I just completely don't get the "it's ugly" opinion.

Crashproof

@SgtToastie: I diagree, I need my QWERTY...

nickexperience

@Joseph:
The headphones plug into an adaptor for the miniUSB and the video player is a free download...move along...

nickexperience

Wait no headphone jack... so it's not even a media player?

Joseph

It looks like it was designed in 2001.

ProSeven

If I was planning on having sex with my phone, or if I was unattractive enough to need something to distract people, I'd care what it looked like...

nickexperience

This is why the Touch HD would have been a better Android phone.

SgtToastie

@General Halfshaftery: Are you sure it's not his entire face that makes you angry?

RE-L

Waaa waaaaaaaaa.....

I must send the link to this page to my brother, because he was getting all excited about this phone and I need to give him a wake up call.

RE-L

@General Halfshaftery: They do seem to have a really generic IT-nerd look.

Kaisum

So, what's the opposite of putting lipstick on a pig? Putting a Zoobas and a dirty sweatshirt on Megan Fox?

Whatever it is, yeah, this is that.

lpranal

So it's an ugly poo poo phone with poo poo features, I think we have deduced that already.

danatoth

Right now, RIM and Apple are laughing until they piss themselves.

OMG! Ponies!

I agree with PCLoadLetter...

Besides - Jesus will agree with a dog if it says iphone is God's phone and all others suck....

you know Jesus ... when they refer the iphone as Jesus phone... they dont mean you.... just FYI!

xaflatoonx

Well it may not be the prettiest girl at the party, but for tmobile customers its the best we have.

PCLoadLetter

Ulf's eyeglasses are making me angry.

General Halfshaftery

@Jrperiod:
I invite you to download the Android Emulator. Its UI is weaksauce.

Sure, you can change it if your coding kung fu is strong, but there are two distict problems. First, there's no guarantee that the changes will be accepted by the community, and thus, there's no insurance against your hard work breaking each time there's an update. Second, there's no guarantee T-Mobile would let you use your fork of Android on their phones.

DisposableInterloper

He should be concerned about his dentist appointment and not phone hardware. The thought alone of quitting Google to work for myspace made me want to vomit inside for a second, all comments coming from this character are discarded.

WD40

@Joseph:
Nope. Well, not unless you pick up a bunch of addons and doodads.

But then, the same could be said about the Nintendo DS.

DisposableInterloper

I think everything that's wrong with this phone is just that. The physical phone it's self. Not the software.

Jrperiod

@jhcovert: "Clarkian polished slab"...nice...

nickexperience

everyone hates Android and or the G1.
even my grandma and she's as sweet as a georgia peach...

"hey grandma, whadaya think of that new Google branded phone, the G1?" -se.beercan

"balls." -grandma.beercan

se.beercan

@nickexperience: ... and if you need "End Call" functionality, all you have to do is download a simple application, and anyone who needs a "4" key while dialing a number will be directed to a website that allows dialing phone numbers that include 4 in them free of charge so really, all this fuss about missing features is much ado about nothing.

frigg

@xaflatoonx:
Jesus, you've got to be one of the biggest Iphone fanboys. Yes, we know you think Apple is the shit. You'll find or say anything to knock down a competitor to Apple. How much is Apple paying you?

Man_Utd

@lpranal: Zoobas? Dirty sweatshirt?

I've never heard of either of those moves.

The Folding Chair Security Intern

well no one's gonna "nail" him with those teeth.

pharmakon

I think that in the end, Google will be the last one laughing.

This may not be the epic home-run that everyone was hoping for, but it's a sublime start. It's so many things at once, while seemingly maintaining every method of input, that I almost see this phone as their test bed for future evolutions... and I don't mean in the abstract sense that every 1.0 is a precursor to 2.0: this is their intention - "give 'em the kitchen sink and we'll distill it based on response."

Though this phone lacks the Clarkian polished slab looks of the iPhone, it is certainly a further step in the evolution of what we understand a "cellphone" to be. For the first time in forever I finally feel as though some of the promises made in science fiction are finally being delivered on. I know it's easy to get mired in the small picture, but it's the BIG picture that's so exciting.

