The T-Mobile G1 (Google/Android) Phone.
 

Word on the street is that Pre-orders for the first Android phone starts tomorrow (9/17/08).

Any early adopters out there? I'm on the fence about this one. I want the features that the Android phone promises but I'm afraid of how T-Mobile will corrupt it. I sure as heck don't want to have to deal with all that jailbreak nonsense the iPhone power users have to put up with.

Nah. I like my BB and I'm waiting for my contract to run out so I can go to Verizon.

Raises hand!

I've been waiting to upgrade and I'm seriously thinking of going with the Dream. The big issue will be price. Our T-Mobile store is highly skeptical of the $149 price point. One of the managers told me on Sunday that he'd believe it when he sees it. He figures it'll go for $199-$299. I'm a bit nervous going with a new O/S, but considering T-Mobile's very limited (and unimaginative) phone selection...I will probably give it a try.

The Kickstart doesn't do much for me and I'd be curious to see the Javelin when it is released (their version of the Blackberry Bold), but it isn't due out until the end of the year. I'm not sure that I will be able to wait that long, and I'm guessing it will go for the $299 range.

On the other hand, Mr. Swanie got the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic this weekend. What a cool little phone. :snap:

Nope: still got my eyes on the iPhone

Really? While I understand they have ironed out some of the connection issues it is still a locked up platform that fights it's users as much as it helps them. Why choose that over an open platform like android?

Ubiquitousness.


Back in the days when I bought my iPod, there were several technically better options available. Put there's a distinct benefit in owning something also owned by nearly everyone else. Problems are more easily ironed out from the vast knowledge base consisting of everyone you know. Operability questions also more easiy answered because, ahem, everyone you know has this device. So I joined the masses and bought an iPod.


The iPhone has penetrated the market more thoroughly than any competitor is likely to. I know 20 people with iPhones. If I have a question or a problem, I can ask any or all of them.

Who would I go do with my Android problem?

Data.

Google.

By that logic a Motoroal Razr would be the phone for you. It's the number one selling phone in the US. The iPhone is only the fourth or fifth best selling phone in the US depeding on which sounce you credit. So you would get better support from the masses if you had a Razr.

But yet you want the iPhone. Why? I assume it's because you want the value added features, in short: Data. Internet access, email, maps, and all that jazz. Which is where the Android should (in time) trounce the iphone.

Why does the PC which is arguably technically inferior to the Mac still dominate the market? Why do over 90% of business run Windows and not OS X despite the incredible number of flaws in windows (no matter which version you are talking about) ?


It's the applications. Hordes of them. Millions of them. Every bloody thing you would ever want to use a computer for has a Windows application. Office tasks, manufacturing, shipping, medical, etc.. It's all there. That is why PC's are ubiquitous and that is why the Android will (in time) roll over the iPhone. Apple tries to control development. You have to be approved to sell your application at the apple store. Apple chooses for you. Google on the other hand, is offering $10,000,000 in prizes for anyone that comes up with cool Android applications.

Hahaha, I have a Razr and have been completely happy with it for many, many years. Yes, one of the reasons I got one was because everyone else had one and I could expect support from everyone I knew.

I don't intend to upgrade to a smart phone anytime real soon, but I will eventually. I'd like to access the net, and a bigger screen would be better for that ... but I'm loathe to give up the tiny size of the Razr - which is a major factor for me in a portable device that I must carry around in a pocket.


But nearly everyone I know has switched from the Razr to the iPhone, so the flow of friendly information is moving in that direction.



As for a platform that allows for tons of applications ... I respond that those I will actually need on the go are extremely limited. I'll want a phone, a music player, internet access and that's it. I'm not going to be doing any major computing with my portable device while I'm out in the world ... i.e., having a good time.


Frankly, the only reason I want the internet is so I can tweet, and maybe check the LoT once in a while.

I agree with that. While part of me yearns to jump on the bleeding-edge tecno bandwagon that is the Android, I expect I'll end up waiting to see how things shake out.

The point is not that you as an individual will run tons of programs but rather that the ONE application you really want, be it a boiler control program, a real time inventory monitoring system, Russian tax table look-ups, Mongolian steamship timetables, or whatever... will be available to you.



For example, let's say I want to create the "Theme Park Oracle". It uses the phones GPS signal to determine not only which park I am at but which attraction as well. As I expience the park it automatically notes when I enetered a queue and when I left it. Once there are enough people using the application, anyone can pull up the front end a see in real time what the lines are like all over the park. With perhaps little gold stars marking where their friends are in real time. Is that an application that Apple would approve? Perhaps, perhaps not.

