The T-Mobile G1 Android phone is launched and you can get it for $179 with a two-year contract with data on October 2022 here in the US. Existing T-Mobile customers can pre-order today in limited quantities. The U.K. will get the phone beginning in November and will be across Europe by the first quarter of 2009.
Highlights From the Launch Event:
- Will not be able to use as a tethered modem and can’t get only a data plan.
- Can read Word, and Excel documents. Exchange support is not on board but could be enabled by third parties.
Will be SIM-locked to T-Mobile. - Gmail is a push experience.
- Not a desktop application is included for syncing.
- Will be available outside 3G areas and encouraging Wi-Fi usage in those areas.
- Google and T-Mobile will have integrated marketing plans. Will be the biggest marketing campaign ever for a mobile device.
- Does not support A2DP Bluetooth, so no stereo support!
- Devices should have mass appeal, especially to consumers. Not necessarily enterprise.
- Gmail is a pretty robust experience, including threading and search capability.
- G1 represents the first implementation of online presence inside the phonebook. No Skype capability at launch.