The G1: I wouldn't deem it fugly, but it sure ain't a supermodel either. They have many miles to go, but having seen what Google can do, and knowing that there are other manufacturers at work on other handsets, I can't help but look forward to many workless afternoons staring down the media gullet waiting to see what polished pearls will be disgorged next.

jhcovert

@robot-shmobot:
You just inadvertently revealed how perverse your relationship with your cellphone is...I guess its better than little boys...

nickexperience

The data plan is right there. The only reason anyone would be led to believe it's not "cheap data" (still an oxymoron in today's cell market since internet access costs as much as a home broadband line) is because of the 1 gig "limit", which might not be as serious as we believed. The video player is third party but it works, and while the headphone solution isn't ideal, I don't use my freakin' phone to listen to music anyway. I know this goes against the trend, but I'm still not sold on the convergence of these two devices. The contacts thing, though, I'll admit I don't know the answer to. I've never really played around with GMail's contacts in seriousness.

AngusCabe

@Crashproof: Old look + no "wow" = ugly.

Gibberish

Would you be more likely to bite a $179 ugly phone with, to some, ugly interface that to me is meant to test the waters and that could potentially sink or swim based on the app market or a beautiful phone @ >=$300 with said ugly interface whos success depends on the app market as well.

MahaliaDamrit

@PCLoadLetter: That's sub-par.. I wouldn't even take the G1 home if I was drunk.. Then again, I'd never cheat on my iPhone.. I snagged a good one. Other guy's iPhone's might be buggy and a little twitchy - but mine has never been.

I'm sure I've strayed too much, but I've just like to say.. the G1 is the new girl at the party, I'm pretty sure everyone but the desperate nerds will shrug and go back to talking and hitting on the iPhones and Bolds.

robot-shmobot

If I thought MySpace Mobile didn't blow, I would care what he thought about something.

cobaltage

totally agree with this guy man, this device sucks as well as the way it works, I just don't get why google would do this the way they did.Can it be because they want to cloud all your contacts for even closer profiling? maybe I'm nuts. Anyway it's all about the touch hd,they need to hurry and bring that shit out here.

AmoritaOryx

Why can't cell companies create an affordable data plan? I have AT$T and I pay more for my mobile data plan than I do for DSL broadband, which I use 200x more than the phone data plan. This reminds me of the old AT$T mail that charged per character for email and AOL who charged by the minute. Jesus Christ text messaging should be free. It uses less bandwidth than a call. I suggest they stop subsidizing the phones with the data plans and offering a so called $500 phone free after rebate. Consumers believe they need a new phone once a year and we are paying for it. I'd rater pay $300-$500 for a contract less phone, affordable data, and upgradable software. The competition would create more affordable plans.

madara

@Joseph: I've been down the headphone adapter road with a phone before and it sucks more than you'd think it would. Back when I had an smt5600 WinMo smartphone on AT&T, the thing used the mini-sized jacks instead of the standard headphone jack. Carrying a tiny adapter that loves to fall in the bottom of a bag or roll around on the floor of my car is annoying as hell, especially when switching back and forth when using headphones on an ipod. Can't leave the adapter in the phone (danger of snapping off) and it ends up just another annoying piece of pocket shrapnel.

never again!

lpranal

Sheesh...

I know you can set giz to block apple/Iphone/Ipod posts. can we have one that blocks posts by Jesus. Some of his stuff is good, but waaaaaay to much is Apple Fanboy Bias Postings.

Baldyman1966

@frigg: the point is, the features in question are not missing. Heaven forbid you might have to spend 30 whole seconds downloading a video player! And it doesn't even take out the trash or do the dishes!

nickexperience

@Ulf: aha! so this is who's been chewing on my power cables.

se.beercan

Android is awesome..and the phone is sweet! Looks light and comfortabe to hold. i'm getting 2. One for each hand...because i'm tired of palming around my 4.5 powerhouse...peace. 8-->

AzaleaBandersnatch

I support Google's bid for planetary domination. However, this phone reminds me way too much of just going back to WM and crappy HTC devices. The next generation phone belongs to Apple right now, but the next-next one might be up for grabs.

Open source is nice *in theory* but if you want to revolutionize what's in my pocket, you can't just wave the open source wand and hope for the best (as well as fall short on other things like network, hardware).

Hopefully by the time the next-next generation mobile device arrives, other companies will have learned to execute products to the high degree that Apple does. Then the market will reward you.

I have faith, however, that Google is not going to give up on this, maybe ever. So we have lots to look forward to. Competition is good.

mmmiles

I guess it's not made for the average style-conscious metrosexual man

shinchan

given my terrible experience with tmobile this is not surprising

Mish80921

@jhcovert: There's almost a strategic advantage to an ugly first effort. Android is in better shape if it can discourage early adopters and give itself breathing space in a public beta. An ugly first effort allows developers on all sides to work out wrinkles without acquiring too much of an iffy reputation based on a beta product. Then, when they have their shit together, they can release a pretty phone and Koi Pond and attract real customers.

frigg

Jesus' point is fine because@

a) It's fuck ugly.
b) There are better phones with more apps out there.

