2 Year Contract, your having a Giraffe!

No doubt it's replacement will be out in 6 months time....

the iphone's contract is expensive but you would rarely pay anything on top of that amount, it would be interesting to see if the £40 contract and free phone becomes a lot more expensive.

where are all the iphone haters now... a locked device, $179 with a contract? (ok, $20 cheaper than an iPhone in the US), but no syncing? at all?

Judging by it's looks it going to be dirt cheap... I suspect once the platform proves itself more attractive (and expensive) hardware will appear. I'm tempted to buy this ugly duckling though if it's sub-£250 SIM free, and unlocked.

it looks a bit fugly

More expensive than an iPhone with similar features.

The HTC Touch Diamond provides a similar browsing experience with the Opera Browser and again costs less so why pay £40 a month to be a beta tester exactly?

which is a good thing in this phone's case's case.

That screen - buttons shutline looks absolutely appalling.

"Out of the box there's close integration with Google's web services: search, YouTube, GMail, Calendar, Maps, Talk and Streetview"

But what about GMail *contacts*?

If it can sync GMail, Calendar and Contacts with a Google Apps account, this will give Windows Mobile and Exchange ActiveSync a run for it's money... (or at least a low-cost non-corporate alternative)

and wait for yet more fanboy arguments

The interface looks slick, and some of the 3rd party apps I've read about look kinda cool.

But no Exchange sync, combined with, lets face it, an ugly, ugly phone means I'll wait for now (Not that I was going to buy one anyway, but now saying no is even easier)

I'll beleive it when I see it.

Isn't it running web apps and not storing data locally? or have I miss understood?

No expansion slot, no dice, especially if it doesn't have syncing...

Paris, because (despite the above) I'd like to stroke it's smooth surfaces, and *blush* hers as well.

"He said there will be no desktop application for synching with PC apps and files" - so what does it offer instead? USB mas storage interface? what?

I'm quite happy to have a phone that does not assume you use microsoft lookOut, but that bold statement begs so many questions

Mark, the difference is that we haven't had it up to the back teeth with all the same hype and bullshit that accompanied the arrival of the jebus phone, and I doubt we'll see the same type of sado shop camping that and queuing that the apple retards got up to.

Paris, because sometimes she likes to have it all the way up to her back teeth.

Well, maybe not all of them. From the video, web browsing and other navigation tasks look a lot more awkward than the iPhone due to the absence of multitouch, but I assume emailing is a lot easier with the physical keyboard. Neither seems to have a compelling price advantage. I think this handset's problem is going to be that the Blackberry is entrenched in the world of people who really need physical keyboards and the iPhone, especially since the launch of the App Store, is a better consumer buy what with the games and the iTunes.

It'll be interesting to see what other manufacturers do with the Android platform. Thank goodness the whole smartphone world is finally moving on after years of stagnant Windows CE and Symbian designs.

1) it's fugly in appearance and interface,

2) it 's not much cheaper than an iPhone or whatever,

3) it's just as locked down and restricted as most other phones out there,

4) it's from a company whose business model is to spy on all my mail traffic and web searches in order to push advertising

What's not to like? Sign me up immediately!

...for the sensible keyboard. Shame about all that google stuff that's been shoehorned in. Still, I wouldn't be ashamed to carry it while it's trendiness lasts.

As far as I can tell, no GPS (unlike iPhone 3G) and no tethering ('tooth or otherwise, like the iPhone).

I really don't understand why the operators want to block the use of these devices as 3G modems when so many of the phones they already sell do the job very well. It's the dealbreaker for me with the iPhone. I'd hoped Android would be different, but no.

Looks like I'll be staying with Nokia...

I was going to say I quite liked the phone, but I'm not sure. If it looked more like the black HTC I saw a few days ago with (windows mobile version tho...) then I would be quite happy, I'm guessing they didn't want to have it black and buttons flush incase people called it an iphone clone or something.

Big problem for me, syncing.... but then again if I got myself locked into a 2 year contract I'm pretty sure I would end up getting suitably annoyed into knocking up a syncing application myself... although it would be my first mac application, which will take a little work because I'm a .NET wh*re by trade. I like the idea of syncing gmail contacts and goo calendar, but then I would still need to do a second syncing application for ical and addressbook (why not iAddressBook??).

Is this the best the iPhone competition can come up with..?

Well, it's got 1 more mega-pixel camera I guess.

<sigh>

http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/20080923/googles-g1-first-impressions/

Frankly, no threat to the iPhone, but it has its place. No built-in flash memory. No syncing with PC or non-Google services is a problem for most people, I'd say.

I quite like it.

