T-Mobile G1 now available

Posted by Chris Ziegler

Now that T-Mobile’s systematic discrimination against non-T-Mobile customers (how dare they?) has come to an end, we can all exhale, pull out our credit cards and get to maxin’ out the plastic. That’s right — the Android-powered G1 is now available for sale from T-Mob’s website to all comers, though we’re only seeing the black and bronze models listed at the moment and both are tagged with an ominous “extremely limited availability” label which tells us they probably won’t be there long. $179.99′s the price on two-year contract, and if they do sell out online, don’t sweat it just yet — sweep your local stores today.

Motorola’s Android slider getting social in Q2 2009?

by Thomas Ricker

Motorola: a name that oozes with apathy amongst gadget aficionados these days. But what if we added the words “Android” and “Social” to the mix, would you once again take notice of the world’s most invisible number 1 seller of handsets? According to BusinessWeek, Moto’s Google-ified handset will feature an “iphone-like touch-screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a host of social-network-friendly features.” BusinessWeek’s sources say that the device takes its design cues from the Krave ZN4 while resembling a high-end version of the T-Mobile G1 from HTC (while selling for less). Apparently Moto has been shopping the spec-sheet and images around to carriers over the last few months in preparation for a Q2 2009 US launch (Europe in Q3 2009) for the MySpaceBook crowd. Unfortunately for Moto, we expect the market to be flooded with Android handsets by then.

Source: Engadget

T-Mobile G1 review

by Joshua Topolsky

It’s hard to believe, but rumors of a “Googlephone” have been floating around since 2006. To put it in perspective, the first Gphone post on Engadget was written by Peter Rojas. Needless to say, it’s been a long, slow ride to get to Android, the Open Handset Alliance, and ultimately the T-Mobile G1. If we said expectations were high for the introduction of this device, it would be an understatement. It’s not every day that a company with the stature of Google announces it’s getting into the phone game, and it’s certainly not every day that an honest-to-goodness innovator comes along. That last time the team at Engadget got this stoked for a device, it was a little something called the iPhone — and you know how that turned out. Will Android and the G1 live up to the hype? Is this the first coming of a serious new contender in the mobile space, or has the triple threat of Google, HTC, and T-Mobile not delivered on their promises? We’ve put both the device and the software through its paces to bring you the definitive review of the T-Mobile G1 and Android, so read on to get your answers.

Motorola Krave ZN4 review roundup

We had a feeling we’d get a mixed bag of reviews as soon as we first saw the Motorola Krave ZN4 — it’s one of those love it or hate it type things, you know? In some cases, reviewers chose to focus on the positives, noting that it was cute, unique, a good music player and a phone that would last and last without a recharge. Another batch of critics couldn’t hold back the whip, pointing out that it lacked WiFi, packed a lackluster browser, included yawn-worthy software and offered a keyboard that was “straight-up awkward.” As expected, overall ratings hovered between just below average to just above average, and it seems this phone will be exactly what you make it out to be. Moto fans will likely have plenty to cheer about, but those without a dog in the fight may want to give the writeups below a more thorough glance before dropping $149.99 and agreeing to a super-sized 2-year commitment.

Main Source: Engadget

Other Sources:
Read – PC Magazine
Read – PhoneScoop
Read – Laptop Mag
Read – DigitalTrends
Read – CNET