Google has unveiled the ‘G1’ manufactured by HTC and will have T-Mobile as the exclusive carrier for it. It is said to be available on Oct 22.
G1 features a wide touchscreen, a 3-megapixel camera and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. The G1, which runs on T-Mobile’s 3G and EDGE networks as well as WiFi, also includes a trackball and a music player. Google has loaded the device with several new applications, such as Google Maps with Street View. The map service enables users to instantly view maps and satellite imagery as well as locate local businesses and access driving directions.
Other applications on the G1 include a rich HTML e-mail client capable of syncing Gmail, calendar and contacts as well as most other POP3 or IMAP e-mail services. The device also supports instant messaging in the form of Google Talk, as well as AOL, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. Also included is built-in support for YouTube. Like iTunes for the iPhone, G1 is loaded with a new application from Amazon.com that accesses the e-tail giant’s media store that will enable users to purchase music.
The iPhone and the G1 take different approaches to storage. Apple offers both an 8 GB and a 16 GB iPhone. The G1, on the other hand, comes pre-installed with a 1 GB MicroSD memory card. Users can buy additional memory cards (the device supports cards up to 8 GB) and interchange them.
Among the flip side factors for the android phone are that, although the G1 includes a music player, it does not offer a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. In order to listen through standard headphones, users will have to buy an adapter. Although the device can read documents created in Word, Excel or PowerPoint, the handset does not support Microsoft.
G1 obviously does not use the elegant gestures as the iPhone. People who were expecting G1 to be flashy and better than iphone in all respects have to wait until the Google phone matures. There are a lot of things that the G1 does not have but this is just the first generation. Google have the reputation of filling the gaps fast so we have to wait and watch how the Google – android phone iterates.
In the U.S., the G1 handset will be available in black, white and brown at select T-Mobile retail stores and online on Oct. 22, priced at US$179 with a two-year voice and data agreement. The G1 will also be available in the United Kingdom beginning in November and in select European markets during the first quarter of 2009. The rest of the world will have to wait a little longer.
Teknovelo 
it appears as google is getting active on the mobile space as well. with data services offerings over the phone users will use more of the google apps. On the pc front most of the data activity is held on the backend side leaving too little at the client side. with the G1 again the activity is being driven at the back end – this means more processing power and large data sets will be held at google’s end – what do you think ?
@ Deepak: You are definitely right on this one. They is a lot of competition and space for graduating a mobile to a powerful laptop. The mobile market is in a similar stage like the pc market was 15 years ago, and we do not have something like windows ruling the mobile market, so we can expect a lot of improvement. Checking out the android developments, i would bank on Google’s phone to turn out real good over time. Lets wait and watch the space.
I love the look of the iPhone any day when compare to the Google G1. G1 is quite bulky compared to the iPhone. Although it definitely promises better features and greater s/w stability and h/w sturdiness. The one thing that no competing device can possibly have – is the intrinsic Apple-ness which renders it an object of a nerd’s desire.
I believe Google is not going into hardware, rather they are testing the waters for Android’s launch, and building a strategic alliance around it. Personally, I am more interested in way Android is going to be accepted.
The networked software space as delivered on phones becomes a goldmine of untold potential, the ad- revenue from a speculated 3 billion Android phones (by the next year end) using Google as their search page would be an unimgaginable amount.