Since I have been carrying a G1 for about a week, I have been scouring the net for all of the info about the G1 I can.  This includes adding some of the better sites to my Google Reader.  Was checking up my feeds this morning and came across a post on Phandroid.com that it’s been reported on googleandblog.com that a T-Mobile rep hinted that T-Mobile would be shipping every G1 owner a 2400 mAH battery and a new cover to every G1 owner in January.  All I have to say is I hope if it’s true, that the version T-Mobile ships out is thinner than this extended battery Boxwave is selling for $59.95.  With the extended battery, it will turn a somewhat chunky device unto one that is definitely chunky!  Check out the picture of how thick it would make the G1.

Image provided by BoxWave’s Website.

Amazon just posted a product page for the white, bronze and black colors of the new(ish) T-Mobile G1 Android phone. While these phones are not yet in stock at the online retailer, their product pages are up and promise $5 of free MP3 downloads. Amazon appears to cover their bases with full disclosure that T-Mobile’s 3G is lacking by posting this notice:

A Note About 3G Phones and Internet Usage

3G phones are optimized for use with T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network, but many of this phone’s functions will also work well on our moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.

Current estimated shipping time is 4 to 6 weeks though in practice the availability could be much sooner. UPDATE 12-21-08: Both the Black and Bronze are shipping now - the White still shows a 4 to 6 week backorder.

Amazon T-Mobile G-1

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to use one of the new T-Mobile G1s. Since sending the review unit back, I have been struggling with how best to write about the experience. The highly anticipated, first Android-based device has been looked at and described from many perspectives. A tremendous amount of ink (or more accurately electrons) has been spent describing the unit, its features, and its many pros and cons. I won’t reiterate them here. Instead, I want to share a few random thoughts about the device.

By way of full disclosure, let me begin by noting that I am a “devout” iPhone user. I love the device, carry with me all the time, and I am continually amazed and astounded by all it can do. That either makes me the ideal person to look at a different device, or the absolute wrong person to do so.

When I had first looked at pictures of the device I described it as “ugly”. (Actually, there were a few additional words thrown in with “ugly”.)  I didn’t like its design, and I could not imagine how the offset keyboard would be comfortable in the least. I mean, how comfortable could it be to have to reach over the device’s base with your right hand in order to get to the keyboard? Add to that my own personal restrictions (I permanently destroyed my right wrist a number of years ago), and I couldn’t imagine not coming away from any amount of time using the device pain free.

Well, truth be told, when I actually held the device I was rather impressed.

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An existing T-Mobile subscriber reportedly spotted a T-Mobile G1 Android phone already at their local Costco store. After being quoted $349 (and an ETA of Nov 10) by the corporate store for a mid-contract replacement he claims to have snagged a mid-contract upgrade plus a free bluetooth headset for $229 simply by visiting the Costco kiosk. According to his report, the new subscriber price at Costco is $179 which is the same as the corporate stores. If you’ve been hunting down one of the new Android phones and your local T-Mobile is out of stock - it might be worth a call to your local Costco to see if they have them in stock. I’d recommend you verify your upgrade price as well since mid-contract replacement pricing can vary depending on how long you have left on your contract.

Via: Fatwallet

Matt Miller over at ZDNET is out with a hardcore review of the T-Mobile G1. His comprehensive review examines every aspect of the new G1 device and includes a massive picture gallery of every possible screen. He captured 5 different videos including browser speed test (naturally comparing to the iPhone) and an almost 15 minute introductory look at the device. Definitely worth a look for anyone considering buying a G1. Matt’s suitably impressed and his partial conclusion:

Without a doubt, people will compare the G1 to the iPhone and out of the box you honestly have to say the G1 wins over the original iPhone with wireless syncing capability, cut/copy/paste, games, a wireless music store, application store and 3rd party application support, integrated GPS, multiple client IM clients, and multi-tasking capability.

Read Matt’s full review here

The reviews of the T-Mobile G1 Android phone are bursting out of the gate with blogs that have early review units unleashing them on the tail of Walter Mossberg’s flagship review this morning. While the verdicts are mixed with battery life, T-Mobiles sketchy 3G coverage and GPS functionality getting multiple negative mentions, and the OS itself getting a lot of praise for the integration with Google services. Look for the T-Mobile G1 pre-orders to ship this week and the rest to hit stores October 22. Based on early reviews the G1 is for brave early adopters. Remember that you’re locking yourself into two years of using this device and there are likely better hardware devices in the pipe.

