T-Mobile G1 (or whatever it's called) takes in some fresh air
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Sep 19th 2008 12:24PM
posted Sep 19th 2008 12:24PM
[Via Talk Android]
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God its hideous, but hot dang it, i want one.
So you're saying it's hideous, but you still want one.
Why?
Are you kidding me? You buy a phone based on looks alone? Not because this thing will be the first ever Android Device? Not because it has everything and more that the Iphone has? Exactly.
I'm thinking they got the design inspiration for this phone from a brick.
Bah who needs style when its coming with Android!
They should of fought tooth and nail for the Touch HD to be the launch device.
Dont fret. It's just the same unpolished sample that has already been floating around for quite a while. See the generic serial number along the bottom. The one seen in London the other day is the real deal.
Yeah, I would cut off my balls and sell them on ebay for a Touch HD running Android.
Danny boy
gotta have some before you can do that
Damn... That thing looks light!
@ johann
Tell your wife to cough up a pair and send em' on over.
@danny boy
hehe nice
I want a black one! I don't want Fisher Price calling, asking for their phone back.
@ johann
Likewise. Nothing personal. ;)
Looks like a sidekick almost.. which explains why t-mo wanted it first. Hopefully they will add some style in the Sprint versions. Really I think they could just release the software to replace all the WinMo roms on the existing phones.
Oh yeah that would be great. No application support for anyone. Let's do it. Show me the list of available apps for Android. Show me!
@Hush
Okay: http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/28/google-talks-android-market-app-store/
besides, it's open-source. Say what you will, but when there's any sort of real demand for stuff on an open source platform, it appears fast. Really fast.
Okay so we got iPhone fanboys, WinMo fanboys and now apparently Android fanboys... What about the Blackberry and S60 fanboys? Do they have their own threads to crap on?
Low rank in 3, 2, 1...
I'm not an android fanboy. I resent that!
I'm an open source fanboy! It just so happens that android is the best open source effort put forth in the wireless industry to date.
*scratches head trying to figure out what's so hideous about it*
only thing ugly about the phone is the branding. I will NEVER own a T-Mobile device again.
Me too, i think it looks slick!
scotch tape and salt takes it off quite well...
I think they uglified the handset on purpose, so only geeks will buy it.
They probably want a low key introduction until they sort out the bugs, and more apps are developed.
I'll be surprised if they make commercials for this like the iphone or the htc touches.
Kindof like the introduction of gmail? Sounds like a half-decent idea actually. Especially for a company that can afford to take a while to get it right rather than risk blowing it out of the start gate.
Makes sense, I was using Gmail back when it was invite only, and was constantly spreading the word about how awesome it was and always sending out invites wondering why I never ran out even with the xx invites left lol.
People already in the know are hyped up because of one of two reasons. 1. Its Google 2. It's open source.
For all others not in the know, they will be soon enough.
It doesn't looks as ugly in these pictures than it does in the last one... no wait... it does.
It's the generic unpolished version with a serial number printed down.
The black polished one at London is the most authentic, so far.
Well, I hope you're correct, TareX.
Arrrg, th' beauty be gettin' a new phone this Novembree... Maybe she`ll want an Android?
I be glad t' be seein' someone else takin' their holidays seriously!
yarrrrrrgh, those who not be knownin it be International Pirate Day be a bunch of wenches!
Argh! I'm Steve the Pirate!
Dang it... it really is ugly. At least compared to the Touch Pro, the Touch HD, the Expera X1, the iPhone. I have been patiently waiting, hoping TMo would come up with a decent smartphone to replace my BB Curve. I just don't know if this will cut it. I'll check it out at my local TMo store, but I'm not too optimistic, especially since I won't get any kind of discount because I'm still in the middle of a 2 year contract. *Sigh*
You are eligible for a fully discounted phone after the first 12 months of your two year contract. If you truly are in the middle of your two year contract then you do indeed qualify for the lower price of a new phone if you sign the two year extension.
Imagine the Touch Pro with a totally dull, prototypish outter shell. It would look just as bad as this. Don't worry, the retail version will have that nice HTC sheen.
@ BluesK1d: I really hope you're right, and all these pictures have just been an uglified demo. But, I'm growing more and more fearful that this isn't true.
