T-Mobile G1 With Google!

[Justin24]

The new T-Mobile G1 with Google cell phone – Official Site

T-Mobile G1, aka First 'Googlephone,' Carries High Expectations | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

The iPhone has dominated the smartphone landscape for more than a year. But now, Apple is about to meet a challenger in Google that could halt -- or slow -- its progress.

The first phone to use Google's Android operating system has been created by Taiwanese handset maker HTC, and T-Mobile will be unveiling it this week and bringing it to the U.S. market next month. The HTC Dream, aka the T-Mobile G1, will make its public appearance Tuesday in New York.

And while analysts don't expect it to become a runaway hit, it should post some big numbers.

The T-Mobile G1 is expected to sell anywhere between 250,000 to 450,000 units by the year's end, depending on when the phone hits retail stores, says Michael Gartenberg, vice president of Jupitermedia. At 400,000 units, it would represent about 4 percent of the smartphones sold during the fiscal fourth quarter in the United States, says research firm Strategy Analytics.

Compare that to about 270,000 phones sold in the first 30 hours of the launch weekend for the 2G iPhone, or 1 million units in the first 74 days. By comparison, the 3G iPhone sold 1 million units worldwide in the first weekend after its launch.

The HTC Dream's success will depend on how heavily Google and T-Mobile market the device. "No one associates Google with a consumer electronics company," says Gartenberg.

But that could change. Leaked photographs show Google will have its logo on the back of the device. It's likely that Google will market the device at least somewhat. And T-Mobile is likely to make a heavy marketing push for the G1, especially given that the carrier has just spent a lot of money upgrading its nationwide network to fast 3-G data speeds.

But can the HTC dream capture consumers' minds in the same way that Apple and Research In Motion have?

That's where the phone's design will play an important role, say industry watchers. So far, photographs suggest a slide-out keyboard and a design that resembles that of T-Mobile's Sidekick. The launch should help answer questions about details such as thickness, finish and colors.

But it is not just about the hardware. The phone's user interface and its integration with applications are expected to make all the difference.

G1 will have tight integration with Google apps, especially the company's popular services such as Gmail, calendar and instant messaging, says Gartenberg. "So if you are a Google user, this device will fit right into your tech ecosystem," he says.

The phone will also have a full-featured browser -- and it is likely that it will be Chrome, the newly minted browser from Google.

What Tuesday's launch event will make clear is the kind of support G1 or HTC Dream will offer for other applications such as iTunes or Microsoft Exchange.

G1 and the iPhone will have something in common: an applications marketplace. The Android applications marketplace, built along the lines of the iPhone App store, will allow independent developers to create programs for the operating system.

Android's biggest asset is its open platform, said Rich Miner, Google's group manager for mobile platforms, at the Mobilize 08 conference last week. With the release of the first Android-based phone, the operating system software will become completely open source, free and available to the industry for use and modification.

The idea is to allow the mobile industry to completely focus on innovation without being hampered by closed systems that make it difficult to develop new ideas, said Miner.

Still, free isn't going to get Google the love and support it wants for Android. Google's Android platform faces some significant challenges before it can displace rivals such as Nokia's Symbian and Microsoft's Windows Mobile, says Geoff Blaber, director of devices, software and platforms for U.K.-based research firm CCS Insight.

The biggest among those is the lack of widespread carrier support for the platform. The Open Handset Alliance that supports Android is backed by T-Mobile and Sprint in North America, while larger carriers such as AT&T and Verizon have stayed away.

"It is a reflection of the fact that underpinning Android is Google's interest in the mobile advertising business and its potential as a new revenue stream for the company," says Blaber.

Carrier support is a critical component of a handset's success in North America and Western Europe, and the region's biggest telecom service providers will be closely watching the HTC Dream, he says.

"The phone carriers are looking to capture additional revenue in mobile advertising and search," says Blaber. "Although potentially Android is a big opportunity, there is a danger that partnering with Google to deliver Android means giving up control over that revenue stream."

Mobile search is expected to be a $2.4 billion by 2011. "The fact that Android is being launched on T-Mobile and not on market leaders such as AT&T highlight that the major carriers are not willing to concede the mobile market to Google," says Collin Gillis, an analyst with Canaccord Adams in a research note.

