08 | MAXIMUMPC | DEC 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
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THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLF
or more than a year, Apple’s iPhone
has garnered the lion’s share of press
and remained a must-have device of
gadget junkies. In an industry in which $
products quickly become free incentives
for signing a contract, the iPhone’s enduring
relevance is noteworthy. Its popularity is due
in part to Apple’s marketing
savvy, which has made many
people—consumers and
journalists alike—look past
the device’s shortcomings,
but also because the iPhone’s
innovative interface and full
web browser off er consumers
something truly new.
Now, handset-maker HTC,
T-Mobile, and Google hope to
get some of the attention the
iPhone has received by releas-
ing the G1, the fi rst mobile
phone to use Google’s open-
source mobile OS, Android.
Physically, the G1, at
4.6”x2.16”x.63”, is slightly
larger than the iPhone.
However, it also includes a full
slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
Additionally, it has a trackball
for navigation and dedicated
web-browsing buttons. A
3.1MP camera, 1GB of storage,
and a 480x320 screen round
out the phone’s off erings. The
G1 is currently available for preorder; online
and retail sales begin on October 22. The G
will retail for $179 with a two-year contract.
The G1’s most interesting feature is the
integration of a compass with Google Maps’
Street View. With the compass activated, the
Street View image on the phone will align with
the direction you point the phone and adjust
as you move. The phone’s music player links
not to the iTunes stores but rather Amazon
MP3, Amazon’s digital music store, which
sells only DRM-free MP3s; single songs cost
89 cents. The device does, however, haveshortcomings, the most noticeable of which is
a lack of Microsoft Exchange and desktop sync
support. Lack of a nonproprietary headphone
jack also seems like an oversight.
Interest in Android has been brewing since
Google released the SDK back in January 2008as part of the Android Developer Challenge,
which awarded cash prizes to the makers of the
best Android mobile apps. Google is allowing
anyone who registers with the company to up-
load a program to Android Marketplace. While
this will ensure that numerous apps of dubious
quality make it to the marketplace, Google
hopes the included user rating system will help
worthy apps fl ourish. For the time being, all
apps on Android Marketplace are free.
The G1 will be exclusive to T-Mobile. Thesmallest of the major U.S. carries, T-Mobile has
lagged in its development of a 3G network;
however, the company recently announced
the launch of such a network in 27 U.S. cit-
ies. Two G1 data plans were announced at
launch, a $25 unlimited data plan and a $
unlimited data and text plan. However, at the
launch press conference, offi cials said
consumers would be unable to use the
G1 as a modem.
Unlike the iPhone, Android
handsets will not be limited to a
single carrier. Google, of course,
wants to make sure that Android
phones are available on as many
wireless networks as possible be-
cause the company will generate in-
come through ad
revenue as people
use the phones to
go online. Because
Android handsets
will be made by
numerous compa-
nies and eventual-
ly be available on
a number of dif-
ferent networks,
Android-based
phones will not
provide a singular
experience—and
some wireless pro-
viders may even
choose to strip functionality from phones.
How this launch will aff ect the relation-
ship between Apple and Google is unclear. The
iPhone integrates a number of Google prod-
ucts, including YouTube and Google Maps, and
Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO, sits on Apple’s
board of directors. Until now, the companies
have not competed head to head.THE NEWS
Move over, iPhone: The fi rst handset for Google’s open-source mobile OS
to be released October 22 —TOM EDWARDS
Android Arrives
THE NEWS
Android Arrives
THE NEWS
The G1 is the fi rst mobile phone to
incorporate a compass.MAXIMUMP C.com
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