Good points. I, too, will wait for a shake-out.


But I rely on my personally experienced anectodals, rather than what's up in the wider 'net world. There may be many complaints about the iPhone out there ... but everyone I know who uses it, loves it to death.


I don't know that I'll ever have that personal experience base with the Android. Heheh, but go ahead and get one, Moonie, and post your thoughts right here!

Any phone that requires me to change service provider is probably not going to get any of my money.

I am too institutionally lazy to go to that much trouble (and anything beyond: I want this phone extend my contract and give it to me for free/cheap is that much trouble) for a piece of technology that has had the worst cost-to-benefit ratio of anything I've ever used.

I might be interested in Android, but so long as it is t-mobile I won't even be looking in detail. Same with the iPhone and AT&T.

I'll tell you what, I'll bet you dinner at Steakhouse 55 that by the next time I make it out to DLR you will know more people with an Android based phone than you do those with an iPhone.

I'm assuming Google will be implementing voice recognition software so they can listen in to all phone conversations and deliver contextual ads spoken at a whisper in the background of your call.

T-Mobile is just the first out the gate with the Android. I believe all the major carriers (including at&t) are planning to release an Android phone some time in '09

They wanted to but it turned out that Apple, Inc. already owns the patent on that idea.

Ironically, it's largely because I want to switch carriers (again) that I'm considering switching phones.

I've liked T-Mobile, but their policy of customers having to maintain a separate deposit account in order to have access to directory assistance really pisses me off.


Of course, I'm quickly running out of carriers that haven't really pissed me off. The biggest reason I haven't gone iPhone yet is AT&T.

1-800-GOOG-411 is free.

See ISM? Google is your friend! Trust them! (but do note, it only works for business listings not residential)


Ps... What the fudge? A separate deposit account for directory assistance? What is up with that? I've been with T-Mobile since the year dot and that's a new one on me. I almost never use their directory service because the fee is outrageous (they charge like $0.75/call) but a separate account? That sounds fishy.

Right now T-Mobile is really irritating me. Their data network has been offline for me most of the weekend and again today. This weekend I was in HB. Today I am in RSM. Grrrr.

Humm, not good. I wonder if it is related to their (finally) setting up a 3G network to support the Android.

[unrelated Nokian] Glad you (and he) like it. [/unrelated Nokian]

No clue. As soon as I posted that it started working.

so then if you just post every time you have an issue it'll be fixed. No problem.

I know you were responding to ISM on this point, but having THE most popular phone (or whatever) is not important to me. I prefer something that is at least sort-of common, but having the #1 is irrelevant to my decision.

Further, one cannot compare the Razr to a smart phone (such as the iPhone, Android or the T-Mobile MDA that I currently use).

And the (fill in the blank) was going to trounce the iPod.

Before you give your answer, I will give one of mine: because corporate IT decision makers don't want to change. They know MS. It would be too expensive to change an entire corporate IT structure.

And it is millions of applications that I don't need. And out of those millions of applications, a large number of them are buggy, incomplete pieces of crap. In my computing lifetime, there have only been three applications that have required a PC. One was a program that Susan needed for her Pampered Chef business (which she is no longer in), one is for her sewing machine, and one is for creating an index from PDF documents (and it has got to be one of the most inelegant programs I have ever used!). For every other need in my life, the Mac has worked just fine!

Although I haven't checked in a while, the most "mobile" applications were available for the Palm platform: by the logic given, one should invest in the (antiquated) Palm.

Also, while not a perfect solution (and Apple does sometimes go a little overboard with it), I like that Apple is selective about the third-party apps that go on the iPhone. This helps ensure better stability.

The smart phone I have been using for the last two years has been an unstable POS. It is not unusable, but definitely problematic. I know of three people with the same (or in one case, newer model) phone and they all report the same issues.

The single biggest reason I like Apple products is this: they work. Yes, there have been some hiccups along the way (I don't EVEN want to discuss the Performa line), but overall, I have enjoyed a stable computing environment. It is a computer that works for me, not vice-versa. I know there are people who enjoy building and tinkering with their computers (you and CoasterMatt come to mind, and I am sure there are others on this board and in this world), but I am not one of those.

I am not sure what you are having to deal with: I use their Directory Assistance all the time without having to have a separate account: I use it the same way as I have with other carriers. Yes, I am charged for it (I am too lazy to use the Google number), but I do not need to keep a separate deposit account. You must have really pissed someone off! :D

Touching on the Corporate IT point - it scares me how many people can barely operate a PC. One thing goes wrong and they freak out. Having to access something a slightly different way caused mass confusion and near meltdowns.