If Google can't get more telecom service providers on board, it will find it difficult to get momentum for Android, says Blaber. "Google has some work to do to build out operator presence, especially in Europe."

The HTC Dream doesn't have to have everything right out of the gate, says Gartenberg. After all, the iPhone took almost a year to get support for Microsoft Exchange and to offer a 3G version with carrier support in 72 countries.

Though Google has staked its reputation by putting its logo on the G1 phone, it can afford to get ahead slowly, says Gartenberg.

"This is just the first shot across the bow," he says. "It is not the end. Android is an open platform and anyone can take it and use it to run the services they want."

When T-Mobile and Google launch their phone Tuesday, they don't have to get all the details right but they will have to borrow some of the tricks from Apple's playbook and have a dream they can sell to potential customers.

Photo: Leaked picture of supposed HTC Dream phone/iMobile Forum [via Engadget]


Previously on Gadget Lab:

HTC Dream Coming October 20
Revealed: HTC/T-Mobile Android Phone Pics
First Android-Powered Phone Wins FCC Approval -- But Faces More Obstacles
Android Phone: Testing in Progress
Google Phone Announced As Mobile Operating System

[deep]

I have an iPhone and two land lines.

I am thinking on moving one land line to a Google phone when they come out.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

verizon blows.

[KhanadaRhodes]

i can't believe i'm saying this, but i'm actually considering getting the google phone. the more i have my blackberry (a little over a year now) the more i hate it. i leave my phone on 24/7 so i can pretend i'm important, and you apparently can't do that with the phone. the internet stops working. wtf. as long as it's fully charged, who cares?

[Cleasai]

Originally Posted by KhanadaRhodes

i can't believe i'm saying this, but i'm actually considering getting the google phone. the more i have my blackberry (a little over a year now) the more i hate it. i leave my phone on 24/7 so i can pretend i'm important, and you apparently can't do that with the phone. the internet stops working. wtf. as long as it's fully charged, who cares?

I don't know if you can do that with any phone. If I leave my phone unattended, the internet connection will close. But in anycase I so want that google phone.

[KhanadaRhodes]

has anyone bought one yet?

[neutral]

^ Yep. Here's mine. It arrived on Tuesday. Unfortunately I've been so busy that I've barely had a chance to play with it yet.

[Justin24]

You have the iphone and G1???? Why?

[neutral]

The iphone is actually my fiancee's, not mine.

[Justin24]

I just signed up with T-Mobile in August and I have the Blackberry Curve 8320. Wish I could upgrade it to the G1. I get 50 bucks off, but I would still have to pay 350 for the phone. I have to wait 22 months to get the full discount, unless there is a way to get past that.

[KhanadaRhodes]

Originally Posted by neutral

^ Yep. Here's mine. It arrived on Tuesday. Unfortunately I've been so busy that I've barely had a chance to play with it yet.

you got the brown one? i bought the black one. i looooove it so far.

[neutral]

Originally Posted by KhanadaRhodes

you got the brown one? i bought the black one. i looooove it so far.

Yeah, it was the only color available for employees. I really like the white one but I think it will be awhile before that one is available.

That smiley is awesome.

[KhanadaRhodes]

Originally Posted by neutral

Yeah, it was the only color available for employees. I really like the white one but I think it will be awhile before that one is available.

That smiley is awesome.

oh yeah, i remember the girl who sold it to me said the same thing, even down to her liking the white one the best. i personally preferred the black one, which was good since they were all out of the brown one when i went to get it.

thanks!

[Justin24]

Neutral question do you work for T-Mobile? If so can I ask you some questions in Private?

[deep]

Hey, Google cell phone users.

Are you happy with your device and service?

[neutral]

^ I actually sold my G1 after I had it for about a week, I kind of hated it. I went back to my Blackberry.

[deep]

I am completely satisfied with my iPhone

I use the apps to download software to listen to radio stations. Mostly NPR and other public stations. also with iTunes I am listening to podcasts.
I use the speakers and not earbuds

Does the G-phone have good speakers?

[bonoz]

Don't waste your money. Sources tell me G2 is on its way.