and unlimited data. The voice plans are EXTRA. In other words, the price difference compared to an iPhone plan, may be about $5 a month, depending upon how many messages you need.
And this article doesn’t even mention the new HTC Raphael series (aka HTC Touch Pro). It has all of the same functionality of the Android phone and then some if on the Sprint network, touch screen, slide out keyboard and all!!!
I think the pricing you have mentioned as half that of ATT is misleading, $35 for unlimited data only I guess not including voice. If it is $35 for unlimited voice and data the entire country will switch to T-mobile. It is just too good to be true
- Nintendo Wii officially recession-proof
- Kosmix searches for a new way around Google
- Report: Former AOL chief wants to buy Yahoo
- Phone forecast calls for sales decline in 2009
- Hewlett-Packard solid, Corning shattered
- The Xbox 360’s holiday makeover
- Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang to step down
- Mark Cuban faces insider trading charges
- Silicon Valley celebrates do-gooders
- Microsoft gives Windows Live a Facebook facelift
- I just went through a nightmare with ... More
- In 1998, somewhere around there, my n... More
- Bob, I'm sure someone in your office ... More
- Guess I'll join the chorus; without a... More
- dudes..really nice discussion going o... More
- I'm so glad that we we are working to... More
- But the PS3 has better graphics, crap... More
- people just wanna forget about d bad ... More
- This link will take you to a "memo" t... More
- Dude ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;... More
Ooh it is ugly though isn’t it. I would buy an iPhone over this. But that is largely because I’m an AT&T customer already. I think it’s great that competitors aren’t giving up though. The iPhone is really great but just imagine the device that does take it down. And don’t come back with “Yah, the next iPhone”.