I could not see Macs in the every day business world simply because there isn't enough people who are know how to use them or would be comfortable learning the OS.

Here's the date breakdown for the 3G rollout. Looks like yesterday's issues may have been 3G related...

Baltimore - Aug 18th
Houston – Aug 19th
Minneapolis – Aug 20th
San Diego – Sept 15th
Los Angeles – Sept 16th
Phoenix – Sept 16th
Sacramento – Sept 17th
Portland – Sept 18th
Seattle – Sept 23rd
San Francisco – Sept 24th

Also launching sometime in 2008:

Atlanta
Birmingham
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Kansas City
Memphis
Miami
New England
Orlando
Philadelphia
Tampa
Washington, D.C.

As long as the price point comes in at the $149 range, I will most likely jump on the Dream/G1 bandwagon.

Outside of the BB Pearl, T-Mobile doesn't have anything remotely interesting in the smart phone category, so I'm willing to give it a try. I can't beat my rate plan so I won't switch carriers and the rumored data plans certainly sound reasonable. The T-Mobile folks didn't seem to be all that enthused about the Kickstart and with my phone on it's last leg...I don't think I can wait for the Javelin.

The G1 does have some neat features. Have any of you checked out the video of the google maps compass feature? It is a very cool GPS feature. It isn't an iPhone, but I wouldn't shell out the money for an iPhone rate plan. It seems to be a decent compromise and a nifty little toy...provided that it works. ;)

I'll make you the same offer I did ISM. I think the iPhone is a popular product and it's not going away any time soon but like the Mac vs the PC, the iPhone will be a small percentage of the overall market vs Android. In fact I think Apple wants it that way. It helps preserve the elitist image.

Sure that's the case now. But let's not forget, Apple was first to market with a personal computer. The PC eclipsed them due to open standards for hardware and software. I maintain the Android phone will do the same thing for the same reason. I do however agree that the other "iPhone/iPod killers" were strictly posers. I wonder if Apple will take out full page ads welcoming Andriod to the market...


That would be the primary reason I won't be jumping on the Android band wagon just yet. I don't want a phone that goes wonkers on me when I need it. I'll give it some time to prove itself.

Of course there is the little issue that so far no one has been able to confirm that the G1 will in fact have GPS capability. It is noticeably lacking from the list of features provided so far by T-Mobile.

Well, T-Mobile hasn't really said anything about the Dream/G1. :)

Frankly, I'd be surprised if they did start pre-sales tomorrow, since their big "announcement" is supposedly coming on Sept. 23rd. The 23rd also marks the date that 3G rolls out in Washington (T-Mobile's headquarters are in Bellevue). I'm guessing that's when they will outline the actual features and pre-sale info, and then phone will release mid-Oct. as rumored.

I cannot argue with any of this - I wholeheartedly agree (unfortunately).

I disagree with this assessment. I don't think that Apple has an interest in an elitist position. I DO believe that they want to continue their history of putting out a consistently quality product that works.

I do not know if the Android will surpass the iPhone in market share: it may, it may not. I doubt the iPhone will ever have a large share of the mobile phone market and I doubt the Android will either.

But my personal history overall is that GENERALLY speaking, Apple products work and do so consistently. I have not had this same experience with comparable non-Apple products.


(And BTW: that ad is considered one of the top ten stupid moves on the part of Apple in their history.)

I think that as long as ATT is the only provider that carries the iPhone within the US the iPhone will not be able to maintain a viable lead in sales. ATT service (coverage and customer) just isn't good enough throughout the entire US when it comes down to it.

If the iPhone is released onto Verizon's 3G network it may very well overtake anything else out there for non-corporate users.

Perhaps the word "elitist" is not correct.

Apple is not making products for the everyday joe. They are making products for discerning individuals with a higher than average disposable income.

Oh wait, never mind. "elitist" does fit.

Plus, I've never seen any evidence (an my own household anecdotal history certainly provides contrary evidence) that Macs are any more stable than PCs, the user just tend to be too busy having design-induced orgasms to complain about the physical failures.

Yay, platform wars.

I read the article in Wired on this before buying my iPhone and wondered if I should hold out. But Google is in a win-win situation, they're already making money off the iPhone since Google is the default search engine. Also I've found some of the Google integrations to be the best - good for the Android product I imagine. Maybe it'll have cut and paste?

I ultimately went for the iPhone becasue it was a known quantity, but I had the same Hitachi that Kevy had with T-Mobile and came to really like that phone despite it's quirks.

Today is here with no announcment, it looks like you are correct. The 23rd it is.