Drummer_Boy

@nickexperience:
The point is, the features are missing and Google is depending on developers to spackle and sand all the holes. 30 seconds for this, 30 for that, and after a while it becomes just like cleaning all the craplets out of a new Dell. This is a smartphone, and it should have smartphone features out of the box.

DisposableInterloper

Just like bringing a knife to a gunfight a software and marketing company has no business in hard product development and boy does it show.

aboriginal

Agreed, it is a lame looking brick. That said, Android should succeed on better hardware. I would hesitate make a generalizing Android based on this one device. That said, the G1 is fugly.

bms

Two things,

First, why does Gizmodo alone seem to particularly loathe this phone? It's not even out yet! Give google some time to actually finish the product and release in late October and maybe (almost certainly) it will present a smoother, more finished image.

Second, what is so ugly about this? If anything, I'd say it's a practical looking design with minimalist cues. Personally, I prefer my phones to function well and be minimalist. Certainly beats the iPhone with it's beautiful design and wonderful penchant for not getting a signal and lacking basic features, like a removable battery or an actual keyboard.

I really wish people would actually give stuff a try before they bash it, but that attitude seems to have gone extinct nowadays.

sdf632

added to my comment when I could be totally wrong about a java mobile OS, but when i think of Java i think of those horrible java apps that u play on god awful motorola phone.

Nykwil

@nickexperience: well said sir.

Baldyman1966

Isn't Android a mobile OS based on java?

hmm java...mobile os x, java...mobile os x....where does the power lie?

Nykwil

@shinchan:

Or, indeed, anybody.

Drummer_Boy

@gmark2000: Yeah, developers hate when consumers have choice and they actually have to do a little work...shoot, how about we just mandate that everyone get the same phone so the developers won't have to work so hard?

nickexperience

@Jesus Diaz: This is off topic, but I think its stupid to star comments by the people who can do the starring...

nickexperience

Developers hate Android because the hardware spec will vary widely with the different handset makers. It'll be like Windows on all manner of PCs. Bloatware here we come.

gmark2000

@Baldyman1966: Please tell this to the readers who think I'm anti-Apple in other posts. Oh wait, nevermind.

Jesus Diaz

@Joseph: I've had to deal with one for the G1 iPhone, and THAT is a bitch. Worst comes to worst though, I could always plug in a shitty pair of apple headphones or most buds. If you can't even do that in a pinch without the adapter, then its useless as a media player. But whatever, this phone sucks, and yet someone will redesign the interface to make it uberpretty for the Touch Pro and it will be awesome.

ALT

@DisposableInterloper: Actually its exactly the opposite of your Dell example. It comes bare bones and you can add what you what/need. Without waiting for a monolithic paranoid company to approve or, more likely, disapprove it.

nickexperience

@Jesus Diaz: Sorry Jesus must have missed these. truly it is written 'There are none so blind as those that refuse to see'

Baldyman1966

@Mish80921: really? Ive been with tmo for four years and my only complaint is they dont tend to jump on the best phones

pevans34

Everyone needs to start somewhere. I think long run Google has probably started something that will outlive the nuevo-shiek telephashion ultra delicate absurdly fanboitastic mePhone and bring the rest of the world one step closer to techincal meltdown.

I love my iphone but i'll drop it like a hot rock into ebay the minute a better piece of hardware becomes available.

IMWylde

Whats wrong with you people? You call yourself nerds? ittssss nooooot prettttttyy waaaaah. it doesnt come in funky colors waaaahhh.

This phone has all the specs and all the software potential to completely rape the iphone.

pevans34

It's funny how everyone is criticizing a phone that is

a) 1 month away from launch
b) been handled by only a small number of people
c) NOT ABOUT THE PHYSICAL HARDWARE AT ALL

Yeah, it's not anywhere near as pretty as the iPhone, but it doesn't have to be. Give the Android marketplace and the developer community 6 months and then we can all judge how well this platform is doing.

