Filed under: Cellphones

Well, now isn’t this something? Best Buy has its fancy little iPhone 3G, but it’ll be Wally World offering up the G1 outside of official T-Mobile outlets. As we’d heard yesterday, 550 Walmart stores across the country will begin selling the Android-powered handset beginning tomorrow, and folks who opt to pick one up here versus a traditional T-Mob store will save $31.11. Yep — according to company spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien, the new / upgrade-eligible customer price for a Walmart-sourced G1 will be just $148.88 with a 2-year agreement. Wait, what? You already purchased your G1 at the full price? They always said the early bird pays the premium… or something along those lines.

T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

With all sorts of outlandish figures being bandied about regarding sales / expectations for the T-Mobile G1, someone intimately close to the situation has finally chimed in with his take. Peter Chou, chief executive and co-founder of HTC, stated in a recent interview that it expects to ship over 600,000 G1s this year, and while he wouldn’t come clean on an exact figure for 2009, he did proclaim that “in general, we think we can do more next year.” We aren’t betting the farm that his prediction will come true or anything, but it certainly falls within the realm of feasibility. Oh, and if you were wondering how Mr. Chou planned on convincing potential iPhone buyers to opt for the G1 instead, he reckons that the full QWERTY keypad will handle that for him — after all, “Americans are very keyboard-oriented.”

[Via mocoNews]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Being that the T-Mobile G1 launched officially today in the US of A, it makes sense that the phone’s marketplace for applications would open its doors as well. A recent post over at the Android Developers Blog has affirmed that users can now indulge in over 50 apps, and moreover, it has laid out details surrounding the process for getting your own app in there. Beginning on Monday, prospective devs will be forced to “register and pay a one time $25 application fee” in order to ensure that they’re “authenticated and responsible for their apps.” After that, the programs will be “made available to users without further validation or approval.” Starting in Q1, developers will be able to distribute paid apps in addition to free apps, and similar to Apple’s revenue model, devs will get 70% of the revenue, though it should be noted that Google won’t be taking a percentage of the remainder; apparently, it all goes to settling bills with the carriers (T-Mobile’s really insistent about getting some dues for app bandwidth usage, isn’t it?) and payment processing systems. Go at it, you eager developer you — we fully expect a gratis app showing off your handiwork to emerge on the 27th.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/T_Mobile_G1_now_available’; Now that T-Mobile’s systematic discrimination against non-T-Mobile customers (how dare they?) has come to an end, we can all exhale, pull out our credit cards and get to maxin’ out the plastic. That’s right — the Android-powered G1 is now available for sale from T-Mob’s website to all comers, though we’re only seeing the black and bronze models listed at the moment and both are tagged with an ominous “extremely limited availability” label which tells us they probably won’t be there long. $179.99’s the price on two-year contract, and if they do sell out online, don’t sweat it just yet — sweep your local stores today.

[Thanks, Elisha]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We really, really like where this is going. First came the Zune puppet rap vid, followed by the equally astounding Large Hadron Collider joint. Now, we’ve got a video for all you G1 pre-orderers that’s sure to get your noggin’ bobbin’ as you patiently await the arrival of Android. And just as any true rap should, it unashamedly bashes the iPhone, Instinct and most every other “rival” on the market today. The best 3 minutes and 56 seconds of your day are about to occur — click on past the break and get it going. Word?

[Via Phandroid, thanks Rob]

Continue reading Android rap shows the G1 love, gives Google some street cred

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

October 22 was supposed to be the date, but you know, when you add in the shipping fudge factor, buffoonery was destined to ensue — and sure enough, G1s are already showing up on some buyers’ doorsteps days ahead of the official release. These pre-orders were only open to existing T-Mobile customers, which means us AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel types are gritting our teeth and shaking our fists at merciless gods right about now. Wednesday, here we come. Anyone else nab theirs?

[Thanks, cWj]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/T_Mobile_G1_The_Engadget_Review’; It’s hard to believe, but rumors of a “Googlephone” have been floating around since 2006. To put it in perspective, the first Gphone post on Engadget was written by Peter Rojas. Needless to say, it’s been a long, slow ride to get to Android, the Open Handset Alliance, and ultimately the T-Mobile G1. If we said expectations were high for the introduction of this device, it would be an understatement. It’s not every day that a company with the stature of Google announces it’s getting into the phone game, and it’s certainly not every day that an honest-to-goodness innovator comes along. That last time the team at Engadget got this stoked for a device, it was a little something called the iPhone — and you know how that turned out. Will Android and the G1 live up to the hype? Is this the first coming of a serious new contender in the mobile space, or has the triple threat of Google, HTC, and T-Mobile not delivered on their promises? We’ve put both the device and the software through its paces to bring you the definitive review of the T-Mobile G1 and Android, so read on to get your answers.