Walter Mossberg - Google Answers the iPhone
(My Summary: Still loves the iPhone, T-Mobile 3G coverage in it’s infancy, works hard to avoid trashing the G1, repeatedly points out that G1 has a keyboard and iPhone doesn’t - least detailed/helpful review of the bunch)

Android Community - T-Mobile G1 Powered by Android Review
(My Summary: Surprised that running multiple open apps doesn’t lag the phone like WM, point out need for second batter which is a recurring theme in reviews)

Gizmodo - T-Mobile G1 Google Android Phone Review
(My Summary: Keyboard not great, a good start, phone is primarily a showcase for Android potential, background apps run well, stable OS, interface needs work, GMAIL ties your account to one active mail account but lest you manage 5, GMAIL is push which they incorrectly report as the only push email - it’s not - Blackberry BIS pushes email all day long and has done so far at least a year)

CrunchGear - T-Mobile G1
(My Summary: Google keeps things in beta for years and this phone is no different, GPS didn’t function, 3G data was good and speed comparable in NYC, can only have one GMAIL account linked to device and the GMAIL interface not as polished as Blackberry, Google Calendar works but takes a long time to sync, Android browser is second best behind iPhone)

Lifehacker - Android A Hands-on First Look at Google Android
(My Summary: Integration with Google services is tight, Google Maps is amazing- too bad the GPS doesn’t work, 3G coverage in San Diego “atrocious”, no handling of multiple Google accounts)

Engadget - T-Mobile G1 Review
(My Summary: Mini-USB headphone connector is going to get old quick, rotten 3G reception, screen outstanding, GPS not ready for primetime, T-Mobile 3G not ready for primetime.)

It didn’t take long for many users to spot the 1GB data cap contained within T-Mobile’s new G1 data plan. According to the site’s tiny print, if a user on the “unlimited” data plan exceeded 1GB of downloads in any billing cycle they would be subject to having their connection significantly throttled back (download speeds reduced so as to be virtually unusable). Now comes word from T-Mobile that they’ve revamped their download limitations — or at least removed the reference to 1GB. Seems like they still aren’t sure how they are going to handle this limitation based on the following statement they released yesterday:

Our goal, when the T-Mobile G1 becomes available in October, is to provide affordable, high-speed data service allowing customers to experience the full data capabilities of the device and our 3G network. At the same time, we have a responsibility to provide the best network experience for all of our customers so we reserve the right to temporarily reduce data throughput for a small fraction of our customers who have excessive or disproportionate usage that interferes with our network performance or our ability to provide quality service to all of our customers.
We removed the 1GB soft limit from our policy statement, and we are confident that T-Mobile G1 customers will enjoy the high speed of data access over our 3G network. The specific terms for our new data plans are still being reviewed and once they are final we will be certain to share this broadly with current customers and potential new customers.

For now it seems the word “unlimited” at T-Mobile will continue to mean unlimited — at least until the next revision to the tiny print. (Prediction: T-Mobile will clarify this prior to selling any G1 devices under this plan so as not to give users under contract a way to exit without an ETF).

Via: Alley Insider

The press event yesterday in New York unveiled the new T-Mobile G1 Android based device. There is much excitement for this new phone platform because of it’s open standards. Rather than using a closed/proprietary operating system (such as Palm, Windows Mobile, Blackberry or Apple) - Android is based on open source code which leaves the doors wide open for developers to get in and create programs without the restrictions of the carriers or operating system developers. Most users are hoping for an open environment that frees them from the limitations that device manufacturers like Apple place on how and where they can obtain applications for their phones.

I’ve noticed several reviews pop up immediately. However the best reviews seems to come after people have had a day or two to reflect on the phone and it’s features. Here are some links to the reviews I’ve seen which provide more than a quick glimpse.

Matt Miller - ZDNET - T-Mobile G1: Where the heck is the Google Reader App ..
Jesus Diaz - Gizmodo - Android Market Might Be Even Worse Than Apple’s App Store
Walt Mossberg - Google’s G1 First Impressions
CNET - Live Blog: First Google Android phone is unveiled
Gil Bouhnick - Mobility Site: 10 Things you probably know by now about Android
Dan Frommer - Alley Insider: Google Plays It Safe