MuniWireless

T-Mobile rolled out its latest device, the G1 phone which uses Android (Google’s open-source OS for mobile devices). Now that the hype has finally died down, here’s my take on the phone:

• it’s rather ugly: cheap plastic keyboard, looks too much like all the other old devices with their cheap plastic keyboards (thinking of the Sidekick)
• no desktop syncing application
• no video playback except for YouTube; you need an SD card for music or video playback
• you can use only one Google account with the phone
• no headphone jack
• the device is not really open because you can’t run VOIP apps on the 3G connection
• SIM locked to T-Mobile but they will unlock it after 90 days
• price: $179 with a two-year (!) contract
• the data plus voice subscription plan is convoluted and pricey (you have to pay an extra $25 for data on top of your voice plan)
• there’s a data cap of 1GB; if you exceed this limit, T-Mobile bumps you down to the slowest speeds imaginable, turning your G1 into an ugly brick (update: T-Mobile says it is simply “reviewing” the cap).

So which device would you rather have?

T-Mobile G1

OR

3G iPhone