As we’ve really gone to great lengths to dissect the phone and OS, we’re splitting the review into two, easy to digest parts. Enjoy!

Part 1: Hardware
Part 2: Software and wrap-up

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Filed under: Cellphones

T-Mobile sold right out of its original allotment of G1 pre-orders quick, fast and in a hurry, and even the second round has been claimed in a flash. What’s it all mean? It means that someone at T-Mobile and Google are sitting in a fancy restaurant in France sipping on the good stuff, and it also means that 1.5 million G1s have already been reserved for eager early adopters. In addition to that, another couple of million are all set to take the retail scene by storm later this month. In other words, folks are genuinely stoked about the possibilities of Android, and scads of ‘em have already committed to the OS (and HTC’s design, by extension) before even having a chance to toy around with it in person. No pressure at all, Google.

[Via Pulse2]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Oh sure, you’ve already read over our (and Ryan Block’s) brief one-day impressions of T-Mobile’s G1, but one lucky (lucky!) user over at AndroidCommunity has been able to handle one for more than just a few hours. As a precious gift to the world, he’s penned a nice list of pros and cons along with a Q&A, and it seems that the “review” is actually growing with time. Right from the top, he notes that the G1 is lke a “SideKick on massive steriods,” albeit one with a minty fresh OS. Speaking of, he also states that the handset “doesn’t run as smoothly as you would think,” asserting that some of the applications “suttered” upon opening. We’re also told that it requires a reboot from time to time just to keep things humming along, but we’re hoping all of these quirks are just part of the Rev. A rigamarole. It’s glaringly obvious that the user adores Android (and the phone, too), but we can’t help but hope these niggles he speaks of are addressed in short order.

[Thanks, Oscar]

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Filed under: Cellphones

There’s really no denying it — T-Mobile’s G1 and Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 are two of the hottest mobiles around right now, and as predicted, all sorts of sparks flew when the two sat down for a side-by-side photo session. In a Dutch comparison of the two handsets, reviewers pointed out that the G1 was “significantly larger” than the SE counterpart, and while it’s completely subjective, they also asserted that the X1 was a “true piece of art in comparison to the dusty look of the G1 [nice one, Google Translator].” Do yourself a favor and check out the whole thing in the read link.

[Via CoolSmartphone]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Ah yes, the natural progression of a release. First comes the hands-on at the introduction, then comes the leaked user manual, then comes the pre-order fiasco — now, it’s time for those always titillating in the wild shots. The box and handset are nothing out of the ordinary / surprising (respectively), but at least you now know that bona fide unboxing images are just around the bend.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Sure, our front page got stacked with news on the launch of the world’s first Android phone — the G1 — but if you missed any of the action (and there was quite a bit), we’ve put together this helpful roundup. Below you’ll find an easy-to-use guide to all the goings-on about the T-Mobile device, complete with galleries and videos that will delight and enthrall any healthy viewer. Keep an eye on this post as we’ll be updating with a few other bits and pieces today that you’ll most definitely want a look at.

Update: We’ve added a link to our initial impressions, a more detailed look at the device and software.

The liveblog:

Live from T-Mobile’s Android event in New York City

Hands-on coverage:

T-Mobile G1 first hands-on (updated)
Video: Android walkthrough on T-Mobile G1

Product announcement:

The T-Mobile G1

In-depth / details:

T-Mobile’s CTO on G1 unlocking and tethering — plus a few details you might have missed
T-Mobile soft capping 3G data at 1GB per month
Confirmed: T-Mobile G1 has no 3.5mm headphone jack
T-Mobile G1 site goes live for real, first ad appears
T-Mobile G1 has push Gmail with Google Talk presence
T-Mobile G1 impressions: what we love, what we don’t

