HBH Technology Blog: T-Mobile G1 (Very) Smartphone

On September 23, 2008, T-Mobile and Google announced the availability of the G1 — the new Google Android based smartphone (pictured). The G1 is a joint effort that combines Google's open-source Android platform with Taiwan-based HTC's handset.

As you can tell by the article title, I'm very impressed by the G1. It's packed with usability features, has an great user interface and just about everything you need — email, web access, text messages, chat, GPS navigation, stereo music and a camera. It even makes phone calls! ;-)

Ample Features

The G1 features are similar to other PDA-like phones such as Apple's iPhone and the newer Blackberry handsets. The G1 phone is about average size for a smartphone (4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in) and weighs in at 5.57 ounces with battery. Its main features include:

Touch-sensitive 3.2-inch HVGA screen (320 X 480 pixel).
Full 5-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus.
Customizable home screen with email, text and IM alerts.
Instant access to Google services plus 1-click Google Search.
High-speed 3.5G network connection.
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) with seamless transition to open networks.
Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate.
Full web browser based on the open-source WebKit.
Android Market for software and media downloads.
GPS navigation with built-in GPS receiver and map software.
SD 2.0 compatible microSD expansion slot (up to 8GB).

The phone will be available at T-Mobile stores on October 22, 2008. Price is $179 with a 2-year contract plus the data plan, which starts at $25 per month. The G1 will take advantage of T-Mobile's new 3G network (see below), which is planned to be available on the same date as the phone.

T-Mobile 3G

T-Mobile is finally joining the 3G club. After lagging behind the other 3 top US carriers, T-Mobile is rolling out their advanced high-speed network in major markets across the US to coincide with the G1 launch (see T-Mobile for locations).

The technology behind T-Mobile's high-speed network uses HSDPA (high speed data packet access) for up to 7.2 Mbps down-link and HSUPA (high speed uplink packet access) for up to 2 Mbps up-link speeds. HTC calls this 3.5G, and if users actually experience these speeds, T-Mobile might just have the fastest 3G network in the US.

Android & Applications

The G1 platform is built on Google's open-source Android operating system. Google hopes that Android will make it easy for developers to bring their applications to market. Google also wants to keep the Android Market pretty open with only minimum application vetting. To make software distribution easier, the G1 includes the Android Market that allows you to quickly download a variety of unique applications to the phone with just a couple short clicks.

In addition to downloaded applications, the G1 includes the following built-in Google applications:

Google Search
Google Maps
Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Talk
YouTube

The G1 also comes with Amazon Music Store for downloading high-quality MP3 music for its stereo music player. No iTunes, though. However, Amazon's music is DRM-free (no copy protection) so you can play your purchased music how and where you want.

An iPhone Killer?

Since the G1 hasn't really been field tested by the masses yet, it's hard to say how it will actually perform. So it's too early to know how it will compete against Apple, Blackberry and the other top smartphones. The G1 is not without its issues. It doesn't support Exchange yet, but it does support IMAP in addition to Gmail. The lack of Exchange support might make the G1 less attractive to business users. Perhaps this shortcoming will be corrected by a future release or third-party application.

It also doesn't have a desktop application for syncing your PIM's address book and calendar with the phone. This is not much of an issue for me, since I use Outlook with Google Apps IMAP email and auto-sync my calendar with Google Calendar. Again, the syncing issue could be addressed by third-party software.

What else is missing? The camera does not record video, although the G1 can play video with YouTube. The G1 doesn't provide tethered modem support, and there's no stereo bluetooth (A2DP) support.

Although the G1 is not perfect, it looks like it could meet my needs for portable wireless access to the information I need on the go, especially if it continues to improve on its shortcomings. The G1 might not be an iPhone or Blackberry killer yet, but one thing is certain — with advances in smartphones like the G1, the stand-alone PDA is now officially dead!