As promised, Google and T-Mobile have lifted the curtains on the new G1 (formerly the HTC Dream) -- the first Android-based phone to hit the markets. Yesterday, we reported on some of the specs of the G1 and they turned out to be correct; scroll to the end of this story to see the complete and official specs of this handset.
As expected, the phone was officially unveiled at about 8:20 pm IST on 23rd September.
There were ticking clocks, bated breaths, and rollerblading founders galore. You read that right -- Larry Page and Sergey Brin turned up unannounced about 45 minutes into the presentation. On rollerblades. Neither fell. But we digress.
Those who are still unaware about the G1 and wondering what the fuss surrounding it is all about, here's a refresher: The G1 is the first phone to be based on the brand new Android platform. The Android platfom is nothing but an open source operating system built around the webkit rendering engine. HTC, T-Mobile and Google have been working on the G1 for close to three years. The culmination of those years is what we now know as the G1.
An iPhone killer?
Not yet, not quite. There have been quite a few contenders for the 'iPhone Killer' title. These include the likes of the HTC Touch Diamond, the Samsung Omnia and more recently, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. None of them have been able to knock the iPhone off its perch, so far. Will the G1 be any different?
The good news is that the G1 offers nearly everything that the iPhone does, or better--GPS, 3G, WiFi, touchscreen (though the G1 only supports single touch), and a 3.1-megapixel camera. The screen slides out to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, and you can use the trackball to navigate the interface as well. The operating system seems slick, but clearly doesn't have the oomph of the iPhone. Obviously, it's tightly integrated with Google apps such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube, but even though you can watch streaming video, the phone doesn't support any other form of video. Also lacking is Microsoft Exchange server support; nor can the phone be synced to Outlook or any PC-based contacts program.
Unlike the iPhone this one CAN copy-paste content; supports MMS and has a higher megapixel camera. No video recording here either though. There is also no sign of a 3.5mm audio jack.
The browser, like Chrome, is based on WebKit (you may remember this from the Chrome comic), but doesn't support Flash. It compares well with that of the iPhones except for the multi-touch gestures which are lacking. Nevertheless, the G1 does a good job of presenting webpages as they are intended to be seen.
The phone comes with a 1GB SD card that can be expanded to up to 8 GB--unimpressive, considering that the base iPhone comes with 8GB, not to mention the ability to play QuickTime video.
The G1 will sell for $180, which undercuts the iPhone by $20.
A look at the iPhone's UI. Note how slide-up menu works:
Our thoughts
On paper, the G1 excites us about as much as Chrome--it's something, but we aren't exactly screaming with joy. The iPhone trumps it in coolness, video-playing-ness, multi-touchnes, and GBs-per-dollar-ness. Of course, Android's supposed to be all about the impending third party apps, but all we have right now is a program that helps calculate your carbon footprint and one that scans barcodes to search for the best prices. And after all the tom-tomming about the goodness of open platforms, T-Mobile revealed that they've worked with Google to block VoIP, so you won't be able to use Skype (or an equivalent) to make cheap long distance calls.
For the G1, it's what's inside that has potential -- an open-source OS, and an open-platform for developers to create and sell what they wish to. This should quickly fill in any glaring gaps in the G1's makeup, such as the lack of corporate email support. But as it stands, the G1 is a bit underwhelming, even as a purely consumer device. If it's to create the "big impact" analysts expect it to, the Android had better be one gobsmackingly good OS.
Once again note that the $180 is carrier-subsidised-dollars. When it does land in India, don't expect it to sell at a direct conversion of that amount. As to that eventuality: The device will be available starting 22nd October in the US and subsequently in the UK by November. The rest of Europe will see the phone by early 2009. No official word for an India-specific launch as of now.
Specifications
Processor - Qualcomm MSM7201A, 528 MHz
Operating System - Android
Memory
ROM: 256 MB
RAM: 192 MB
Dimensions - (LxWxT)117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm
(4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in)
Weight - 158 grams (5.57 ounces) with battery
Display - 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution
Network- HSDPA/WCDMA:
Europe - 2100 MHz
US:1700/2100 MHz
Up to 7.2 Mbps down-link (HSDPA) and 2 Mbps up-link (HSUPA) speeds
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
850/900/1800/1900 MHz
(Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control - Trackball with Enter button
Keyboard - Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
GPS - GPS navigation capability with built-in GPS receiver and map software
Connectivity - Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
Wi-Fi - IEEE 802.11b/g
HTC ExtUSB - (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera - 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
Audio - Built-in microphone and speaker
Ring tone formats - AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MIDI, MP3, WMA, WMV
40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
Battery - Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity - 1150 mAh
Talk time - Up to 350 minutes for WCDMA, Up to 406 minutes for GSM
Standby time - Up to 402 hours for WCDMA, Up to 319 hours for GSM
Special Features - Digital Compass, Motion Sensor
As expected, the phone was officially unveiled at about 8:20 pm IST on 23rd September.
