Gphone Is Here (Almost)

Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 by Jordan McCollum

Gphone Is Here (Almost)

the first android gphone, T-Mobile G1 The much-discussed, oft-denied-until-confirmed Google Android “Gphone” is . . . here. Almost. Today’s announcement doesn’t come from the pages of the Wall Street Journal (okay, well, I did see it there, too), but from Google itself.

The announcement? T-Mobile has the first Google Android “Gphone,” the G1. If you pre-order the phone for $179.99 (plus taxes and fees; two-year agreement required), it will be delivered to your door—”as early as” 22 October 2008.

Comparisons to the iPhone are inevitable, but can I just say my jaw actually dropped watching the Flash movie with its features?

Touch screen
Customizable home screen
Phone flips open for a full QWERTY keyboard
Three megapixel camera
Google Maps Street View—this is where my jaw dropped. You can pan in the Street View photos by just moving the phone in the direction you want the image to turn. (!)
One-touch Google search

gphone g1 side view gphone g1 qwerty keyboard
Full QWERTY keyboard

gphone t-mobile g1 3 megapixel camera
3 megapixel camera

As they’ve long said, the platform is open to developers. They’ve already run developer contests and have more than 1700 apps ready to go.

Business Week also reports that Qualcomm is working on a Gphone, as are four other companies which may include Samsung, LG, and Motorola. All five Gphones are due out in the next six months.

The rumors began in December 2006 and persisted, denied by Google until they finally seemed confirmed as Android, a mobile OS, in October 2007.

Google promised its OS this Fall (which, if you’ve forgotten, started yesterday). In June the WSJ said Android would be later than Google promised. If the phone does arrive on schedule, it will just barely beat the WSJ’s Q4 prediction.

Read the full history of our Gphone/Android coverage.

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17 comments on “Gphone Is Here (Almost)”

amyalcin Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm

“Google Maps Street View—this is where my jaw dropped. You can pan in the Street View photos by just moving the phone in the direction you want the image to turn. (!)”

Now that is pretty cool. I’d like to see that in action.

I’m wondering if the Gphone will be able hold it’s own next to the iPhone.
Dean Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 2:57 pm

I sure am glad they decided to distribute exclusively through T-Mobile (tongue firmly panted in cheek). I am still hesitant to switch from Verizon to AT&T to get an iPhone. Why the hell would I switch to T-Mobile to get this?

Note to Verizon: Are you planning on making any attempt to offer an answer to the iPhone? And no, the new Blackberry Storm is not an answer (nor are any of your current devices)
Nick Stamoulis Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 pm

Really interested in seeing reviews before I buy the device and also interested in seeing if I’m willing to give up my Blackberry for the phone.
Dean Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 4:37 pm

@Nick - you may want to check out the Blackberry Storm (available from Verizon ~Nov). If you like your Blackberry, it may be a nice morphing of iPhone and BB. Verizon has been bombarding me with info on this phone since I hinted at jumping to AT&T for the iPhone.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/storm
WebMetricsGuru » Google Phone reborn as the TMobile Dream Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm

[...] amused my painting last year of the Google Phone looks an awful lot like the new TMobile Dream - ha, ha, ha. Judge for [...]
sheppy Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 6:53 pm

hmmm I’m not sure if it’ll be one for me. I’m not keen on having huge amounts of complexity in the phone, I kinda like attention to detail in making simple things work in a powerful way.

Having 2 input devices with the keyboard and the touch screen, flipping things around and stuff might be annoying. I like it when real thought goes into building an interface, making the software and hardware work perfectly, coincidentally like an iphone (what a surprise - you saw that coming right?).

I have jumped to conclusions here thought without playing with it or seeing it properly!!
sheppy’s last blog post..There’s no such thing as Search Engine Optimisation!
First Casualties in Android-iPhone Wars: Tech Hipsters | TekPopuli Says:

September 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm

[...] pundits and bloggers are debating the relative merits of each device, the various plans, and the differences in functionality, its clear there is one core demographic who are being hurt by this tete a tete: tech [...]
kouji Says:

September 24th, 2008 at 1:29 am

i love the fact that there’s a physical qwerty keyboard present. that’s just something i’d rather have in a phone, if possible, so i’m glad it’s being made available here.
kouji’s last blog post..haiku poem: soft
San Nayak Says:

September 24th, 2008 at 11:22 am

WOW!!
I am with T-Mobile so i will be the first person to get a chance to see this gadget. Only problem i face with the current BB is when i have to dial some extension or a 1-800 number with some letters in it. Then I go mad looking for some ways to figure out the numbers from the letters.

San Nayak’s last blog post..BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Bartlett, Chicago, IL, 60103
MGA Says:

September 24th, 2008 at 2:54 pm

“Google Maps Street View—this is where my jaw dropped. You can pan in the Street View photos by just moving the phone in the direction you want the image to turn. (!)”

That one i guess from the contest. The real street view application. I am also so curious to see it in action…
Dennis Edell Says:

September 25th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

Gee whiz, I can’t wait for the new Microsoft phone to come out…

Dennis Edell’s last blog post..New Feature! Link Love For Your Thoughts
Zurpit Says:

September 28th, 2008 at 1:02 pm

It will be interesting to see how this does against the iphone. Im sure it will do good since its google and plus its open source
KingOfTraffic.Net Says:

September 28th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

This phone looks slick I cant wait to get a feel for all the options alvailable!
Goran Web Design Says:

October 1st, 2008 at 8:31 am

But does the Gphone have 3G video calling? No mention of this feature in all the reviews I’ve read about the phone.
SEO Forums Says:

October 1st, 2008 at 10:11 am

Google is everywhere….anybody know when will it be available in India??

SEO Forums’s last blog post..CPM question
PS3 Says:

October 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm

The full qwerty keyboard may be what sets it apart from the iPhone.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone but one of the few annoyances are the keyboard - great for internet, where you can make the screen go landscape but you can’t do that with SMS messages, so gets a bit fiddly.
JR @ Verizon Ringtones Says:

October 19th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

I have not yet made the plunge to iphone, though I have heard bad things about the 3G.

JR @ Verizon Ringtones’s last blog post..Eminem Biography

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