@ chefgon_ign: I should have been more clear, I definitely do NOT want to extend my contract. I think a 2 year mobile phone contract is ridiculous, and I avoid them as much as possible. The only reason I'm in one now is because I needed a Blackberry for work, but I had just started my job and couldn't afford a full-priced Curve. I would much rather pay full price than be locked in for another 2 years... but full price on the G1 is supposed to be $400-$450, and I don't really want to pay that much for a fugly phone.
Simple solution: Tell T-Mobile you can either pay $200 to cancel or $200 for this new phone (assuming this is released at the assumed $199 mark).
It's looking MUCH prettier than the overused spy photos, I have a feeling it's going to look awesome in person. It's just about the same size as the iPhone. I can't wait for this thing.
it will come in different colors, the white is a bit off but black is always a classic.
Doesn't anyone out there have the strange feeling that these shots have all been intentionally leaked from google and that in reality the first Android powered phone won't be some clunky spin off of a has been design? I mean, when you have devices like the touch HD out there, why launch a mobile OS on something so less sexy?
In addition, why on the fourth largest carrier in the US? Maybe this theory about a low-key entry has some merit...
I've been praying for that to be the case since I saw this thing. Hopefully this is all a big gimmick to throw competitors off so they'll get their asses kicked by the über-secret REAL GooglePhone, which is über-awesome and mindblowing (crossing fingers).
The mockup someone did of this in black actually looked pretty nice. Let's hope it's available in other colours.
Gotta say, though, I'm with others in wanting Android on a Touch HD.
Anyone who says this thing is ugly is just being an internet cool-guy.
If you say this is ugly but the iPhone is a masterful piece of beauty than you're looking too far into things. A brick with a screen with a chrome outline and a big button on it fits right in line with a white brick with a screen with four buttons on it.
Srsly.
Anyone that says srsly instead of seriously is just being an internet cool-guy.
This phone is so ugly, yet so interesting.
It's ugly like acid-wash jeans and parachute pants are ugly, because it is soooo outdated looking. This design would have been the height of cool a few years ago (OK, maybe 8 to 10 years ago), but now it just looks out of place.
I fully agree that function is more important than form... but that doesn't mean the designer should completely give up on form.
He may be a twat for saying srsly (especially as a one-word sentence/statement rather than in-passing, jocularly), but really. Aside from the dull grey keypad, I can't see anything that makes this phone "ugly." It's smooth, shiny and generally looks clean.
Do you think this phone will be available unlocked so I can buy it and use it with any GSM carrier? how about 3G? Thanks.
with an open-source operating system, I struggle to see how they could lock the phone...though I'm less clear than some on whether the lock is at the bios level or the software level. If it's at the bios level, then it could be locked in a closed-source bios.
Software unlocked does not necessarily mean carrier unlocked.
Yes it will have 3G, but we won't know what the exact specs are until Tuesday. So the only thing we can assume is 1700/2100mhz support (T-mobile US 3G); all other 3G support (850/1900 or 900/2100) is anybody's guess.
sidekick made by Sharp
G1 made by HTC
it has a Gorgeous design.....
A LOT thinner than in pics!
Yes. But does it haptic?
Umm... I just don't get your hype, pplz. Android. Another OS. Said to be open. So? Do you really need it? You think it will have 0 bugs unlike Windows Mobile? You think it will run hundreds of times faster while lasting for months from a single charge?
No?
Then what exactly makes you want it? Lack of software? Lack of Windows in the OS name? Intuitive UI you haven't seen yet in the final device because they haven't hit the stores yet? Or maybe Google everywhere in the OS?
What does Android have and others don't that makes you want Android so much?
I guess I'll have to see it in person to be able to tell what makes you want it. If I don't get my hands on Touch HD first :)
"Umm... I just don't get your hype, pplz. Android. Another OS. Said to be open. So? Do you really need it? You think it will have 0 bugs unlike Windows Mobile? You think it will run hundreds of times faster while lasting for months from a single charge?"
It won't have zero bugs, but if it's anything like my linux OS, those bugs get fixed in a matter of days.
If it is anything like EVERY linux distro for computers, it will run faster, and extend battery life.
"Then what exactly makes you want it? Lack of software? Lack of Windows in the OS name? Intuitive UI you haven't seen yet in the final device because they haven't hit the stores yet? Or maybe Google everywhere in the OS?"