Damn I'm good ;)

Additional rumors have presales shipping on 10/13, with the target street date of 10/17.

It looks like at least the initial release of Android will not have a connector to Microsoft's Exchange server for push email.

Sorry T-mobile and Google that is a deal killer.

I assume you will be writing this app?

LoQ systems has an app like that in the pipeline.

Tell them to shoot me an email for some free advice. Otherwise I'm sure they'll muck it up by doing something stupid like trying to make money from it.

From what I understand, Geobased advertising is one of the things Google is pushing with the Android. So in theory, as you sit down on the tram your Android phone pops up with an ad for "Theme Park Oracle":

The official release happens in about 5-min.

You can catch it live here if you are interested.

Reading the various blogs I'm afraid this phone from this carrier will not be the one for me.

http://www.anywho.com from your web enabled phone.

Free directory assistance, both residential and businenss listings.

There are others. I think Yahoo has one.

OK - I did it...I jumped on the G1 bandwagon today.

I went to my local store completely skeptical. In fact, I had pretty much talked myself out of it. I really only wanted to see it to confirm my decision. I played with it for 30 minutes and then went home to mull it over. I was back a few hours later to pick it up.

I've only had it for a mere 4 hours but I am mucho impressed. The web browsing on the 3G network is as fast as my Cox @ Home. I'll post more once I get a little more into the features, but what I have been able to use is as good or better than billed.

I'm a happy camper. :D

I'm a jealous camper.

So hows it going?

Despite the acknowledged flaws, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on one. It should arrive in a week or so.

I'm still loving it...quirks and all.

• The Google contacts/calendar sync is seamless. I organized everything this weekend and I can't believe the ease of use.
  
• Google maps has been good. I had the opportunity to use the traffic view Friday night going to a concert and it was incredibly accurate. But after seeing Katiesue's Verizon Navigation program, Google has a long way to go. Google is functional but not spectacular.
  
• I had issues last week sending emails with attachments, but after two system updates this weekend I haven't had any trouble since.
  
• I've used it in 2 states and haven't had a real lapse in coverage. In fact, I had very consistent coverage (better than my old Nokia) driving from Phoenix to OC and San Diego to Phoenix.
  
• I've also been pretty lucky with the 3G network. The greater Phoenix area has really good coverage, and the areas I was in over in Orange County and San Diego were fine. I'm curious to see how it does in Anaheim this weekend and Florida in January.
  
• The battery life sucks. It is the first phone I have definitely needed a car charger for. They said a longer life battery should be available shortly.
  
• I love the flexibility of having the touchscreen, tracking ball, and the keyboard. Katiesue thought the keyboard was a bit weird, but having never had a smart phone before...it isn't an issue for me. If it is quirky, I really don't know the difference.
  
• I really wish it had video capabilities. Maybe the G2 will. ;)
  
• I had a heck of a time finding accessories for it since it was so new. I believe T-Mobile has them out now, but when I bought mine...the didn't have anything for it...no cases, chargers, etc. My T-Mobile store did warn me not buy anything other than an HTC charger for the phone. I guess there is a Motorola charger that would fit it, but they said it could damage the phone. On the other hand, Best Buy was pushing their non-HTC chargers because they hadn't received a dedicated G1 charger yet. I'm sure I could have been hoodwinked on this one, but since they were the same price I bought the HTC.

I hope this helps!

I'm finally on the G1 bandwagon too. I saved my upgrades for nearly five years, so it didn't cost much at all, and I was also offered a nice low unlimited rate plan for being a TM customer for the past seven years. Now, I have a neat phone and a lower monthly bill. ($74 per month for unlimited anytime nationwide calls, plus unlimited internet access, plus 400 SMS per month - I don't even use 400 in a year, so that totally works! Old bill was $85 for 3000 minutes plus unlimited T-Zones.)

The phone is tripping me out though. It seriously does everything. It even monitors the weather for me and tracks my location via GPS at all times, even offering traffic alerts. There are SO many apps for it, I don't know which to download!

I really like the removable SD memory though, because I've loaded up the card with some of my video samples so I can show potential clients on the fly. :D

I love being able to listen to my Last.fm station while surfing the web and other things though. That's a huge plus. :)

Now THIS is the type of application I've been waiting for. It's just in trial mode right now, but the promise is outstanding.

waze.com

A free community driven GPS mapping application.

I went back to check on this. It seems to have grown up nicely. I'm downloading it now for another trial run now.

I use it. It's about the only turn-by-turn I've found for the iphone.

How far we've come from the G1.

That's all.