Today saw T-Mobile finally retiring the venerable G1, forerunner to the ongoing Android revolution. I’ve been using a G1 since launch, so this is an emotional moment for me. Let’s just take a quick trip down memory lane out of respect for a solid phone.
The HTC G1 had its first peek in technical drawings back in August of 2008. Its pricing and availability was rumored a few days later, and it was spotted in the wild and leaked by T-Mobile a few days before the official launch. We philosophized, we tested, and eventually we reviewed.
I bought one right away; I was due for an upgrade and I was using a Samsung Trace at the time, not exactly smartphone material. Maybe I was falling for the hype — but at least I didn’t buy a white one. Two years later and those things still look dorky. Unlike many others, though, I was of the opinion that the G1 was a decent-looking phone. A little thick, sure, but I thought the keyboard was great, the buttons were well-placed and responsive, and the screen never failed me.
Of course, it shipped with what we all think of now as practically pre-beta software. There were bugs, it was ugly, transitions were disabled to save CPU cycles, and there was hardly anything in the way of apps. Oh, and the battery life was pretty awful. But it didn’t take long before a few OTA updates brought improvements to this larval smartphone OS.
Before long I was running 1.6, and looking forward to 2.0 — little did I know that I’d hit the end of the line (unless I felt like ROMing it, which many have done). But you know what? I haven’t minded one bit. The apps I needed worked well, and many of the cool improvements rolling out from Google trickled down. Now’s not the time for an ode to Android, but it has been fun watching it grow.
The handset itself, I have to say, has exceeded my expectations. Everyone thought that this thing was going to fall apart. The sliding screen had everyone rattled, but mine is still as springy and snappy as the day I bought it. The keyboard, which some people didn’t like, I have always found comfortable, though I’ll be the first to admit that the chin does get in the way; you can tell a pro G1 user by the lopsided thumb-work. It’s also one of the few phones that can stand on its head, though I only discovered this a month ago:
One thing that did fail was the USB port cover. Why they felt it needed a flimsy rubber cap is beyond me, that thing broke off like a year ago. The MicroSD flap would have too if I took it out more than once a month. But none of the many falls, skids, and crushings ever did anything but take a bite or two out of the bezel.
And now the poor thing is being put out to pasture (replaced by the capable, but gauche, MyTouch 3G Slide). It may still have life left in it for Android fans and hackers, but nobody in their right mind would pay a nickel for one today at the T-Mobile store. I feel it had a hard life — neglected by the tech elite for its palpable lack of panache, and feared by the public as a phone for nerds, it was unfairly maligned yet loved by those who took the chance. Farewell, sweet G1! You will be missed — as soon as I find a decent replacement.
As a G1 owner I have to applaud you for a requiem which would do equally well as a eulogy for this oft-maligned but highly capable phone.
I have been harassed by my iPhone-wielding friends. And once the original Droid came out, even Android phone owners have looked down their haughty noses at me with gazes that are part pity and part disgust.
But this phone has served me well through all that time, with a physical keyboard that I would argue still has few equals in the smartphone landscape.
Farewell G1 – the current crop of Android Superphones owe their success to your bold yet humble foray into a world that, lest we forget, was monpolized by the Cupertino elite only a few short years ago.
It does indeed deserve that kind of respect. Granted, it’s not the prom queen for sure but the somewhat shy and homely girl that shows to have so much more potential once revealed.
Personally, I opted to wait before the ‘superphones’ came out to really make the step to Android – call me overly cautious. But the early generations Dream, Magic, Hero et al will always have my respect for having boldly started something great, and going uphill at that.
In fact, I think I might just buy a G1 off ebay or craigslist as a keepsake. It is a symbol.
ugliest phone on the planet
“Android revolution” bwuahahaha. single digit marketshare is not a revolution. go get outsold by windows mobile.
Troll all you want, but Android’s market share is 26% and climbing, iPhone is only around 40%… that smells of success to me.
These numbers are only for the smartphone marketshare.
most units sold to date (smartphones
1st blackberry, and or windows
2nd android
3rd ios
for 2 years running and be 2nd, i’d say thats hard to ignore. imagine 3-4 years, android will be paramount among smartphone units.
i’ve been g1 user since launch, my boyfriend (yea im gay, dont be jealous) has a droid since launch, and it hurts to see my g1 left behind, but i look ahead to the future and await the phones that will put the droid in retirement. droid 2 is already scheduled for release aug-2010. year 2011 all major carriers will run 4g, the storm of 4g androids will invade like locusts, mark my words, heed my warning.
*cough the iphone 4 can stand on its head.
but yea, I loved my G1, if only it was a little, snapier… =\ gave it up for a droid -> evo 4g -> iphone 4 .. yup…
can it? nice. I thought it’d be front-heavy with that screen.