But then.. at 47 y.o. My eyesight is deteriorating !! Agreed 2 year contract is too long. I'd rather pay a ton for it and have a 1 year contract.

Tux.. Coz it's spreading the lurve

I don't see Steve quaking in his secret lair.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Actually looking at the US price of $179 means it will go on sale here for £180+VAT

And besides....... you know how many working phones are dumped every year, just because they are 6 months old and therefore yesterday's antique handset?

What's with the missing features? DOH!

They should have come up with a better PC syncing app than the Nokia PC Suite, but they went with none instead?!

If the iPhone had of existed in the 1980's this would be it.

Wow! I mean wow! Just look at how cool it looks! And all the things it can do!

I'm going to buy out my iPhone contract and get one of these bad boys!

I hope you can see the sarcasm, because quite frankly, that is the ugliest POS I have ever seen! And THIS is meant to rival the iPhone? HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Dream on!!!!

Joke icon, because this Android phone is a complete joke!

how long it'll be before someone ports Mandroid to a nicer handset built by the HTC lads..

any takers on the open source code being adapted to work on a much nicer device?

it can't be much different at processor/touch interface level to the Pro/xperia handsets that are about..

Paris 'cos she knows about <add pun here>

I'm not really that interested in Google's device. But I am quite interested to see what the linux community makes of the Android OS, possible branches and other distros etc. Could usher in quite an exciting and competitive time in the mobile OS market. Also interested to see what happens with Symbian since that too is open source now, but I suspect a linux based OS will capture more users imaginations...

If I can't synchronize my calendar and contacts with this robot phone, then it is of no use to me. I'm not going to buy any phone that can't do the things I need it to do.

I'm actually genuinely surprised at how weak this is. I was hoping it would give Apple a kick up the backside over a few things like copy and paste, but this looks terrible.

Its nice.. But I'll wait a while, once more handsets hit the street prices will fall and functionality will increase. bu

Except, the one thing none of the reviewers seem to mention is it has a built in bar code scanner.

This could be a killer piece of technology if they play it properly. At last, as you use up products in your home - scan them in and your internet shopping delivers them.

Tesco.com et al could custom brand and retail these sort of devices with their internet shopping accounts, and use that to discount a standard contract. Tesco have a much larger revenue reason to discount a device like this than T-Mobile will ever do.

ffs, it's a "first of a product generation", what do you expect? a perfect phone from a company that makes beta products for a living, and HTC... not exactly the shiniest marble in the bag.

Let's see how the phone does in userland first - if the concept of a new OS to finally supplant windows mobile and symbian catches on, we're lucky. If we're even luckier the API is unlocked and we actually get to control the hardware we bought ourselves instead of having to rely on "yournamehereStore" services. If we're not, then it's just a phone and per status quo, no one has to take a step back.

Make your wallet decision after it actually exists on the market though - google isn't exactly a "we feature froze our product" company, I wouldn't be surprised if the flack they catch now ends up actually being on the phone (as far as software allows anyway) by the time it hits the store. Of course, missing GPS functions (thanks HTC, welcome to last century) or really any hardware you're not happy with is entirely a phone manufacturer issue and nothing to do with google.

Hurray for another "beta" program - just with the word "beta" missing from the actual product for a change.

If all the software is open-sourced, how long will it take for someone to hack the simlock part of the code? Or is that part of a separate RF-related module and nothing to do with the applications processor?

I wouldn't object to it being network locked so much if T-Mobile considered their US and EU SIMs to be part of the same network for locking purposes. I object to paying roaming charges, and it's more convenient to have a local number for a lot of reasons when dealing with the locals.

http://www.htc.com/www/product/g1/specification.html

It has GPS, memory card (non-standard) USB...

Why a trackball and a touch screen?

So now google knows where you are, and not just what you search for and what funny videos you watch?

...is still better than MS Active Sync. A pen and the back of a fag packet is better than that...

Comonn Guys and Gals

Lets pan back a bit and think about this in a wider context of the future of hand held devices. I for one am happy to see this platform beginning, an am excited to think about the future of devices in 3-5 years, if this is what we get from a gen 1 product.

So many of you just chime in with such shite small minded observations. Sure, there will be things that may mean *you* don't buy this particular handset, but lets look at the big picture [for a change]...

"As far as I can tell, no GPS (unlike iPhone 3G) and no tethering ('tooth or otherwise, like the iPhone)."

Hits Google with "G1 Tmobile"

Goes to main result: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/mobile-phones/t-mobileg1-whats-hot/

Goes to bottom of page:

"All your favourite Google™ services are already on board - search, IM, email and maps with GPS"

Did. Not. Do. The. Research. --rolls eyes--

If you're going to talk smack about something, at least make sure you have your facts straight, or even bother to do the *simplest* background check to save you from epic fail.