I'm almost certain you'll all be eating your words.

nyctalopia

The G1 IMO sucks as a device.
However Android is interesting.
Open-source is a double edge sword
Hardware variations can make the OS become bloaty, but at the same time it leaves it open to any device.
In the end it'll give more power to the people and less to the blood suckin ways of the wireless carriers

Nykwil

Yes, I agree it is ugly. I would like to say I own a gPhone but would not be caught dead with something that horrid. Oh n almost forgot "courtesy jesus flame": You think Steve would be tired of doing the same ole thing, I mean how tight can it be anymore ?" by thing i mean talking iphone, by tight i mean cool.....

Alex2643

@Gibberish: no, i agree. its actually NOT that ugly.

pevans34

The device and interface aren't just ugly, they are "looks like they were designed by Palm ugly."

4ster

God, the phone looks damn good compared to that dudes ugly mug on there.

Ike_Skelton

i can understand those with hands on time saying the phone sucks...but why are people commenting so negatively on a phone they've never even used?

striggity

@cobaltage: Indeed. But he has a negative opinion on a product in the same space as Apple's golden child so his voice must be heard.

Ron-Mexico

@jhcovert: Polished Pearls?

Cavor

But didn't the first iPhone require a headphone adapter if you didn't use Apple's? Not too much flack about that one...

MajellaCabatan

if you dont like the look of the interface, guess what you can change! its open source, if you dont like it otb then change it to fit you needs. 95% of the people buying this phone have some sort or pmp/mp3 player and could give a rats ass about the phone having a 3.5mm jack. THIS WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE A PMP REPLACEMENT but Tmo is GIVING YOU THE ADAPTER FOR FREE!!!!!! Maybe they should also include an adapter to stick that 3.5mm plug up your rears as well.....

bbnick

I think in the mist of the information overload of this phone, it is easy to disappoint some people like the matrix 2 and 3 did. Build up anticipation too much and you are bound to set the bar higher than one can reach.
Now this doesn't mean its a bad phone because it snot about the phone. Its easy for the iphone to be sexy and polished because thats ALL they have to worry about on the phone end over at apple. As far as the GUI, well, they have had plenty of YEARS to refine that. Does anybody remember the first ipod: not as pretty as the current iterations.
Same goes for ANDROID which is the whole point of this whole GOOD/BAD debacle. Its android version 1.0. What number is the Apple os on now?
IF it makes calls, great, if u have a gmail account even better, and if u love google maps then it couldn't be sweeter.
Android is going only going to get better. As far as the phone goes, if you don't like this one, you can wait for samsung or nokia to make their own "Google" phone.

beanPirate

Actually, having spent a decent amount of time with the phone, the hardware is solid and a good foundation for Android development. There are a couple of annoyances--the headphone jack deal, and the keyboard could've been more pronounced for easier touch typing--but overall, it's a good phone. Most of the issues are software, and that's up to devs at this point.

matt buchanan

@nickexperience:
So it's like spending time on a Dell you payed extra money for so it wouldn't come with craplets. The point remains the same. Instead of working out of the box, it'll demand that you waste time just getting it to a passable state.

DisposableInterloper

I think i just realized why google is leaving a lot of functions to the developers.

Lets look at apple, they made about 60% of the software on the iphone (Ipod media player, phone, contacts, etc.) and they pretty much kill any software that tries to compete with their original software (even though it might be better). So google will not do that, therefore they gain nothing from including something (media player) that will probably get outdone by developers.

Just my thought on it....

pottyvick

"The device is a lame-looking brick and doesn't seem to have much appeal to consumers."

I suppose we'll have to wait and see what the sales numbers are to really be able to make that point. Of course that begs the question, "what will be considered a success in terms of sales for this phone?" I don't know...Gizmodo commentators are not necessarily an accurate cross-section of consumers at large in my opinion.

nickexperience

No, it's not quite "there" yet, but come on, this Android/G-1 bashing is getting effing ridiculous. Nuanced journalism regarding handhelds has been a rare thing on some of these blogs since the iPhone came along.

Denholm

regular flossing should take care of that gum puffiness.

Slartibartfast

@matt buchanan: Not sure why it's getting such a raw deal on some blogs.. you've spent quite a lot of time with it and you're obviously fairly happy with it. I'm not sure what the haters are on about. *shrug*

The headphone jack thing could easily be all but nullified if they bundled an adapter.. which I seem to remember reading that they (HTC) would do, just not for the first batch of phones since they're already packed and sent to the retailers(?).

Denholm

It's missing significantly more "basic" features out of the box than the iphone did but that's okay because the company isn't monolithic or paranoid-- questionable-- yet doesn't feel the need to manage the end user experience at ALL?? LMAO.. you apple haters are a riot!

