Finally, the first-ever Android phone, the T-Mobile HTC G1, has been launched and we’re giving you the rundown on this latest smartphone. It’s a touchscreen-enabled mobile phone with a full QWERTY keypad hidden underneath its decently-sized screen. While it has indeed been launched, it only go on sale starting October 22 and will be exclusively available on T-Mobile only. So now that we’ve gotten those important details aside, let’s head on to the good and bad aspects of the phone itself.
The good news is that it’ll only cost $179 making it one of the most affordable mobile phones in its category. For that price, you get a phone equipped with a 3.17-inch HVGA 480×320 display, 3.1-megapixel camera, WiFi, A-GPS, 3G/HSDPA and of course, the Android OS. It’s a pretty loaded phone based on its specs alone, but as much as we would like to believe it’s perfect, it’s definitely not.
The not-so-good side of it is that there’s no desktop sync app for you to use. Everything will be done online through Google contacts and cal, and even though it does have a camera, it doesn’t allow you to record videos much less support video playback. It also lacks a simple 3.5mm headphone jack which might not bother some, but will definitely be a hassle for those who prefer using their own headphones on the phone. A microSD card is also a requirement for you to download music. Without one present in the phone, you can’t perform the said task.
Nevertheless, Google isn’t closing the doors on improvement with regards to the Android OS system. Aside from the missing 3.5mm headphone jack, most of its misgivings are software related which can easily be address by 3rd party applications or future updates to the OS. So, given this balanced preview of the HTC G1, are you still inclined to get one or are you willing to wait for the rest of the Android-based cavalry to arrive first?