The amount of software available to me as a linux user is staggering...especially considering how small the market still is. And new stuff is being made all the time because there are no barriers to entry. As for an intuitive entry...Use hotmail. Use gmail. Which one made you so frustrated that you wanted to tear the heads off bunnies? Which one worked equally well no matter what OS or browser you used to access it?
Maybe Android won't be all it's cracked up to be, but history would suggest that it's going to be pretty balls-out awesome compared to anything and everything else on the market.
if you ask me one more question....
You type as if fanboys have reasoning to back them selves...
Android is new. New is better. Android is better.
I like! Very nice! Can I attach to horse to pull plow?
Borat - He don't get no respect.
What the hell do its looks have to do with anything?
All you idiots complaining that it doesn't look like a fashion accessory should just go back to overpriced, overhyped Apple toys.
Leave this for people that do more than just show off how pretty their phone is.
@Samus Aran
Looks have alot to do with it. Are you gonna buy a phone that (to you) isnt visually appealing, or even ghastly in your opinion? I mean, you HAVE to look at it. If there are other options out there that ARE more appealing with the same OS, you would probably lean more in that direction.
That said, this is the ONLY option for the Android platform as of its release. Hence why so many are on the fence.
When it comes to a Smartphone, looks are completely unimportant. My Blackberry is nothing special to look at. Function trumps fashion every time. We're talking about a piece of electronics here, not a piece of clothing.
People that take fashion into account when buying phones can shampoo my crotch. Go back to Apple if you're a fashion-conscious hipster.
@ Samus: Well since looks mean nothing to you, that must mean you'd be OK with a phone with the same functionality that looked like this
Shampoo your own damn crotch, crabs boy.
Dang it... the link didn't show up. A phone like this one (http://www.retrobrick.com/8000grey3.jpg)
I think it looks pretty sweet....I'd get one.
"Why wait for next Tuesday's grand unveiling? Well, the short answer is that most of us have no other option"
An acute question with an utterly clever answer. I guess conceiving both took a lot of pondering. Once again, well done.
You only have to look at HTC's other offerings, the Diamond, Touch Pro, Touch HD, original Touch, even old devices like the Jam to see that this phone in comparison looks like something from the toy section in the Argos catalogue. It may not be hideous but for the first device to be running Android which is also to be T-Mobile's flagship 3G device it falls way short on looks which is a large part of any handsets appeal.
Most people arent going to be looking to hack and play around with the OS but will use it as is, maybe with a few additional apps bought from the online store but if the device does not look attractive in the first place who would want to buy one apart from the techie crowd?
Dress it in glossy black, and I think it would look very much the same.as the Touch Pro.
want...So..Bad.
verdict - it's ugly.
but I want one badly, I'm a long suffering tmo customer.
well, this looks rather... ah, wait... T-Mobile?
Won't matter how it looks, that carrier sucks.
Then AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon must *really really really* suck, cause T-Mo is better than all three (at least where I live).
I'm interested... but based on the pictures I have seen I can't really tell if it has a bevel around the screen. I own an HTC device and I will NEVER buy another with a bevel around the screen. What a crappy design.
LLEOP
(looks like every other phone)
Dont understand the constant bitching?
anyways looks like a decent phone, and the first phone with all the features i have been looking for
I think it looks nice. But I hope they unveil "the real one" on Tuesday. Either way GETTING ONE, hopefully.
OMG!! This phone looks so much like a Sidekick. Are they targeting the Teens demographic or what? It sure doesn't have that sleek and slim design, so obviously HTC saves the best design for their own phones.
.I'll pass..next.
Open source means nothing to 95% of the population. It will mean even less when the "open source" operating system goes through the wringer of handset manufacturer and carrier approval before it makes its way into your hands.
I'm kinda surprised at how generic looking it is. I know it's really about functionality but to the general consumer catching their eye is key. As of now it looks like a lame sidekick knockoff.
Do you think the PSP would have sold as well as it has without being so slick. Or heck look at how quick the sales jumped when nintendo released the DS Lite.
Looks matter. Be interesting to see what google has under the hood though.
Leave it up to tmobile to have THE UGLIEST PHONES ever. They are the worst carrier. As the person that approves designs for a huge carrier like them, how can they justify picking such an abomination of a phone. Good intention but terrible results.