PriscillaPot

@nickexperience: Did you not notice all of the complaints when people had to buy adapters for their iPhones to get their headphones working?

Joseph

What will Google do when Yahoo develops an app that syncs Yahoo mail, contacts, and calendar?

Guapo

@DisposableInterloper: Calling this incarnation not passable is a tremendous stretch. That would mean 90% of the phones out there are not passable. And your example still sucks, you're not paying extra for it to not come with craplets, the phone is well-priced and not everybody wants their phone to double as a PMP. The point is, they have the option to make it that, for free!

nickexperience

"The reason many people see the G1 as ugly and old-fashioned is simply… because it IS! It's a design unchanged for a while (it's now available in Zune-brown along with white and black)."

I don't have a G1 nor am I a T-Mobile customer, and I don't intend to get one or switch, my Razr v3 is just fine for my needs.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, it's pretty sad that we as a society care more about how something looks than how it works. Maybe it doesn't work that well either, I don't know, but I think the above criticism is just silly.

SpiralGray

@nickexperience: The first generation iPhone has hardware like an accelerometer, and a multi-touch screen. The hardware in the G1 is the same hardware that was in my Treo 650 with the addition of a GPS receiver--the iPhone is actually a technological break through in mobile development.

As far as the adapter goes, did you noticed how they fixed that problem with the new phone? I mean this product is coming out 2-3 months after iPhone 3G. HTC couldn't figure out that people want a regular headphone jack with no adapter? Jesus said it best a few days ago--They(Google, HTC, T-Mobile) are not paying close attention to the details.

Joseph

I figure they'll have the bugs worked out and the sexy worked in by the time my 2 year iPhone contract expires. And I can move from Apple's evil empire to Google's evil empire.

Bhp9mm

@General Halfshaftery: I think it's his teeth.

It's great he went to Stanford but too bad he didn't go to an orthodontist.

Maybe he'd be working for facebook instead of myspace if he had.

thekidslepthere

@Cavor: Yeah, I know, but sometimes when I think about all of the tech that comes out to "ooohs and ahhhhs" it conjures images of river pearl farms... you know, the shiny oft malformed grey trinkets tinted with pink or yellow, etc. and priced to sell, sell, SELL!

I feel as though that's the way modern tech is going: they're pretty for sure, but their impersonation and or mimicry of the organic beauty in the natural word has created something entirely new, and a little off-putting.

But me still likey.

jhcovert

Ulf posted an update (for those that never click through the article):

"Update: Geez - I should have prefaced my comments more with what I had in mind. I did NOT want to criticize the hardware nor the Android OS itself which in fact you will see I am quite a fan of in my next posts. In terms of LOOKS, compared to other HTC devices (such as the Touch or Touch HD) and competitive devices, such as the iPhone I believe the look of the G1 Hardware is somewhat…well…dated.

I am being portrayed as the disgruntled-ex-googler who wants to bring the hard work of my old employer down. Which is far from being the case. It has nothing to do with my being an ex-Googler, nor a MySpacer now nor did and do I not value the efforts of hundreds of my former colleagues. I just don't like the design/looks of the device, which I doubt is even Google's work. I think the team did an awesome job over the last few years building a whole new platform from the ground up.

I realize that product cycles take many years and I realize that future Android devices will certainly come in more interesting form factors. Again - I wish the whole team that worked hard on this best of luck."

Toshie

@MajellaCabatan: Right so why not fix it for all future devices across the board? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Joseph

uglier phones have sold fairly well
and after seeing the shots HTC has on their site for the phone I'm actually starting to think its not bad at all
Android is the most important part tho, not gonna jump on it til I can test it out in store but, I like the start, sure its missing some video player and whatever but there will be apps that do this and most every thing people are complaining its missing software wise, once the phone launches
running processes in the background is gonna rule, hate the lack of it on my iphone

now if Android had launched on the Touch HD, I would have preordered already

rodsky

@danatoth: You are talking about Google poo poo.

@OMG! Ponies!: You are talking about RIM and Apple pee pee.

What is left for Microsoft and Palm? Well, let's not go there. This is a family site, after all.

Monty

@PriscillaPot: please provide the significant list of "basic" features that are missing on the G1 that were present on the first iPhone...

nickexperience

@Joseph: Yeah, and yet it seemed to sell pretty well even though the adaptor didn't come with the phone.

nickexperience

@Joseph: The hardware in the G

nickexperience

@nickexperience: Not only that, but his comment was unnecessary and pointless considering he isn't a T-mobile customer.