I can get my iPhone 4 to stand on it’s feet but not its head because of the button on top.
You’ve gone through four different phones in about a year? Why?
Some people just feel the need to buy shiny new things all the time instead of saving their money.
so apple invented that to hmmm….
Mine won’t stand on it’s head.
you’re not-holding it wrong.
The Htc Hero (European) can to stand on it’s head, it has the same top design of the screen part from the G1.
I’ve loved this phone from the minute I first laid my eyes on it, and it was a happy day when I finally got mine. I’ll keep this phone for the rest of my life, ’cause it brings me such good memories. With a bit of tinkering and the help of cyanogenmod, this has always been my dream phone.
I don’t plan on replacing it anytime soon, as I don’t see anything in the market worth replacing it for (again, thanks to cyanogenmod). Maybe the Nexus 2 (if it ever comes out). Maybe.
tmobile sucks… they got people hooke on android hw keyboard…then followed it up with a freaking dog, the slide… so android with a dog slow processor.
nobody has a fast 1ghz snap dragon hardware keyboard android out.. well the droid 2 but I need a sim version.. everybody forgot about th blackberry keyboard user… instead we see th 10th variation of iphone clone with soft keyboard
Say it aint so! I love mine but boy do I need a new phone. Mine still looks like the day I bought it!
PlEASE ANYONE SHOW ME A 1ghz snap dageon android 2.2 phone with a hardware keyboard and SIM capable so it runs on tmobile… PLEASE there’s probably a few million waiting for that one…
Totally agree. Would love to see a MyTouch Super running at 1GHz. Why is T-Moble/HTC holding out on this?
It is out there, and it will come to T-Mobile in a month or two as either the “Vanguard” or “Vision”
http://www.androidguys.com/2010/07/10/tmos-htc-vision-htc-vanguard-21-mbps-hspa-smartphone/
Easiest one of the ugliest phones ever created. Good riddance.
Let me second that..!
I still have a G1. I cracked my screen and battery case.
You could donate it to me Devin. =)
Is the writer saying G1 users can upgrade to 2.0? How?
Look up Cyanogenmod. =]
You can root it and put the cyanogen mod on it. google it and follow their instructions to the letter and you can run 2.1 (2.2 soon) just fine. :3
2.2 already, though it’s only an RC, with the behaviour bugs inherent in an experimental build.
True. I bought this phone because it was the first running Android and I still consider it as the phone for geeks: Thick, heavy, ugly, slow and no one actually owns one. But I love it and I guess it takes some time unitl I will buy a new one. Even though all the tweaks I have applied beyond good and evil are tearing down the performance… ;)
G1 owner here, agree with every word. this is by far the most solid device I ever owned.
The G1 has been one of the best phones that I’ve owned. The battery life could have been better and I would have loved it, if Apps could be installed directly to the SD Card. My only complaint really would have to be T-Mobile. Alas when my contract is up, my G1 will be retired. Perhaps I’ll put under glass.
It is a little ugly, but my wife got two! I can’t speak for the keyboard because I use a Blackberry, but I do like the new Samsung Vibrant for TMo.
Potential G1 replacement? T-Mobile’s rumored “Project Emerald.” Likely to be the first phone with Android 3.0 (Gingerbread), either a 1.5GHz CPU or a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, a hardware keyboard, and all of the other stuff we expect in modern phones (lots of RAM, 8-32GB of space built-in, flash, etc.).
Rumor is that it will be developed by HTC and branded as a (very) high-end Sidekick device.
It’s supposed to release in November, just in time for the end of my contract. If T-Mobile can live up to the above, I’ll sign another 2 years. If not, I have 3 other carriers to choose from.
I’m still using my G1 and I still love it. I’ll likely switch to Verizon and grab their latest/greatest droid when my contract expires in September. But I will always remember this phone fondly. RIP G1
That they used such an underpowered device to launch the Android platform and “rival” the iPhone was an astronomical kick in the balls to anyone who bought one.
As a (now-reluctant) G1 owner, the fact that EVERY OTHER Android device released had a boosted amount of RAM and, in most cases, processor and yet G1 users were never compensated/upgraded/considered in any way was a nagging insult to the people who, for better or worse, were the foundings of a user base.
While there’s parts of the Google/Android environment that I like, the way they handled the G1/every other device transition and played the game rather than changed it with the N1 have me doubting my future use of Android. Contract’s up in March, we’ll see what happens then.
The most fitting eulogy to this endearing, but over-hyped device was actually penned before it was even released.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEYWtouy8eE
I will forever miss my G1. So many good memories.
*sheds a tear* I’ve supported android from day one with the G1. It’s been a great device. To this day I still use it rooted with Cyanogenmod and still can’t find a worthy replacement…
If Google had actually bothered to keep my G1 up to date I’d be shedding a tear as well right now.
