The G1 Phone
Sunday, September 28th, 2008
Well, Google’s first phone is finally here. It’s been the talk of the internet for a few days now. A good friend of mine has already ordered one and I’m looking forward to seeing it first hand. Engadget has a nice video showing an iPhone and G1 next to one another. The brief comparison looks favorable to the iPhone.
Because of Apple and now Google, I’m very pleased with the competition that is being spurred in the mobile market. Before the iPhone, there weren’t too many phones that really caught my interest and I was a committed “cell phone just for the phone” user. (Kind of silly, but the first phone that interested me was actually the N-Gage.)
Moreover, Windows Mobile 7 is due out… any… time… now. Just like Vista, it seems Windows Mobile 7 keeps getting delayed. I genuinely feel this is unfortunate. Again, I think the competition is good and don’t look forward to Microsoft failing. When Windows Mobile 7 comes out, Apple and Google will be forced to further innovate.
I really don’t like vendor lock-in. I mean this in general, but also specifically with having to be stuck with AT&T. (And really quick, I don’t like how locked down the iPhone is for apps.) I really wish phones and providers worked more like computers and internet. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could pay a flat fee like for internet and connect any and as many phones as you wanted? Obviously, I think a lot of people would like the freedom to switch providers on a dime, but I’d also love to have more flexibility and freedom with my phones.
Anyway, much like the iPhone integrates with the Apple apps, the G1 will integrate with Google’s services. But for all the features and benefits of the G1 and even many other phones, I think what keeps me liking the iPhone is the interface. I just cannot stand a cumbersome and tedious interface. I use my iPhone throughout the day because it’s so easy to pull it out and tap-tap to check up on things.
But regardless, I have high hopes for the G1 and the Android platform and I’m also looking forward to the announcement for the next round of iPhone updates and features.