Search Results for: gphone

The first reviews of T-Mobile’s new G1 “Gphone” are in—and it’s at least as good as the iPhone, if the initial reviewers are to be believed. And considering who some of these reviewers are, it’s probably true.

What’s the consensus? While it’s not a bad little device, T-Mobile’s 3G coverage sucks (20, soon to be 30 cities), the phone should have a better media player and a standard headphone jack, the keyboard is a nice feature but not the easiest to use, not enough built in storage. But Android appears to be pretty solid as a mobile OS, and if the G1 isn’t the most impressive premiere ever, it’s probably a harbinger of good things to come.

Here are some of the bottom lines of the reviews from around the Internet:

France Telecom’s mobile phone unit, Orange, reportedly sent executives to the Googleplex to discuss a potential partnership. The discussions could lead to Google’s search technology powering a new “Google phone”, which would make using cell phones as easy as the world’s most popular search engine.

Their plans centre on a branded Google phone…it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.

If you think you don’t need a Gphone, you may want to consider the features a Google-powered phone will bring…

Among the potential benefits are location-based searches: aware of your handset’s geographical position, Google could offer a tailored list of local cinemas, restaurants and other amenities, and maps and images from Google Earth.

It’s been just over a week since T-Mobile premiered the G1, the first cell phone with Google’s Android OS. Although the phone won’t be available for three more weeks, T-Mobile has already sold all of its preorder units.

That’s right, folks. The Gphone is sold out.

Of course, T-Mobile most likely set aside a significant number of G1s to be sold direct in stores. One report cited by Business Week said that T-Mobile expects to sell up to half a million G1s this quarter. Their order with the phone’s maker, HTC, naturally, is for a much higher number: 1.5 to 2 million.

As Unwired View points out, two million isn’t a whole lot compared to the iPhone’s early predictions (10 million). But considering the amount of competition we’ll be likely to see among Android handsets, it’s probably plenty.

The IHT is pretty convinced we won’t see mobile phone from Google–yeah, we know that already. However, they’ve shed some light on what exactly Google is working on.

It appears the Mountain View search giant is putting together an operating system for mobile phones based on Linux. The open-source software is designed to go head-to-head with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile.

Really? Google launching a Microsoft competitor? How novel!

…unlike Microsoft, Google is not expected to charge phone makers a licensing fee for the software.

“The essential point is that Google’s strategy is to lead the creation of an open-source competitor to Windows Mobile,” said an industry executive, who did not want his name used because his company has had contacts with Google. “They will put it in the open-source world and take the economics out of the Windows Mobile business.”