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T-Mobile G1 review
It's hard to believe, but rumors of a "Googlephone" have been floating around since 2006. To put it in perspective, the first Gphone post on Engadget was written by Peter Rojas. Needless to say, it's been a long, slow ride to get to Android, the Open Handset Alliance, and ultimately the T-Mobile G1. If we said expectations were high for the introduction of this device, it would be an understatement. It's not every day that a company with the stature of Google announces it's getting into the phone game, and it's certainly not every day that an honest-to-goodness innovator comes along. That last time the team at Engadget got this stoked for a device, it was a little something called the iPhone -- and you know how that turned out. Will Android and the G1 live up to the hype? Is this the first coming of a serious new contender in the mobile space, or has the triple threat of Google, HTC, and T-Mobile not delivered on their promises? We've put both the device and the software through its paces to bring you the definitive review of the T-Mobile G1 and Android, so read on to get your answers. As we've really gone to great lengths to dissect the phone and OS, we're splitting the review into two, easy to digest parts. Enjoy! Part 1: Hardware Part 2: Software and wrap-up
Engadget Podcast 113 - 10.13.2008: The Engadget Podcast returns!
You read that right -- the Engadget Podcast is back... with a vengeance. Recently we've been getting a ton of emails and comments suggesting we bring back the show, and since we're all as much a fan of it as you are, that's just what we did. We've been dying to get the podcast back in action -- especially with the holidays, CES, and Macworld on the very near horizon -- so now seemed like the ideal time. We've just wrapped the official reintroduction, and you can listen in via the links below. This week we cover quite a few exciting developments in the world of gadgetry, including (but certainly not limited to) RIM's new Storm, the upcoming Apple laptop event, and Nintendo's unveiling of the DSi. We hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for more! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Guest: Ryan Block (gdgt) Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Professor Murder -- Dutch Hex (Brothers) 01:02 - BlackBerry Storm 9500 hands-on 14:06 - T-Mobile G1 launch day roundup 20:10 - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic hands-on 26:58 - Apple "notebook" event is on, October 14th! 48:21 - Nintendo announces DSi with dual cameras, "DSi Shop" content store (updated) LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) We're working on getting the proper iTunes / Zune / AAC / OGG feeds up and running -- hopefully they'll be ready for next week's show! [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com
1.5 million T-Mobile G1s already pre-ordered
T-Mobile sold right out of its original allotment of G1 pre-orders quick, fast and in a hurry, and even the second round has been claimed in a flash. What's it all mean? It means that someone at T-Mobile and Google are sitting in a fancy restaurant in France sipping on the good stuff, and it also means that 1.5 million G1s have already been reserved for eager early adopters. In addition to that, another couple of million are all set to take the retail scene by storm later this month. In other words, folks are genuinely stoked about the possibilities of Android, and scads of 'em have already committed to the OS (and HTC's design, by extension) before even having a chance to toy around with it in person. No pressure at all, Google.[Via Pulse2]
Switched On: The T-Mobile G1 -- by Google and what's-their-names
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment. As Switched On exemplified in the frenzy of mobile Ts and primary Gs last week, much of the attention focused on the involvement of Google and comparisons to the iPhone. Searching Google for "'T-Mobile G1' Apple" yields over 6.7 million results on Google. Searching for "'T-Mobile G1' HTC" yields only 3.4 million. Given that the phone is being branded "T-Mobile G1 with Google," the temptation is to say that HTC, which has long vowed to step into the white light from behind the white label, has failed to capitalize on one of the best branding opportunities in handset history. However, there would have been limits as to how much spotlight it could have stolen in the wake of media fascination with Google and one can have only so many brands listed in the name of a phone. Wireless carriers are among the biggest television advertisers, and Google is the biggest advertising powerhouse online. Together they will fund the G1 marketing push. The stakes were just too high for HTC to significantly advance its branding status with T-Mobile, which has used its carrier brand for such HTC handsets as the Dash, Wing and Shadow. But there are more paradoxes in HTC's first Android handset.
