T-Mobile G1 looking good
T-Mobile’s announcement of the Android-powered T-Mobile G1 smartphone (made by HTC – the HTC Dream) has finally given us an outlet for our pent-up anxiety in the form of Android/HTC Dream G1/T-Mobile G1 posts. All the pictures and videos floating around the interwebs paint quite a pretty picture of the T-Mobile G1, but just how good will the T-Mobile G1 prove to be? If our opinion means anything, we think the T-Mobile and HTC have a real winner on their hands.
The oft-cited HTC Dream G1 is now the T-Mobile G1. But, what does this T-Mobile G1 actually bring to the table? Here’s a quick rundown on the T-Mobile G1’s Android-loving feature-set:
• Qualcomm MSM7210A running @ 528 MHz
• 256MB ROM / 192MB RAM
• Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Dual-band (1700/2100Mhz) UMTS/HSDPA (3G)
o Full HSPA support – 7.2Mbps HSDPA (downstream) and 2Mbps HSUPA (upstream)
• WiFi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• myFaves-enabled
• GPS capabilities
• Display: 3.2-inch touchscreen @ 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution
• Voice recognition, voice dialing and speakerphone
• Intuitive user interface and hinged touch screen that slides open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard
• Full Cut-and-Paste functionality
• 3-megapixel camera with photo-sharing (geo-tagging) capabilities
T-Mobile G1 in Black
• Convenient trackball for one-handed navigation
• Full HTML Web browser (“Chrome Lite”) with zoom function that expands any page section by simply tapping on the screen
• One-click contextual search to instantly find relevant information with a touch of a finger in any application
• Rich HTML email client, which seamlessly syncs e-mail from most other POP3 or IMAP mail services, including Gmail; displays photos and graphics right along with the text
• At-Launch Applications:
o ShopSavvy: designed to help people do comparative shopping
o Ecorio: developed to help people keep track of their daily travels and view what their carbon footprint looks like
o BreadCrumbz: enables people to create a step-by-step visual map using photos; customers can create their own routes, share them with friends or with the world
o Amazon MP3 Store (pre-installed on device): enables people to search DRM-free, full-track MP3 music and download that music from Amazon directly to their device using a Wi-Fi connection
o Instant messaging application with support for AIM, GTalk, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger
o YouTube video application
• Google Maps – provides map information, satellite imagery, local business info and driving directions as well as MyLocation to let users know where they are; Google Maps Street View syncs with the built-in compass on the phone – an industry first – to allow users to view locations and navigate 360 degrees by simply moving the phone with their hand
• Music player supports MP3, M4A (iTunes AAC, DRM-free), AMR, WMA, MIDI, WAV, OGG Vorbis
• microSD card slot supports up to 8GB microSD cards – 1 GB Micro SD memory included with T-Mobile G1
• Talk-time: Up to 350 minutes for WCDMA (3G) or up to 406 minutes for GSM; Up to 402 hours for WCDMA (3G) or up to 319 hours for GSM
• Dimensions: 4.60” x 2.16” x 0.62”
• Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Three color options in the U.S. – white, brown and black
T-Mobile G1 keyboard
A few things stand out here. Notice that the T-Mobile G1 will be able to support full cut-and-paste functionality courtesy of the Android OS – eat that Apple. The cut/paste functionality, paired with a full QWERTY keyboard makes the T-Mobile G1 a more business-capable and messaging-friendly handset than either the iPhone or iPhone 3G (yes, I just went there). If anything, T-Mobile G1 will hopefully spur Apple to get in gear and incorporate native cut-and-paste functionality into the next iPhone OS update.
And, with high-end mobile phones finally starting to feature higher resolution displays like those in the HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Touch HD, and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 (coincidentally, made by HTC), the mobile world is set undergo a parallel evolution in touchscreen technology and display resolution. To that end, the HTC-made T-Mobile G1 sports a spacious 3.2-inch high-resolution HVGA touchscreen display that boasts an impressive 320 x 480 pixel count. The days of QVGA displays are rapidly coming to a close in the high-end market, and we can’t be happier to see these high-resolution panels starting to hit the mainstream.
T-Mobile G1 profile - Not too shabby
The speedy 528Mhz processor ensures that all Android features and applications won’t be bogged down, especially while browsing the web with the “Chrome Lite” WebKit-based browser on T-Mobile’s 3G network. When T-Mobile’s 3G network isn’t within reach the integrated WiFi radio makes it possible to hit up the nearest WiFi. The GPS receiver means that photos can be tagged with location-data and Google Maps can pin-point your location to meter-scale accuracy.
So, just how good will the T-Mobile G1 prove to be? Only time will tell, but we’re betting it’ll be a huge hit. Too bad the T-Mobile G1 doesn’t have a standard headphone jack…