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September 23, 2008
Google G1 Competes with iPhone, Not BlackBerry
By Gary Kim, Contributing Editor
Walter S. Mossberg, technology guru and writer for All Things Digital, says Google’s (News - Alert) new G1 phone, now available on the T-Mobile network, "is the first real competitor to the iPhone." Other providers of smart phones with touch screen interfaces might not be so happy about that, but Mossberg's opinion is highly regarded, and the "endorsement" should cause careful examination.
Mossberg also think the G1 will appeal to different sorts of buyers than typically use the Apple iPhone (News - Alert). The phone, designed by Google, and built by HTC of Taiwan, will be sold in the United States starting next month at a price of $179 with a two-year contract.
Mossberg's review of a prototype includes favorable mention of a physical keyboard, "the lack of which has made the iPhone a non-starter for some users," Mossberg notes.
"A second big feature, or limitation, of the G1 - depending on your point of view - is that it is tightly tied to Google’s Web-based email, contacts and calendar programs," Mossberg says. "In fact, you must have a Google account to use the phone, and can only synchronize the phone’s calendar and address book with Google online services," a feature that will not endear the G1 to BlackBerry (News - Alert) users, who often sync to Microsoft Outlook.
"Unlike the iPhone, it doesn’t work with Microsoft (News - Alert) Exchange, and it can’t physically be synced with a PC-based calendar or contacts program, like Microsoft Outlook," Mossberg notes.
Like the iPhone, the G1 has a download service for third-party programs, called Market. Mossberg says the couple of programs he downloaded "worked fine."
The G1 has a couple of other things the iPhone omits: copy and paste functionality and "Multimedia Messaging Service," which allows users to send photos to other phones without using email. Its camera is higher-resolution than the iPhone’s, but, like Apple’s, doesn’t record video.
Coverage will be an issue as well, as T-Mobile's 3G network is available in far fewer cities than those of its larger rivals, AT&T and Verizon.
Though the Apple iPhone might be positioned as something of a competitor to the Research in Motion BlackBerry, that really can't be said for the G1, as it does not sync with Microsoft Outlook, a virtual requirement for most BlackBerry users.
INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West 2008 — the biggest and most comprehensive IP communications event of the year — concluded Thursday in Los Angeles, California. Thousands of attendees flocked to the event for three valuable days of exhibits, conferences and networking opportunities. Mark your calendar now for ITEXPO East 2009, February 2-4, 2009, in sunny Miami, Florida.
Read archived editions of Show Daily eNewsletters from ITEXPO (News - Alert) West 2008 here. See you in February!
Gary Kim is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Gary's articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi
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