The day is finally here. T-Mobile, HTC, and Google held a special launch event today. The HTC Dream is finally a reality, and that reality is in the form of the T-Mobile G1. The T-Mobile G1 will be the first phone ever to run Google Android. Here is a quick spec run down on the G1.
Bluetooth, Wifi, Full QWERTY keypad(slider), 3 MP digital camera with photo sharing, trackball navigation, touch screen, GPS, accelerometer, 3G capabilities, quad band GSM, and dual band UMTS. (yes it's international capable!)
Wheeew!
This phone has been highly anticipated, and there is no doubt in my mind that the phone will not disappoint. The G1 could be the phone that will finally dethrone the iPhone as the king of touch screen. As expected, the G1 is closely tied to Google's services. One touch access to Gmail, Google Maps, with street view, and search allow for easy access to everyday things. Like the iPhone the touch interface on the phone works by finger swipe. The G1 has a 3 screen desktop that will allow you to virtually "look" left or right on the home screen to reveal extra space. All applications on the phone are done in a widget like fashion reminiscent of an Apple desktop. The applications can be placed anywhere that you see fit. The phone offers a level of customization that has never before been seen on a mobile device, along with a great web experience.
The G1 employs a great web experience using webkit. The webkit deployment has been executed well to create a perfect fit to the mobile screen. You could call this "chrome lite".
The web browser is full HTML compatible. There is also a full HTML email client built in.
Initially the only two options that I can see forgotten about, are the availability of A2DP stereo Bluetooth, and Microsoft Exchange capability. The phone will sync with Google calendar, Gmail, etc, but does not have a desktop client to allow the phone to sync to outlook directly.
This phone will leave the T-Mobile store for only $179 and a 2 year contract. (I personally expected this to be A LOT more. ) T-Mobile will also require a choice of data plan above your voice plan. $25/month for Unlimited Web and some messaging (some was not defined), $30/ month for Unlimited Web and Unlimited messaging. At launch T-Mobile expects to have their 3G network covering 80% of their customers. The G1 will be available outside their 3G covered area as well.
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