Ever since Google announced Android 2.0 on the Motorola Droid, everyone has eagerly wanted a piece of the scrumptious Eclair, but the future wasn’t looking too good for faithful G1 owners. There were a few rumors stating Android 2.0 for the G1 was coming, but no release date was specified. But now, according to an internal T-Mobile Forum, a Moderator states that Android 2.0 for the G1 is rumored to make its way to G1 handsets by the end of January. Of course this should be taken as a grain of salt, and until there is further confirmation, this is going under rumors column for now. Leave your thoughts and hopes in the comments!
Well, there was some pretty bleak news in today’s Q1 subscriber report but there was a bright spot for the G1. While obviously the million number sold is comparably small to iPhone sales, for T-mobile, its an impressive number regardless. According to the guys over at Telephony, the really interesting number is that T-mobile has roughly 1.5 million devices currently operating on its 3G network, which gives the G1 a 67% market share. While T-mobile had high hopes for its 3G network with the G1 and its attraction to high dollar data users, T-mobile has still yet to see the massive influx of high power users it was hoping for. Clearly they need other devices to help boost and showcase the power of their still coming out of infancy 3G network.
So the guys over at Androidandme sent a link over with some videos that definitely don’t look to be T-mobile official but still do a better job of selling the phone than the “official” commercials do. Created by Los Angeles “design collective” A Friend of Yours these videos are definitely worth a glimpse. Also, its a slow news day.
As it turns out all you crazy application downloaders are helping to drive the T-mobile G1 to a healthy sales position for T-mobile. According to the most recent comscore report, the G1 is the most profitable device for T-mobile, even so its only the 8th most sold device. Guess those required data plans are really paying off for the big magenta as is that $179.99 price point.
As most news outlets are pointing out, the secret seems to lie in the touchscreens as the iPhone and Blackberry Storm are also number 1 in profit for their respective carriers regardless of also being 8th and 9th in sales. So while some of you may remain touchscreen haters, the numbers speak and only gives credence to the idea that we will see more and more touchscreens as the year wears on.
I came across an article from Fiercewireless this morning regarding the android application market and I got a little intrigued by a quote from T-mobile CTO Cole Brodman:
T-Mobile CTO Cole Brodman said the average user of a T-Mobile G1, the first and (only, for now) phone in North America running on Google’s Android platform, has downloaded about 40 applications onto their phone.
According to the article, 2300 applications currently exist on the Android market so I’m curious, how many apps have you REALLY downloaded??
Still wanting to pick up that black G1, head on over to Amazon for some serious savings! 82 dollars to be exact! For that kind of savings, you might have to think that desire to own a white G1 and head over to the dark side! Two-year contract required!
This little advertisement came to my attention via the guys over at AndroidCentral who like me, found some great humor in the last few seconds of the vid. Starting off with praises for the G1 from the usual gadget blog suspects, the video eneds with a “speechless” quote from a particular “Steve” whose last name is conspicuously left anonymously. Enjoy!
While I normally stay away from individual application reviews for the G1, I believe the prospect and announcement of full on turn by turn navigation for the G1 is absolutely post worthy.
This morning Telenav announced that starting February 24th they would begin offering their turn by turn GPS services for the T-mobile based G1. With full color graphics, one-click rerouting, and more than 10 million points of interest, you’ll also get speech recognition, weather updates, traffic alerts and more! What is more you ask? Try business finder, gas by price, preplanned trips through the telenav site and sent directly to your phone, and restaurant reviews!
With a 30 day free trial, the telenav service will cost $9.99 a month after the trial period. Very not bad if you consider the overall cost of a gps unit offering similiar features could run $150 plus! Not to mention how much I would love to do away with the crappy suction cup Garmin provided for me and just carry and use one device.
For the moment you’ll be able to take advantage of this awesome new service only through the Telenav website with an Android market launch expected later this year.
