The Google phone has finally arrived! The G-1 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a trackball for navigation. Other features include 3G network connectivity and the ability to zoom on something by tapping on the screen.
The price: $179 with a two-year service contract.
You can order it today at http://www.t-mobileg1.com/, or it will be in T-Mobile and some retail stores on October 22. It will be available in the United Kingdom in November and other European countries next year.
Although Google provided much of the phone's software, the hardware is actually made by HTC, a Taiwanese manufacturer of phones, laptops, and other devices. Until recently, HTC was a little-known firm that manufactured products for other companies (including Verizon and Sprint Nextel) behind the scenes. But HTC has begun selling phones under its own name, including the Touch Diamond, which resembles Apple's iPhone.
The G-1 is already winning over some Wall Street analysts. "At a time when Microsoft or Yahoo (can) not challenge Google’s global domination in search, Google is already...starting to capture the next big opportunity...thus creating more challenges for its competitors in the years to come," Sandeep Aggarwal of Collins Stewart wrote in a research note this morning.
There's plenty of competition, however. Here's the top five smartphones, according to ComScore:
3. Motorola Q
4. Samsung BlackJack II SGH-i617
(Smartphones typically have an operating system, like a PC, and can download and run programs.)
By Michelle KesslerPhoto: Jacob Silberberg, Reuters
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