As I said before, I am calling Sidekick Pro. Too close a form factor, also what will this do to sales of sidekicks? Who would pay as much or in the case of the "tony hawk edition" 50 dollars more? I don't the the sidekick having any advantage over this, however I am not a sidekick user so I may be mistaken...just thoughts
U-G-L-Y You ain't got no alibi, you ugly!
I would get this even if it looked like a piece of plastic molded from a cast of Stalin's feces...anything to get out of mobile prison...
All I'll say is that I've been waiting for this phone for a long, long time. That said, it is rather sidekick-like and low on the tech specs if the rumors online are true, which doesn't really thrill me. I was hoping for something more like an upgrade to the Tmobile Wing instead.
But perhaps, there will be two versions by HTC at launch, the G1/Dream and a bigger, badder, more expensive older brother along the lines of the Touch HD? (Or even a Touch HD with a slide out qwerty like the Touch Pro and Wing, while I'm wishing?)
Maybe it's just easier to say Tmobile & HTC: Touch HD with slide out qwerty and Android by Q1 '09, please and thank you!
just in time for me to replace my dash, which i will keep, i have spent 200 on strippers and they are never open source, unless you count the champagne room
Looks like one of the smallest keyboards, ever; my thumbs may be too big!
Is that a joke? It's significantly larger than a Blackberry or Treo keyboard.
Why in the world are there dedicated call and end buttons... does this thing have a touch screen or not? Why take away potential screen real estate?
"Why in the world are there dedicated call and end buttons... does this thing have a touch screen or not? Why take away potential screen real estate?"
Uh, because you may want to switch away from the dial screen to do other stuff like lookup a phone number, calendar event, a person's location on the map, etc...
There are hundreds of touchscreen phones that still have Call and End buttons. I'm pretty sure iPhone is the only one I've ever seen without them, and its screen certainly wasn't any bigger from their ommission, there's tons of blank space on the front of that phone where they could have squeezed them in.
Tmobile is going to get sued. I think Apple owns the patent on the iPod effect. You know. Hideous form factor that suddenly looks sleek when viewed in the wild.
I agree with the folks who are sayin' it's ugly. It kinda looks like it was beaten as a kid.
But in that respect I think it goes very well with Android. I don't know if anyone's been paying attention, but Android is ugly as HELL! Is it just me?! No design major has gone near that interface, and I personally don't want an Andoid phone until someone skins that mother from head to toe.
That's always been Google's asthetic though - that sort of self-humbling averageness that allows you to focus more on the character of the software than its looks. It's the Phillip Seymor Hoffman of software companies. Even Chrome, while GORGEOUS in its simplicity, still lacks much design flare (powder blue... for instance? A'right - it's not bad). That's Google for you, I think. Homely but full of character.
@hush
I'm with you dude
Fanboys are out in full here or easily duped people. I can't believe how easy it is for people to believe the hype, because so far Android is just that, HYPE. Most, if not everyone here, has not gotten their greasy mitts on an Android device so how in hell does anyone know it's any good? Yet, most are already jumping on the bandwagon instead of waiting for it to be released THEN deciding whether or not it's good.
I'm as enthusiastic as the next person but all we know about Android thus far is it's linux based and it's developed by Google but it seems that is enough for many. No killer apps yet or anything that entices and differentiates it completely from the other smartphone OS's. It doesn't even look as polished from what we've seen but that impression may change come the 23rd because I think it's safe to say it will be the final release that will be shown.
After the 23rd, and ONLY after, will I decide what to think of Android, but until then everything else is premature and overly enthusiastic presumptions. Go ahead and rank me down even though I only speak true words. It only demonstrates your inability to accept objective criticism and the truth.
Note: I am neither affiliated with the Apple cult or the Microsoft Ring, I'm just a general tech hobbyist and watcher.
*waits for verizon to get an android device and cripple it*
That is the ugliest looking device I have seen in my entire life. I am lost for words at how hideous that is. And to think how many people were hoping it might be a real contender against iPhone. Terrible.
It makes me laugh that people are getting defensive about how it looks. There is no denying it looks absolutely disgusting. If you like it, you obviously have no concept or taste of good design. iPhone got it right - minimal, sleek, modern, efficient. G1 has failed with its busy, ugly, clunky, plastic, pathetic, over-loaded, 1980 2-dollar-shop look.