G1 (Google Android Handset by HTC for T-mobile)

Tigger

no hype on this

anyone?

looks at leaks

http://androidcommunity.com/?p=482

looks pretty brilliant

fdevine

Official launch is today. Simultaneous launch in US and UK AFAIK.

T-Mobile contract only for now is what's rumoured. No sign here in the immediate future.

Q_Ball

Press conference going on now, live blogged
here

to be launched both sides of the atlantic apparently. No use to us here but we may be able to import one easy enough

Rsaeire

The handset looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off; I wll be avoiding like the plague.

jimmycrackcorm

I foresee the arrival of new and innovative methods of "open source" scams to use up your credit on this.

AlanD

Official T-mobile site for the phone: http://www.t-mobileg1.com/

sharkman

Rsaeire wrote: »

The handset looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off; I wll be avoiding like the plague.

Yeah , Looks terrible !

bluemachaveli

Meh, not a patch on HTC's other offerings.

Me's thinks I'll stick to me iPhone!

mkennedy

Yeah leaves a bit to be desired on the looks front.
Much the same reaction to its looks anywhere else i've read about it

GUIGuy

Besides looking cheap the ergonomics look bad as well. That big mass at the bottom will get in the way of your hand/finger when you're trying to text. The reports are that the screen is not as bright as the iPhone and it doesn't have a regular headphone jack.... bahh. Really I can't understand the Google fanboys. I think bloggers must be getting backhanders because Android is dull and years behind any other mobile OS out there, it will take a while for it to reach the reliability of even Windows Mobile.

Move on nothing to see here... buy a HTC Touch Diamond/Pro/HD instead.

mik_da_man

Meh...
I'm deffo sticking to my Touch Diamond

corkie

The first white eeepc 701 look a bit like a fisher price kids toy. But it was market leader for the netbooks.

Yes I won't be rushing out to buy this phone, but it's the first in a line of phones to come.
I don't know how long apple took to design the iphone, probably a few years from concept to product they released.

Android platform has only open for development for the last year.

strecker

Rsaeire wrote: »

The handset looks like a cheap Chinese knock-off; I wll be avoiding like the plague.

don't be fooled by the images. Check the hands on articles on boygeniusreport etc... They say it feels really good! They also conclude that the os acts and feels very "mature"... I admit, the early pics didn't appeal to me, but this is the first network branded android phone, and it shows a lot of promise imho.
It's also worth noting that unlike the case with the iphone, most of the bemoaned shortcomings of the G1 are down to T-mobile's policies, and have nothing to do with android... (remember when "3" disabled modem functions on phones? You really couldn't blame Nokia or SE for that... )

G1 multitasks, copy/pastes etc etc... It's a good start.

foobar

Walt Mossberg first impression are pretty positive http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/20080923/googles-g1-first-impressions/

Rsaeire

strecker wrote: »

don't be fooled by the images. Check the hands on articles on boygeniusreport etc... They say it feels really good! They also conclude that the os acts and feels very "mature"... I admit, the early pics didn't appeal to me, but this is the first network branded android phone, and it shows a lot of promise imho.

I understand that at the core the OS is meant to be quite good but that doesn't detract entirely from the handset; regardless of how it feels.

strecker wrote: »

It's also worth noting that unlike the case with the iphone, most of the bemoaned shortcomings of the G1 are down to T-mobile's policies, and have nothing to do with android... (remember when "3" disabled modem functions on phones? You really couldn't blame Nokia or SE for that... )

G1 multitasks, copy/pastes etc etc... It's a good start.

As I mentioned, I am not attacking the Android platform, just the handset it is running on. The lack of video capture, Gmail required account and that it won't be sold outside of a 2-5 mile radius of T-Mobile's 3G coverage, to name but a few shortcomings, are not the worst negatives I've heard of. I certainly hope that such negatives are lessened with the launch of the next Android handsets as, if they are, we will no doubt see a real battle between the smartphones.

strecker

Rsaeire wrote: »

I understand that at the core the OS is meant to be quite good but that doesn't detract entirely from the handset; regardless of how it feels.



As I mentioned, I am not attacking the Android platform, just the handset it is running on. The lack of video capture, Gmail required account and that it won't be sold outside of a 2-5 mile radius of T-Mobile's 3G coverage, to name but a few shortcomings, are not the worst negatives I've heard of. I certainly hope that such negatives are lessened with the launch of the next Android handsets as, if they are, we will no doubt see a real battle between the smartphones.

can't argue with any of that
I'll be interested to see what Samsung do with it as they have recently shown that they are quite serious about taking on Nokia....if we stop being eurocentric for a sec, it's a bit less "funny"....

matrim

Some of the main problems I've read about it are that it's missing stuff like syncing \ backup to pc

ChRoMe

I've heard (could be wrong) that it doesnt do video playback!

If thats the case, I have no interest. I think its going to be a while until we see handsets coming out that really do something cool.

Ron DMC

No, it does video playback, it just can't record video, like the iPhone.

Basq

Looks horrific.. looks like a Sidekick.


** pukes uncontrollably **

silvine

It might be a good phone OS this time next year but I can't see any reason to buy a buggy ugly device at launch.

metalfest

looks unreal.......

bluemachaveli

ChRoMe wrote: »

I've heard (could be wrong) that it doesnt do video playback!

If thats the case, I have no interest. I think its going to be a while until we see handsets coming out that really do something cool.

The only video playback supported outta the box is YouTube.
There is no other video player. They have left that up to third parties via the App store. Expect the usual suspects to bang out a huge choice in players!

Tom Dunne

There was a so-so review of it in the Sunday Times yesterday. They weren't overly impressed with it. Good potential, by the sounds of it, but not quite there yet.

towel401

sharkman wrote: »

Yeah , Looks terrible !

its an ugly piece of work

mkennedy

As some other posters said, it's the OS (and the OS's potential), that's the interesting part of this phone.
Not the design (obviously).
Can't wait to see what else is to come from google's collabs with HTC et al.

Creamy Goodness

android running on a HTC touch HD incorporating the Touch HD features will be something to talk about tbh.

Rsaeire

To be honest, I don't think HTC would really make a handset that could directly rival not only the iPhone but its own handsets too. HTC have almost half a dozen new handsets either recently launched or almost about to be so it's within their best interests to not make a handset that could trump all their own offering's like the HTC Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, HD etc.