Google’s G1 Mobile Phone – iPhone Killer

Wondering what all the fuss is regarding the G1, the latest mobile phone to be hailed as the “iPhone killer”? We were, too, so we headed to a press conference held yesterday to introduce the much-anticipated device.First, the facts: What makes the G1 different from other recent iPhone challengers is that it’s powered by Android, a new operating system developed by Google. While iPhones are manufactured exclusively by Apple and (officially) available only to AT&T customers, Android is open-source software, which means anyone can make an Android-powered handset. Which means that customers of a variety of mobile providers could very well own an Android-powered phone in the near future.

 

Now, onto what gives the G1 “mass appeal,” as T-Mobile big-wig Cole Brodman put it this morning:

* It has a touch screen, but it also includes a full keyboard that slides out from under it (BlackBerry users, you know you love it!). Also, there’s a trackball on the bottom of the screen for easy one-handed navigation.

* The phone, which is a lot smaller and sleeker in person than it looks in photos, will come in three color options: black, white, or brown. 

* Music can be downloaded directly from the Amazon.com store (the memory card that comes with the phone holds approximately 500 songs, but additional memory is available), but you need to be in an area with a good Wi-Fi connection to do so.

* Instant messaging programs that come built-in from: Google Talk (go figure!), AOL, and Yahoo.

* A YouTube application is also included, as is a 3.1 megapixel camera.

* Like the iPhone, the G1 comes preloaded with a Google Maps app that takes advantage of the unit’s GPS. But the G1 includes Google Maps’ Street View feature with a Compass Mode that allows you to see a 360-degree panoramic view of your surroundings when you move/swing the phone.

* When you click on any address in your phonebook, it plots the location in Google Maps.

* The Internet browser is enabled so that you can open multiple web pages at one time. It also allows you to copy a link from the browser window right into an e-mail just by “hard touching” it (pressing your finger to the screen for about two seconds).

* It’s compatible with almost all e-mail clients (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.), but it includes a “push Gmail” app, meaning it delivers any e-mail sent to a Gmail account instantaneously.

* The Android Market is G1′s version of iPhone’s App Store. The major      difference is that Android Market is “open” to anyone who wants to create applications for it (Apple, on the other hand, must approve every program that comes its way). This openness means the sky’s the limit in terms of the kinds of off-the-wall and extremely innovative applications we’ll be seeing down the road.