Mr_Maze

I've been running an Android chroot on my Nokia N810 for a few months now. It astounds me that tech blogs are presenting Android itself as some kind of new release; it simply is not. The project is open, and interface tours do not require the G1.

I am fine when the daily news works that way, but you guys are TECHIES. You guys refresh the Apple store every five minutes to get us the latest news on their server status!
Sheesh.

That's my unfair rant of the day concluded. You may continue with your lives.

Picklesworth

Why so negative? Pretend to be reasonable, but then SO NEGATIVE!!!

That guy is obviously PMS'ing, his article has nothing to do with the phone; and everything to do with his ego/period/sex-life/vitamin deficiency/etc.

Pretolo

I was pretty excited to see the G1. Then I did.

The UI blows. The features are MIA. It is an overpriced novelty.

It's like the traveled back in time to get it. It's been baking for 2.5 years and this is the best they can do?

Enjoy yet anotehr eternal beta folks. APPL, RIM and MSFT are all laughing.

commentotron

@nickexperience: Whoops, sorry. The hardware in the G1 is leaps and bounds above the hardware in the Treo 650, from processor (G1 = Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz / 650 = 312 MHz Intel XScale PXA270) to memory (G1 = 192 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM / 650 = 32 MB RAM) to size (G1 = 117 x 55 x 17 mm / 650 = 112 x 58 x 22.9 mm) to screen resolution (G1 = 320 x 480 pixels / 650 = 320 x 320 pixels) to camera (G1 = 3.1 MP / 650 = VGA). And the G1 has an accelerometer. I'm not saying that the lack of a standard headphone jack is not disappointing, I'm just saying its getting blown out of proportion.

nickexperience

@nickexperience: That is an excellent question. I doubt HTC cares much or they would have used better hardware. T-mobile is such an also-ran that just getting the wannabe Android devs to buy devices will probably be a worthwhile bump in subscribers. Since there's no way for developers to get paid at the moment, they're all working on spec so they can't be expecting much. Google surely sees it as a loss leader since every Android user was, or will be, a Google account holder. Hell, the current buzz they've gotten in the media could be "enough" in and of itself.

That being said, expectations have got to be low. To me, this device has almost no appeal to general consumers. Among smartphone users their odds are a little better, but unless you are a total free-tard (read: Richard Stallman), hate Apple, love T-Mobile and/or are a Google employee, does the future promise of this thing really outweigh what a Blackberry, WinMo or iPhone gives right now?

Matthew_Maurice

@Matthew_Maurice: I'm not a total free-tard, I don't hate Apple (I have an iPod, but I also have an Archos) but I do hate iTunes and syncing in general (drag and drop for me please), I do love T-Mobile and have been with them since the Voicestream days, and I'm not a google employee, but I really do think the promise of this OS is exciting enough for me to be interested in using it now. I'm not a huge fan of windows mobile as I'm not a hardcore business user, and I have no interest in switching to AT&T or being further trapped in Apple's product web, so the iPhone is out for me. Not to mention that I'm on a fresh 2 year contract with Tmob, so right now, the G1 is looking like my best option.

nickexperience

@sdf632:
Because Apple is paying them to stir up negative hype just to give anything-that-isn't-the-JesusPhone a hard time, and most people are all too willing to eat it up.

terebakashi

@General Halfshaftery:

Oakley prescription lenses: Only Douchebags need apply.

Minotaar

@striggity:
I didn't think the G1 was that ugly. It isn't the best looking phone, but I don't think it was ugly. It just doesn't have the glossy finish like other phones have these days. The white one actually looks fairly slick if you see it in the videos. And you know everyone here is just judging this phone by looking at the pictures/videos and reading the articles here. If you go over to engadget the atmosphere is different. Here it seems like every aspect of the phone/OS has completely failed and that's the end of it, over there it seems like the phone is almost be there and needs a few tweaks and some time. The criticisms are exactly the same but judge the way they are packaged are different.

For people trying to decide on getting this phone, read articles on both sites.

stopcrazypp

[upload3.net]

Skeezy

@nickexperience:
Is it passable out of the box without any effort on the end user? Unless you solely intend to use Google services, the answer is a sharp, "No!"

My analogy is actually quite good. Forget price, as that's not what's getting compared here. It will take effort on the end user's part to make it a passable experience, as with the Dell, craplet-packed or not. This is a perfect 1:1 analogy, and it's not hard to see at all.