T-Mobile G1 and Sony Ericsson X1 seen side-by-side, molten lava hangs head in shame
There's really no denying it -- T-Mobile's G1 and Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 are two of the hottest mobiles around right now, and as predicted, all sorts of sparks flew when the two sat down for a side-by-side photo session. In a Dutch comparison of the two handsets, reviewers pointed out that the G1 was "significantly larger" than the SE counterpart, and while it's completely subjective, they also asserted that the X1 was a "true piece of art in comparison to the dusty look of the G1 [nice one, Google Translator]." Do yourself a favor and check out the whole thing in the read link.[Via CoolSmartphone]
T-Mobile G1 spotted in the wild
Ah yes, the natural progression of a release. First comes the hands-on at the introduction, then comes the leaked user manual, then comes the pre-order fiasco -- now, it's time for those always titillating in the wild shots. The box and handset are nothing out of the ordinary / surprising (respectively), but at least you now know that bona fide unboxing images are just around the bend.
T-Mobile G1 manual leaks out
It's going to be a few weeks yet until your unwashed hands are touching an actual G1, so how'd you like some reading material to pass the days in the meantime? T-Mobile has trotted out its first Android phone's user's manual -- probably not on purpose, if we had to guess -- and there are some interesting little morsels in there that'd be even more interesting if you actually had the phone in front of you. For example, did you know the G1 had a status light? Don't see those too often these days. You've also got a full rundown of the notification icons, apps (including the Android flavor of T-Mobile's myFaves app), and -- get this -- procedure for battery removal. Fancy that! [Warning: PDF link][Via TmoNews, thanks Jose]%Gallery-32763%
Road to G1 has been a three-year endeavor for Google, HTC
How many Google and HTC engineers does it take to build an Android phone? We don't have the punchline to that one, exactly -- but at least we have a pretty good idea of how long it takes. HTC's Chief Marketing Officer has revealed that it kicked off negotiations with Google some five years ago -- before it had even acquired Android, interestingly -- and has been deeply embedded in the Android team for the past three years. That's a long frickin' time, but we figure the first model's probably ten times harder to throw together than its successors are, so hopefully we'll see a nice cadence of "HTC Innovation" from here on out. We know it's been said many times before, but it probably bears repeating: Touch Pro and Touch HD with Android, guys. Please.
T-Mobile G1 impressions: what we love, what we don't
T-Mobile, HTC and Google stood hand in hand yesterday to debut the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1. It felt a bit like a new era for the mobile industry -- though the rollerblading seemed a tad out of place -- with high-profile companies backing a Linux-based, touch-driven mobile OS, and spouting the word "open" every two sentences. But, naturally, high aims alone don't build a killer phone; there are a lot details to get right, and a lot more that Google and company have seen fit to leave in the hands of developers. Let's take a look at what's working so far, and what might need some more time in the oven:
T-Mobile G1 live coverage roundup!
Psst, heads up: word on the street is that Google and T-Mobile launched the world's first Android handset today, the G1. No, seriously! In fact, we were there covering every last detail -- so we thought we'd take this opportunity to cobble together all our live action into one place so we can all relive the emotional rollercoaster one last time. Shall we?Read - T-Mobile G1 video hands-onRead - T-Mobile's CTO on G1 unlocking and tethering -- plus a few details you might have missedRead - T-Mobile G1 first hands-on (updated)Read - Live from T-Mobile's Android event in New York City
T-Mobile G1 video hands-on
No, we're not done with this thing yet. Check out our hands-on video of the T-Mobile G1 after the break. Of note, scrolling around in the browser is a tad laggy, and everything feels very first-generation. There's an obligatory compare-o with the iPhone, but the G1 is obviously packing in a full-size keyboard, so the size doesn't seem too outlandish.Update: We added a second, longer video after the break, concentrating more on software -- specifically Gmail. Desmond has had his phone for a while now, so we got a much better idea of what the phone is like in more capable hands. There's a tiny learning curve here, but it's a fairly rewarding one.
T-Mobile soft capping 3G data at 1GB per month
Caps are nothing new to the world's 3G networks, but T-Mobile's being particularly stingy with the bytes -- 1GB is all you get. Well, technically you can get more than that, but our friends in magenta are reserving the right to throttle you back to a stifling 50Kbps -- virtually useless by smartphone standards, and less than what even a good EDGE network is capable of providing. That's going to be sour news to heavy G1 users, especially as Android touts its stellar connectivity, world-class browser, and a full suite of data-gorging apps. For now, we're going to cut T-Mob some slack on this since the threat is purely theoretical, but if they start enforcing this little stipulation with a heavy hand, the G1 is going to have to stay in the pocket a little more than we'd like.[Thanks, Emmanuel C.]
