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Meet the T-Mobile G1: The First Google Android Phone
By Liane Cassavoy, About.com

T-Mobile has unveiled the G1 smartphone, the first phone based on Google's much-hyped Android platform.

Many of the rumors surrounding the phone were true (the hardware is from HTC, it will be available in October), while some were slightly off (the G1 will cost $179 with a two-year contract). Here are the highlights of the T-Mobile G1:

Design:

The G1 features a touch screen and a hardware QWERTY keyboard; the keyboard slides out from beneath the screen. It also includes a trackball, HTC says. T-Mobile's photos show the phone in black, while HTC's announcement includes a picture of the phone in white.

Price and Availability:

The G1 will be available on October 22 at "select T-Mobile stores and online." The phone itself will cost $179 when signing a two-year service agreement. T-Mobile is offering two G1-specific data plans; one is $25 (unlimited access to the Web and e-mail, plus 400 messages), and the other is $35 (unlimited Web, e-mail, and messaging). You'll also need a T-Mobile voice plan, so you can factor in at least another $30 for your monthly tab.

High-Speed Data Access:

The G1 will support T-Mobile's 3G network, which will be more widely available by the time the phone is available. It also includes Wi-Fi support.

Plenty of Google Apps on Board:

The G1 will come with Gmail, Google Maps (with Street View), YouTube, Google Talk and a Chrome-like Web browser. About.com's Guide to GPS has an article that provides more information about the G1's GPS capabilities.

Messaging:

You're not limited to Gmail e-mail accounts; the G1 includes an HTML e-mail client that also supports POP3 and IMAP accounts, as well as Web-based e-mail accounts. It will not support Microsoft Exchange servers, though.

Music and More:

An agreement with Amazon.com will allow G1 users direct access to the Amazon MP3 store, which offers downloads of DRM-free songs. You can download songs directly to your G1 phone. The G1 also includes a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus, but it will capture still photos only--no video.

Android App Store:

Officially called "Android Market," this is the G1's version of Apple's App Store. T-Mobile says the Market will feature dozens of downloadable apps by the time the G1 is available.