As for the price, you're not getting much bang for buck. Sure, it's a few 10's cheaper than the iPhone, but compare what you get, out of the box, with the iPhone. The value is much, much worse. You're limited to about 2 gigs of storage, maybe more if someone out there released any larger microSD cards. You're forced to use a dongle if you want headphones. Half the features are not present, forcing you to spend time configuring it instead of enjoying it immediately. The value is really quite bad.

So, you don't want it to be a media player. Fine, whatever, but the G1 is missing heaps of other features too. Like you said, you can pour through the repository for apps you might like, but in doing so, you're wasting time, a good end user experience is not guaranteed, and the whole interface will not ever be as coherent as just having a bunch of apps the work well together to begin with.

Every option has a price to pay in terms of usability and oftentimes stability as well. The people behind Android and the G1 clearly do not grasp that.

DisposableInterloper

@pharmakon: After all that money and yet can't afford braces. hmm...

rjbuddyboi

The handset looks a little eh, but not that big a deal, based on what I've read, we'll see Android on more devices before long.

So the UI isn't polished and pretty like Apples, it's completely open and likely capable of being made to look just like the apple UI if someone wanted to.

No headphone jack or video -- I have an iPod. I don't use phones for music/movies.

I'm not going to jump to any serious "this is awesome" or "this is shit" opinion until it's out, I get to play with it, and I get a chance to read the incoherent gibberish posted by hypercritical internet goons on various forums and blogs.

This guy works for MySpace mobile -- that should speak volumes -- MySpace mobile is garbage.

Voyou_Charmant

"While some have speculated that he's talking out of bitterness-I guess that's easier to do than to accept the criticism ..."

I think it's pretty obvious he is speaking out of bitterness. Nevertheless, that has nothing to do with the merits of his criticism, which appear pretty accurate.

A person can be bitter and correct, if my point wasn't clear.

A_B

wait, if you input all your contact's information in your gmail, and this phone has gmail integration, shouldn't you already have all the contact info you needed?

sega8800

Hah! T-Mobile..Home of you get what you pay for.

MarkC

goddamn call an orthodontist!

gonzaljohn

He's just a hater that's pissed that he doesn't work for Google anymore.

Seriously, everyone wants to work for Google.

Glare

So the G1 stinks because it is ugly? I find that completely valid. Not.

MosesMonster

@DisposableInterloper: This idea of what makes a phone passable is ridiculous. Clearly this phone is "passable". It might not be everything you could ever hope for out of the box, but come on.

Actually you're limited to 8 gigs but the G1 supports SDHC as well, for which a new 16 gig version is about to come out. Which totally sucks since you can upgrade your memory by buying a new card instead of buying a whole new phone every year.

If every phone came complete with everything every potential user wanted, why would there be a need for 3rd party applications?

Also, half of what features are not present? Instead of who enjoying it immediately? I can get on the web, listen to music, and after 30 seconds I can watch videos, and after another 30 seconds I can play Pac Man...sounds enjoyable to me.

Look, you clearly love everything about the iPhone, and that's great, no problem with it for me, amazing phone. But just because you equate a "good user experience" with not having to do a single thing to personalize your device, doesn't mean that every other person is as afraid of spending a couple minutes toward that end as you are.

nickexperience

@AngusCabe: Data is certainly cheaper than the iphone (by $5 + however much ATT charges for G1's 400 included txt/pic msgs...wait, can you do picture messaging on the iphone?), and T-MO removed the 1GB soft cap from the fine print yesterday...so Jesus, I don't know how you can write "what's wrong in terms of...data plan" when you're linking to the story about fixing what's wrong in terms of the data plan!

I think the lack of a headphone port is just a sly ploy to encourage the production of bluetooth headphones. Yeah...that's the ticket...

bah

@Glare:
Right, everyone wants to work for a bunch of Asperger's cases that hire quite a bit of talented engineers, only to put them to work mostly coming up with new algorithms to insert subtle advertising in everything you do.