T-Mobile G1 site goes live for real, first ad appears
The T-Mobile G1 web site went up with a bunch of placeholders late last night, but it's finally fully live after this morning's big unveiling, and while it's not exactly bursting with detailed info, there's plenty of new pictures and details, including updated 3G coverage information. The first G1 ad has also surfaced -- if you were tearing your hair out over Apple's grammatically-questionable "funnest iPod ever" pitch, wait'll you get a load of how "smarterer," "connecteder," and yes, "funnerer" the "most exciting phone in the history of phones" will make you. Video after the break. [Via Pocket-lint]
T-Mobile G1 has push Gmail with Google Talk presence
Sure, there's a lot of to love about the open-source, Android-powered T-Mobile G1, but Google's Andy Rubin just confirmed what might be the new handset's killer app: push Gmail. While that's not a first, it could be a major differentiating feature for Android phones here on out, since it sounds like the app is advanced and partially web-based: it has the threading, search, and Google Talk presence features of the web client. We'll let you know more as soon as we find out.
Amazon music, movie downloads coming to T-Mobile G1?
Amazon's always looking for creative new ways to distribute digital media -- and in light of its recently-launched Video On Demand service and the decent head of steam AmazonMP3 has managed to build, it'd probably just love to shoehorn its way onto a high-profile mobile device right about now. VentureBeat is reporting a juicy rumor of a G1 that made an appearance somewhere in San Fran's seedy underbelly over the weekend bearing an Amazon music and video app designed to dole out media for cash, suggesting that Android's first commercial hardware might come out of the gate ready not just to lock horns with the iPhone's WiFi App Store, but also to straight-up beat it by throwing in movie and TV download capability. Then again, no 3G network -- particularly one with as small of a footprint as T-Mobile's -- is mighty enough to effectively do feature-length movie downloads over the aether, so it remains to be seen exactly how this would all play out. Get a good night's sleep this evening, folks, because if everything goes according to plan, we'll have some solid answers in just a few short hours.
G1 appears on T-Mobile's site
Snap -- looks like the Android-powered T-Mobile G1 is peeking out a little early in the form of a non-working pre-registration link on the my.t-mobile.com customer portal. No specs or info, but if you had any doubt this thing was coming on Tuesday we'd say it just got cleared up. Get ready for the Googlephone, kids. [Thanks, RionSTL and Mike]
T-Mobile plans to be serving 21 markets with 3G by middle of next month
How convenient, T-mobile. That $199, Android-flaunting, 3G HTC G1, to be officially unveiled next week, is supposed to start selling on October 17th, just when the carrier plans to flip the HSDPA switch on eight new markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle. T-Mobile plans to follow those up with Birmingham, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis and Tampa by the end of the year, covering about two-thirds of its customers with 3G before 2009 rolls around. It's been a rough few years for the T-Mobile faithful, but it looks an end is in sight -- at least for the urban among us.
Google shows off masked Android handset
It looks like Google was doing its best to spread Android fever in London this morning, with it taking advantage of its Developer Day event to show off a working Android phone for the first time in Europe. While Google apparently wasn't quite ready to take all the wraps off the suspiciously Dream-like handset itself, PC Pro reports that it looked "far more polished" than it did in earlier leaked videos, and that by all accounts it was actually a "finished commercial device." Google's Mike Jennings was, on the other hand, more than eager to talk about the OS, and he even dropped a tantalizing "why not?" when asked if Android could be used on devices other than phones. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any video of the event available, but you can check out a few first hand reports by hitting up the links below. Read - TechRadar, "Google shows off final Android handset" Read - PC Pro, "Android handset hits London" Read - PC Pro, "Will Apple or Android get in my pocket?" Update: Video of the event has been found (thanks, rxgator). Head on past the break to check it out. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
T-Mobile to offer Android handset "soon," Reuters reports
It's not exactly a huge surprise, but Reuters is now reporting that T-Mobile will start selling a "mobile phone based on Google Inc's Android software" (otherwise known to everyone else as the HTC Dream) "within weeks," citing people familiar with the matter. The official announcement will apparently happen in New York City this month, with two sources further pegging the date for the announcement down to September 23rd, which mostly lines up with the details The New York Times reported last month. Buckle up, folks. Things are about to get interesting.
HTC Dream coming to T-Mobile UK in November?
We don't have any idea where this information came from, but the Telegraph is reporting today that the HTC Dream will launch on T-Mobile UK sometime in November. That's the same time frame we've heard before, and it certainly seems like El Goog's first Android phone is close to its debut, so it's definitely plausible, but we'd still take this one with a grain of salt -- even though we want this thing yesterday. [Via Talk Android; thanks Chris]