Instead, I got a shiny new iPhone.
I admit I had some good times with my G1, but in the end due to lack of OS updates I was left with a bad taste in my mouth.
I’ll sure miss that keyboard though…
All this G1 retirement talk today inspired me to dig out my own broken beloved G1. I had one of the first Cyanogen roms on it when I accidentally dropped it in a glass of water…. never to work right again! :( I would so love to be able to get it working with a 2.2 rom but alas I think my G1 has gone to mobile heaven! I’m pretty happy with my Hero atm but next phone? Probably a Desire HD or G1 Blaze! I would rather go with the Blaze for the keyboard but from the blurrycam shots it looks like it will be inheriting it’s ugly looks from it’s predecessor! Why can’t HTC make a kick ass, top of the range slider, that looks cool also!? Not too much to ask is it??
I miss using my G1, have a vibrant now but the G1 was my first real smartphone. Remember Android back then? Soo clunky but we loved it. Awesome post.
oh no! I had a beta version when at Google, and I still have my G-1/Dream. I love it. Mine still “snaps” just as well and I haven’t given it up. I love the keyboard and find it easy to slip into a pocket when I need to. Maybe it’s more of a guy phone, but it works great for me. Since it’s unlocked, I didn’t have to deal with T-Mobile. Getting it (almost 2 years ago!) saved me from having to figure out my next phone. I will try not to drop it.
G1 is my best ever developement phone. I learnt a lot thro’ it. Ahh! I really really love it.
I live in the Netherlands, EU. I bought a G1 brand new, simlock free. It’s T-Mobile branded on the outside, but I put my kpn simcard in it. I have had (and used) this phone since the beginning of ’09. I have always loved it. It has crashed hard once, but after recovery it came back. I am still happy with it, although it’s running 1.6. I am looking to get a replacement now, but I will keep it around anyway. G1, you’re the best!
I got my black T-mobile G1 just after it launched. It was my first contract phone and my first smartphone. My phone before that was a Sony Ericsson z610i, it was a simple phone but did everything I expected at the time (text messages and calls).
The G1 made me realise what I had been missing, it brought me into a new world. I shudder at the thought of not having full internet access with me at all times, I can’t imagine what that would be like now.
It felt chunky, it looked like a brick, the battery wasn’t great but damn it I didn’t care. It never failed me, until the weeks before my new phone arrived (HTC Desire). It froze once and the usb socket cover fell off, it was like it knew it’s time was up and it could finally let go and be at peace.
It wasn’t until I had the Desire sat next to it that I realised how decidedly average every aspect of it was. But while I used it, the G1 was never average to me, and it will always be remembered (along with the £70 recycling credit I got).
They may replace your screen, but they will never replace your keyboard. RIP T-Mobile G1.
Still using my G1. Grabbed mine shortly after launch on eBay and unlocked it for AT&T usage. Even lacking 3G (wrong frequency), the tiny ROM space (partly fixed with DangerSPL), tiny amount of RAM (partly fixed with swap2sd), and slow processor (er… yeah) I haven’t found a worthy successor yet.
Hoping that the Samsung Galaxy S Epic will turn out to be everything I want/need… a speedy cpu, goodly RAM, and a five-row physical keyboard because on-screen keyboards SUCK. Would like it more with a SIM-capable provider, but hey.
Even so, I’m probably going to keep my G1 as a nightstand clock if nothing else.. the slide is still rock-solid, the screen hasn’t scratched, and I even still have the USB flap.
Well i ain’t got a G1 but i got the HTC Magic aka G2 phone and i am still really pleased with it, the only thing that annoys me is i got an unlocked version and it won’t allow me to do the OTA updates so i still on 1.5
I know i could root it but i don’t like to mess about like that.
Still using my G1as well. Great phone. Love the physical keyboard. And since I got a new battery, battery life hasn’t been an issue at all.
The keyboard was excellent. Got an HTC Desire now and still miss a ‘proper’ keyboard.
I bought my G1 off of someone on Craigslist. Since then I’ve taken it to: New Zealand, the geographic South Pole, back to New Zealand, Thailand and Cambodia, across China, the Thar Desert in India, all around Europe, Morocco, Peru, and Ecuador. It spent most of the time in my front left pocket, and it still works perfectly.
I used as an alarm clock at the South Pole, to check email in New Zealand (where it got better Wifi connectivity than my netbook), translate between English and traditional Chinese characters while waiting at a train station in Xi’an, review a PDF of a guide to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, check metro information in Madrid, play Chrono Trigger in the Olso-Rygge airport while waiting for a delayed flight, and call home when I got back to Minneapolis. Among other things.
My G1 is now sitting on the counter charging. Best phone I’ve had yet.
RIP the G1…