DisposableInterloper

the G1 should not be marketed as a multimedia player...just a phone w/ a nice web browser

biglou69

I think everyone is kind of talking out of their ass way too early. A huge part of a good phone is the user experience. Most people do have it right with the design of the HTC model. I mean design-wise they could have knocked it out of the park, but didn't. But it works. If you hate the interface or icons etc., who cares. In no time here are going to be theme packs and all of that allowing you to change whatever the heck you want. Boo hoo no video player stock... Dont be lazy and just download the Video player on the marketplace. There are just so many things that have potential to change very quickly. I'll be the first to say that the hardware could be better, but I'm sure it works; as for the OS? Don't knock it till you've tried it. If it does come out sucking real bad... flip it on ebay, you'll make a 300% profit Jake

PatriciaAlcathous

i read the developer's blog and this is completely blown out of proportion. when iphone came out, with more severe flaws, no one complained. you guys ran a sickening amount of threads on jobs' every burp and fart. but, when the g1 was coming out, there was almost no coverage. i'm switching to engadget permanently. seriously, how much is apple paying you guys? is gawker paying you only what jobs pays you?

AliyahQualakon

The G1 totally shows up the iPhone and the Blackberry on its OWN terms. All this complaining on a 1.0 SDK. here's why.

sarahoneill

@striggity:
For one, a lot of people here have tried the Android emulator. The UI has hardly changed since that landed. Toss in a sack of omitted features, and it's not a pleasant prospect on the OS front.

On the hardware side, the finish isn't the issue as stopcrazypp suggests. It could be matte and sharply angular for all anyone cares, if it's done tastefully. Pretty much everything from the way it opens to the form chosen reeks of weak design, and that never bodes well for the rest of the phone. Toss in omitted and half-assed features on the phone front, and you've got a recipe for scorn.

If this phone has some super-amazing killer app that will blow everything else away the moment its unboxed and fondled, I'd like to hear it, because the way it's looking now, this phone is just a generic Brick O' Crap that has the sole notable feature of being the first device released with a new mobile OS.

DisposableInterloper

I like how people are psychic and have written off a device that isn't even in the public's hands yet. And also judging it on it's looks. OH NOES! IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE IPHONE!

somekindarobit

@cobaltage: LOL! I agree. Who the hell is this guy again?

chhyeeaa

@ProSeven: So does Google's website, and look how well that's worked out for them.

chhyeeaa

I suggest you read Havoc Pennington's "Free Software UI" essay. It's not quite the point I'm trying to put forth, but many points are similar to the ones I'm trying to get across.

DisposableInterloper

@nickexperience:
I'll break your post down and respond point by point:

Currently, it's little more than a terminal for Google's services. That's a far cry from passable.

As for size, microSDHC is around 8 gigs, whereas microSD is limited, last I checked, to 2 gigs. I'd really like to see where it's confirmed that it supports SDHC cards, because the most I could find last time I looked was a brief note on Engadget that it's possible it'll have SDHC support.

But, let's suppose that you can indeed pop in an SDHC card and get a decent amount of storage. Getting an 8 gig microSDHC card would make the phone's price point higher than even the iPhone. Now, if you're not happy with that amount, sure, you could always buy more cards or bigger cards. But is storage really everything? You think that a storage bump would make anything lesser obsolete, or do you think that adding storage to aging hardware would breath new life into it, at least to the point one would be compelled to upgrade? I don't think so.

I never said every phone would come with every feature every user could want. A smart phone is a device that converges a phone, a PDA, and a media player. For it to be called feature-complete, it should satisfy at least that much. Third-party apps should be relied upon only when a given user wants functionality beyond that.

You don't seem to get it, do you? When you open the box and activate your phone, can you watch movies? Can you listen to music? When you want to sync your personal data and your media, can you just plug it into your PC? Or do you need to install that functionality first?

We're not even talking iPhone vs Android here, this is as fine-grained as GNOME vs KDE. So it'll take you 30 seconds to get a media player if you decide to just jump in without comparing any players, maybe 30 seconds to get a sync app if you can scour the repo fast enough. How many 30 second intervals are you going to spend?

As for the iPhone, obvious as it may be that I love it, I didn't mention it in my previous comment, now did I? Further, this has nothing to do with personalization. That's always a good thing, and everyone does it to an extent. Do not confuse personalization with user intervention, however. If you need to spend time getting a device to have a basic set of features, you're intervening where the core developers failed.

Going back to my Dell analogy, how long does it take for you to install the utilites you most frequently use? How long does it take to futz with all the settings until it behaves usably? The same principle applies here. Any monkey can spend his minutes un-breaking a broken system, the question is, who enjoys it?

DisposableInterloper

If this does not synch with outlook it is a waste of time for business users and professionals.

It is hard to believe that the design team would be so clueless on this.

LauPan

@LauPan: I don't think they are clueless to this at all. I think they're leaving it to third party apps instead.. which I personally think is a bad decision, it's something that should be native in the Android OS.. but clueless they're not.

Denholm