There were ticking clocks, bated breaths, and rollerblading founders galore. You read that right -- Larry Page and Sergey Brin turned up unannounced about 45 minutes into the presentation. On rollerblades. Neither fell. But we digress.
Those who are still unaware about the G1 and wondering what the fuss surrounding it is all about, here's a refresher: The G1 is the first phone to be based on the brand new Android platform. The Android platfom is nothing but an open source operating system built around the webkit rendering engine. HTC, T-Mobile and Google have been working on the G1 for close to three years. The culmination of those years is what we now know as the G1.
An iPhone killer?
Not yet, not quite. There have been quite a few contenders for the 'iPhone Killer' title. These include the likes of the HTC Touch Diamond, the Samsung Omnia and more recently, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. None of them have been able to knock the iPhone off its perch, so far. Will the G1 be any different?
The good news is that the G1 offers nearly everything that the iPhone does, or better--GPS, 3G, WiFi, touchscreen (though the G1 only supports single touch), and a 3.1-megapixel camera. The screen slides out to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, and you can use the trackball to navigate the interface as well. The operating system seems slick, but clearly doesn't have the oomph of the iPhone. Obviously, it's tightly integrated with Google apps such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube, but even though you can watch streaming video, the phone doesn't support any other form of video. Also lacking is Microsoft Exchange server support; nor can the phone be synced to Outlook or any PC-based contacts program.
Unlike the iPhone this one CAN copy-paste content; supports MMS and has a higher megapixel camera. No video recording here either though. There is also no sign of a 3.5mm audio jack.
The browser, like Chrome, is based on WebKit (you may remember this from the Chrome comic), but doesn't support Flash. It compares well with that of the iPhones except for the multi-touch gestures which are lacking. Nevertheless, the G1 does a good job of presenting webpages as they are intended to be seen.
The phone comes with a 1GB SD card that can be expanded to up to 8 GB--unimpressive, considering that the base iPhone comes with 8GB, not to mention the ability to play QuickTime video.
The G1 will sell for $180, which undercuts the iPhone by $20.
A look at the iPhone's UI. Note how slide-up menu works:
Our thoughts
On paper, the G1 excites us about as much as Chrome--it's something, but we aren't exactly screaming with joy. The iPhone trumps it in coolness, video-playing-ness, multi-touchnes, and GBs-per-dollar-ness. Of course, Android's supposed to be all about the impending third party apps, but all we have right now is a program that helps calculate your carbon footprint and one that scans barcodes to search for the best prices. And after all the tom-tomming about the goodness of open platforms, T-Mobile revealed that they've worked with Google to block VoIP, so you won't be able to use Skype (or an equivalent) to make cheap long distance calls.
For the G1, it's what's inside that has potential -- an open-source OS, and an open-platform for developers to create and sell what they wish to. This should quickly fill in any glaring gaps in the G1's makeup, such as the lack of corporate email support. But as it stands, the G1 is a bit underwhelming, even as a purely consumer device. If it's to create the "big impact" analysts expect it to, the Android had better be one gobsmackingly good OS.
Once again note that the $180 is carrier-subsidised-dollars. When it does land in India, don't expect it to sell at a direct conversion of that amount. As to that eventuality: The device will be available starting 22nd October in the US and subsequently in the UK by November. The rest of Europe will see the phone by early 2009. No official word for an India-specific launch as of now.
Specifications
Processor - Qualcomm MSM7201A, 528 MHz
Operating System - Android
Memory
ROM: 256 MB
RAM: 192 MB
Dimensions - (LxWxT)117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm
(4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in)
Weight - 158 grams (5.57 ounces) with battery
Display - 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution
Network- HSDPA/WCDMA:
Europe - 2100 MHz
US:1700/2100 MHz
Up to 7.2 Mbps down-link (HSDPA) and 2 Mbps up-link (HSUPA) speeds
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
850/900/1800/1900 MHz
(Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control - Trackball with Enter button
Keyboard - Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
GPS - GPS navigation capability with built-in GPS receiver and map software
Connectivity - Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
Wi-Fi - IEEE 802.11b/g
HTC ExtUSB - (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera - 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
Audio - Built-in microphone and speaker
Ring tone formats - AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MIDI, MP3, WMA, WMV
40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
Battery - Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity - 1150 mAh
Talk time - Up to 350 minutes for WCDMA, Up to 406 minutes for GSM
Standby time - Up to 402 hours for WCDMA, Up to 319 hours for GSM
Special Features - Digital Compass, Motion Sensor
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