Google Phone!!!

For all those that mistakenly bought an iPhone...



T-Mobile unveiled yesterday the world's first cell phone to run on Google's Android operating system, a modified version of the Linux operating system used on a small, but growing number of computers, set-top boxes, and other devices. Android's claim to fame is that its "open" architecture will encourage a broad community of software developers to create applications that run on the phone. We shall see.

The phone itself, called the T-Mobile G1 and made by HTC, will be available on October 22 at $179, including a 2-year contract. It's a touch-screen model that features a bright, 3.17-in display, a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, built-in Wi-Fi, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It's also one of the few phones that supports T-Mobile's fledgling 3G data network. Emphasizing Web connectivity, the phone comes preloaded with a full HTML version of the Safari Web browser and icons for launching—not surprisingly—Google Maps, YouTube, and easy access to Google Mail as well as other POP3 and IMAP e-mail services. You can easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of group conversations through threaded text messaging.

The phone (click on the image for a closer look) is a tad on the bulky side, measuring 4.60 in. x 2.16 in. x 0.62 in.; it weighs a hefty 5.6 ounces. The claimed talk time is an unimpressive 5 hours. But the G1 does have an intriguing array of features, including a GPS-assisted internal compass that aligns Google Maps with the surrounding terrain, regardless of the phone's position. The G1 supports T-Mobile Hotspot @Home service that automatically switches the phone from the cell network to "free" VoIP service whenever it's in Wi-Fi range at home or when you're out.

In our brief time with the phone on the demo floor, we found the built-in keyboard well spaced the G1 controls easy to access. The keyboard features two unique buttons that work "contextually" with any program you have open. For example, the "magnifying glass" key launches Google search when you're in the Web browser, initiates a text search when you're in a word-processing program. Consequently, the "menu" button launches the main menu of whatever application you have open. It's easy to maneuver on the page with a poke or swipe of your finger, and the G1's trackball makes simple work of selecting text and other page elements when you're editing.

Other preloads include AmazonMP3, Amazon.com's digital music service that claims a catalog of six million songs, many of them less than the 99 cents typically charged by iTunes. But you can download music and videos only over the Wi-Fi connection.

T-Mobile also previewed a handful of applications that G1 owners can download from Google's Android Marketplace, an online shop similar to the App store Apple set up for the iPhone and Touch. The most useful was a program called ShopSavvy, which turns the G1's camera into a barcode scanner to help you shop for the cheapest prices. Just scan any item's UPC code with the G1 and it will search the Web and all of the stores near your GPS location for the best prices on the product. You'll also get user reviews. Neat. These and other Android applications, now in the beta stage of testing, will be free at launch. But expect to pay up to $10 or more in a few months.

The Android operating system, like Windows Mobile, let's you run multiple applications simultaneously. But they're not as well integrated as those on the iPhone or Samsung Instinct. For example, searching for local business and getting numbers and driving directions—a breeze on the iPhone and Instinct—was a multi-step extravaganza on the on the G1. The phone is technically a smart phone, but it doesn't yet let you handle Office documents. These will come in time, the on-floor rep told us, because Android makes it easy for developers to create applications. Again, we shall see.

—Mike Gikas
Consumer Reports
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2008/09/the-google-phon.html#more