Also has 'tooth, and while right enough, there is no 'sync' function, it's all open source code - I'm sure one of the first things that will come out will either be a GApps sync, or Zimbra Sync, or similar.

I'm not *really* a smartphone whore, but this has got me interested - wonder what I would need to do to upgrade my Nokie 6650d to one of these wee things?

Steven R

Looks and functions just dont seem any better than what is already out there.Im not a mobileaphile but was not sucked into the iphone hype and this looks like a very feeble attempt by T mobile to try to fight back at 02 for getting the iphone deal.And looks alone are pretty awful ! I have an 02 xda stellar and would be far happier sticking with that.Just cannot see the point of this phone at all unless you are a fashion junky and it is the latest must have among the ladies who lunch....for two weeks before ditching it !

Ah, after a quick google search I see what you mean by 'tethering' now - I thought that was some young whippersnapper term for syncing over 'tooth.

Cough. :-$

That's what I get for coming out with a phrase like DidNotDoTheResearch, isn't it? Feel free to return the eye-rolling...like the man in orthopaedic shoes - I stand corrected!

Be interesting to see if someone can bypass that though - it was possible with hacked iPhones was it not, hence the fuss about the iStore app to make your iPhone a wireless access point, no?

Can't see it being a massive task....anyway, that's my only real gripe with the phone, so interest registered - *if* I can find an excuse to get some leeway with T-mob I might see if I can get my handset upgraded before contract expiry time in early 2010...!

I'm with Will on this one - Google and Apple are both companies that make a business out of redefining accepted norms* - see The Computer [iMac], the mobile [see iPhone] and interweb search and online services [see gMaps/mail/docs] - so the two of them looking like they are going to start going head to head will, with any luck, be one motherfucker of a scrap once Google get the ball rolling proper I reckon.

Steven R

Paris - because she probably thinks a bluetooth tether is something for the bedroom. In my sick, twisted fantasies, at least.

*Regardless of whether they originally came up with an idea, it can't be denied that they are the ones who sold those ideas to the public and gave the idea mass market appeal - so no moaning at the back about how HTC/Nokia did interweb browsing/GPS on a mobile phone first, ore Xerox did the first real GUI etc...

No syncing and all Google's web apps? it's obvious innit? You are supposed to put your life on the Cloud and browse it on the move. Syncing is just so Laast Century Darling.

If you are in a non-phone area (like on a plane/in a hospital) and want to compose a mail how do you get that email address of the guy who just emailed you ? You need local hosting of details. Google found that out earlier when people complained that they couldn't use their fav Google apps when not connected to the internet. That is why you can download the apps now.

As to the phone itself - was the bottom part tacked on as an afterthought - looks like it. Also, if they are promoting open source why is it SIMlocked - surely the opposite of open source ?

Paris - as confused as Google marketters it seems

As you say it's a "first of a product generation", what do what do we expect? The iPhone 1 was a "first of a product generation" as well, was it not. Guess we were all expecting something AT LEAST as good as that therefore...

"G1" .. what's that ? .. a third of a G3 phone ?

with the color shown .. and with a sense of humor .. perhaps "Goo1" or prefice with letter code

...'aGoog'... or for colors 'GreyGoo' and 'GreenGoo' (?)

or an IT angle ... 'Gooi' phone

But that's the nature of the beast. The interesting thing is that since all open source stuff is all about the gradual sprawl, rather than about the SLAM launch, and is about the guts not the gloss, this is what we'd expect, isn't it.

Look, the fact that you can install whatever apps you want is a first. 3rd party, open, extensible, web connected. This is the first proper computer in your pocket.

RE: That's an ugly handset, at least the iphone G1 was cute.

Look, I love my apples, really I do. OSX phone? Cool as... bring it ON. Make it shiny.

Were it not for those mammoth buts. Like not being able to use it in any way other than as a phone or a browser, get files on or off it, or do your own maintenance. Sorry, I don't buy a device which forcibly no0bs me out of the runnings, or forces me to break the law by hacking at it. Nay, the iphone is a phone, not a computer, and you do not tamper.

The G1 iphone had a fatal, fatal flaw. No apps, and no internet. GPRS data. The iphone G1 sucked seriously hard, unless you're a style over substance poser.

The iphone is not what the mac pro is, and nor do I believe that it is proper OSX. You're locked out, baby. You've been pwned.

it does not have a built in barcode scanner. What is has got is an operating system that allows people to make applications, such as those that allow the interpretation of barcode images captured though the onboard camera.

Ugh! Geddit. 3rd party apps. Unrestricted.

I bet you it's under a year before people are running this OS on their iphone hardware. Yup, it will go.