Fast Talk

Not yet. Maybe after a few iterations. Apple has too much of a stranglehold on the market. And the mindshare of the public.

First, A general rule of the thumb. Any product 1.0 should be avoided. Secondly, It's not Google's smart-phone, it's T-mobile's smart-phone. Google does not own the hardware side (only software), that goes to HTC. So when you talk about iPhone, are you talking about the "entire experience" . . if so, potentially yes . . but not at the 1.0 version it is at now.

According the folks at Gizmodo, there are quite a few features of the G1 that are dealbreakers. No headphone jack, no video playback, no internal storage for media playback, no multitouch, no desktop syncing app, and it's so tightly integrated with your Google acct. that you can only use one Google acct. with the phone, just to name a few. So it looks like this version of the phone, and Android 1.0 are far from being valid iPhone competitors.

I don't think that it will unseat Apple loyalists, for they are an emotional bunch, but it sure will attract the business travelers that prefer not to lug around a laptop on short trips, but still want the ease and convenience of a keyboard, no matter how small.

Yes. Apple is limited to AT&T for the time being, so there is a big opportunity for Google to gain some significant market share.

Not unless it wears the Sun Miccorsystems brand...Sun Microsystems#1.

Will Google's first smartphone give the iPhone a run for its money? No. But Google's second, third, and fourth smartphones on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will collectively edge into Apple's market share and start an innovation war. Google's alleged openness (we'll see how Larry & Sergey react once someone codes an Android app that competes with a Google product like Mobile Maps) will also draw the DIY development crowd. As far as product shortcomings go, I think what you're seeing is the reality of engineering vs. expectations. People decried the loss of the IR port on many PDA phones a few years ago, but tradeoffs had to be made. A single port that allows for USB synchronization, device charging and that serves as a headphone interface if preferable to 2 or 3 ports on the underside (or on top of) the phone. Multi-touch requires a sophisticated combination of hardware and software, and Apple first introduced such a concept back in 2005 (which of course meant it spent a few years in the labs being perfected prior to that). Everything else - video recording, desktop synchronization, stereo Bluetooth support - will come as the API matures and the phone's OS spreads to other platforms and wireless carriers.

Yes.

To the specific question, "Google's *first* smartphone", the answer is no. This HTC dud is hardly a threat. Some first movers may give it a shot out of sheer curiosity. But that's it. I'm surprised Google went with this crappy device but then there aren't many options other than Blackberry and Nokia, which are themselves deeply entrenched in their OSes. Secondly, and more importantly, this is NOT a "Google smartphone". This is a smartphone based on Google's OS. If anything, Google competes with Windows Mobile or Symbian. The only difference is the openness of the software. Please recognize the difference between hardware and software. iPhone competes in both spaces, which has been Apple's integrated model all along. Google's Android is only challenging the software side of that behemoth.

No, but it will sure give Microsoft some trouble trying to increase their market share.

Yes, I bought the first generation iPhone but in order to buy a replacement I'd have to change contracts and double my monthly bill. Maybe no one noticed the recession? I'll switch to T-Mobile and save $40 a month, plus the phone is under $200. So yeah, I'm buying it in three short weeks.