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Filed under: Cellphones

While there was a flurry (actually, a full on snowstorm) of news today about the G1, there’s a few bits of info you might not have heard, largely because no one is reporting them. We had a chance to speak with T-Mobile CTO Cole Brodman after the event today, and he had some illuminating — and frankly refreshing — takes on some of our more pressing questions. When asked about what T-Mobile’s reaction would be to users creating tethering or unlocking apps for the phone, he was surprisingly even-keeled, noting that while the company didn’t encourage the practice, they wouldn’t lock down the OS or update the software to break those applications. Our impression was that as long as their use was relegated to a small percentage of owners, T-Mobile likely wouldn’t take action, though he did voice concerns over tethering apps and their effect on the network, with a clearly guarded eye to letting users have free reign. More interestingly, buyers would be able to have access to a “contract free” G1 (with a price point of $399), and could unlock the device with T-Mobile’s blessing after 90 days. Brodman also said that the company’s policy of unlocking phones for customers in good standing wouldn’t change for this phone.

Continue reading T-Mobile’s CTO on G1 unlocking and tethering — plus a few details you might have missed

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Filed under: Cellphones

It’s one thing to appear on a website before being officially outed. It’s another to have a web portal designed specifically for a handset. On the eve of its official debut in the Big Apple, T-Mobile has launched the definitive G1 website, complete with a G1 logo, the time and date of tomorrow’s press event, a few tabs sure to be chock full of juicy details just as soon as said event closes, and most importantly, a pre-order button (of sorts) in order to sign up for what we can only fathom to be a notification of availability. 10:30AM tomorrow morning — we’ll be there, you’ll be there.

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Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones

Just a reminder, we’re going to be at the Android and T-Mobile event tomorrow morning, so be sure and set your alarms. You can (finally) expect the big unveil of the first commercially available Android device (we don’t want to ruin it, but it’s going to be the G1 — or Dream as we used to call it). We wanted to give you another heads up so you’ll know where and when it’s going down. Pertinent info below.

Where you’ll need to be:

Live from T-Mobile’s Android event in New York City

Time zones:

04:30AM - Hawaii
07:30AM - Pacific
08:30AM - Mountain
09:30AM - Central
10:30AM - Eastern
03:30PM - London
04:30PM - Paris
06:30PM - Moscow
11:30PM - Tokyo

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Filed under: Cellphones

Snap — looks like the Android-powered T-Mobile G1 is peeking out a little early in the form of a non-working pre-registration link on the my.t-mobile.com customer portal. No specs or info, but if you had any doubt this thing was coming on Tuesday we’d say it just got cleared up. Get ready for the Googlephone, kids.

[Thanks, RionSTL and Mike]

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Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones

If you’re feeling those butterflies-in-the-stomach over next Tuesday’s Android and T-Mobile announcement, hold tight. We’re going to be there live, blogging away like you know we do and hopefully handling (or at least seriously photographing) the first official Android phones. We wanted to give you a heads up so you’ll know where to be, so join us at 10:30AM EDT for all the good news!

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Android_HTC_Dream_Phone_Detected_in_The_Wild’; Why wait for next Tuesday’s grand unveiling? Well, the short answer is that most of us have no other option — but a small handful of exceptionally lucky individuals are getting their Android on just a little early. This particular example of the G1 (or Dream, Nightmare, Slumber, whatever the hell it’s going to end up being called) allegedly hails from a Google staffer, looking a little less… shall we say, “controversial” than other shots have made it out to be. Yeah, we’re jealous, we admit. Anyone want to give theirs up for a few hours?

[Via Talk Android]

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Filed under: Cellphones

With under a week to go before the HTC Dream is officially unveiled in the Big Apple, the Wall Street Journal has given us something juicy to gnaw on for the time being: a price. Unsurprisingly positioned to compete directly with the iPhone 3G, the Android-powered HTC Dream / G1 will go for a cool $199 (with 2-year contract, obviously) when it launches on T-Mobile, though there’s no word yet on what it’ll run sans subsidization. So, how do you like dem Apples?

[Via Fortune]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’ve already been hearing that the HTC G1 (otherwise known as the Dream) would be landing on T-Mobile in late October, but VentureBeat now claims that it has further pegged the actual release date down to October 17th (it’ll apparently start shipping on the 13th), which would be a tad earlier than most had expected. What’s more, the site is also citing “multiple sources” claiming that Sprint’s own Android phone will “definitely” be out by 2009, and that it will have “other functionality” than the Dream / G1. Ah, the endless cycle of speculation. Place your bets, folks.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

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