T-Mobile Android G1 Launch Liveblog: It's Got A Compass!

Posted Sep 23, 2008 by John Biggs (@johnbiggs)

10:06 AM We’re here and we’re ready to rock.
10:08 AM Doug is uploading official press images. That was pretty fast.
10:12 AM Sorry. The time is set an hour ahead. It’s 10:12am in NYC right now.
10:14 AM 15 minutes to go.
10:22 AM Hello Techcrunch readers.
10:26 AM www.crunchgear.com
10:27 AM
10:29 AM
10:31 AM Cole Brodman – we can’t be face to face anymore.
10:31 AM Technology has bridged that gap.
10:31 AM Cole is the CTO and CIO for T-Mobile
10:31 AM New mobile Internet of the future.
10:32 AM Introducing the other folks – Andy Rubin and Chrstopher Schlaffer
10:32 AM Andy is Senior Director of Mobile Platforms
10:32 AM Peter Chou, CEO HTC is here.
10:32 AM Christopher speaking
10:33 AM Launching G1 on both sides of the Atlantic
10:33 AM expect it it in Europe
10:34 AM Superior user experience. Pioneering approach to open up the wireless Internet.
10:34 AM T-Mo is the first telecoms operator to move away from walled gardens and protals
10:35 AM 250% increase in internet traffic
10:35 AM Founding member of the open handset alliance.
10:35 AM Erick will be joining me.
10:36 AM Not much exciting to photograph right now.
10:36 AM Andy Rubin coming up
10:36 AM Schlaffer talking about how DT has already grown SMS and Web traffic even without a real mobile Web phone.
10:36 AM Andy Rubin comes up. Google was founded on the Internet.
10:37 AM Introducting Peter Chou from HTC
10:38 AM Expects there’s a big celebration in Mountain View right now.
10:38 AM Rubin: With Android we are bringing some of those [Internet] strategies to the mobile phone. Developer will be able to develop on it and also to modify it. Because it is open,it is somewhat future proof.
10:38 AM Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. Congratulations all around. Talking about the “tremendous effort” to make this Open Handset Alliance/Android possible
10:39 AM announcement.t-mobileg1.com – remember you can watch the whole show at tmo.
10:40 AM
10:40 AM Android is nimble, flexible, and powerful.
10:40 AM
10:41 AM Confirmed – G1 Phone is $179
10:41 AM Out on October 22
10:42 AM open systems and open standards – embracing third parties.
10:42 AM Open handset alliance – devices, apps, and new services allow folks to embrace the mobile Internet.
10:42 AM
10:44 AM Finally running the video showing off the G1. Lots of fingers flying everywhere. Love the Sidekick-like keyboard.
10:46 AM Cole Brodman, T-Mobile CTO: “Let’s not tease you any longer. Let’s take a detailed view of whatthis device can do” Rolls another video.
10:46 AM That keyboard is the one thing so far that sets it apart from the iPhone, methinks.
10:46 AM Video: great touch screen, you can swipe, can frame and rop a photo to homescreen (just like the iPhone!). Drag and drop, baby.
10:48 AM Street view and google maps look great.
10:48 AM Compass mode – scene moves as you move around.
10:48 AM Slide out keyboard. Google Talk, Google Maps with directions and traffic view, street view with landmarks (again, just like the Phone). But this is cool: compass mode in Street view, the scene moves as you do.
10:49 AM Facebook looks good in the browser. That’s Webkit for ya.
10:49 AM Music player. With one “long press you can go deeper into what you are really interested in.” I like the sound of that.
10:50 AM UI is pretty darn nice. It’s what Symbian should be at this point in the game.
10:50 AM Android Market – download games and apps
10:50 AM Dedicated search button on keyboard. Ooh, yeah, that’s like the equivalent of bundling MSFT IE or Office on the desktop. Watch out, Redmond.
10:50 AM Pac Man is the killer app
10:51 AM Cole Brodman: He loves it. Talks about promise of open development environment. “We really believe open is going to drive the future of the mobile Internet.”
10:55 AM Cole: introduces third party parners. Eco Real (?) let’s you track your carbon footprint.
10:55 AM Eco Rio, I think.
10:56 AM
10:56 AM Cole: Next is shopsavvy, barcode scanner, gives you comparative pricing on goods. (Yeah, we wrote about them).
10:56 AM
10:57 AM Cole: pricing will be $179.
10:57 AM
10:57 AM Existing T-Mo customers can order today
10:57 AM PRICING: $179
10:58 AM Existing T-Mobile customers can order them online. Commercial launch date is October 22. $25 data plan with unlimited Web, limited messaging. $35 unlimited. So no free email. Guess Fortune was wrong about dat one.
10:58 AM
10:58 AM Large Metro Areas get T-Mo 3G
10:58 AM Launching 3G network nationwide.
10:58 AM
10:59 AM in UK early November, rest of Europe 2009.
10:59 AM Andy Rubin: We will go broader with more features and functionality.
11:00 PM Q: Will this function as a tethered modem, and can you just get the voiceplan?
11:01 PM Q: Can it read Word docs? Exchange compatibility? Is the device simlocked to T-Mobile?
11:01 PM A: can’t use it as tethered modem, need to buy data plan.
11:02 PM Rubin: Can read Word docs, Excel, no Exchange, but opportunity for third party developer.
11:02 PM Email will be push.
11:02 PM Cole: It will be SIMlocked.
11:02 PM Is there a desktop syncing app?
11:02 PM Cole: Not a desktop application.
11:03 PM Cole: Best experience will where we have 3G. Will also have WiFi.
11:03 PM Q: SIM lock question. How locked is it going to be?
11:04 PM Cole: No guarantees in technology. But we’ve locked it.
11:04 PM Q: What kind of marketing push and will Google participate?
11:05 PM
11:05 PM video is coming. it’s not ready to roll yet.
11:06 PM Cole: Integrated marketing plan. Will be the biggest marketing campaign we have ever launched for a mobile device. [And guess who will be paying for that? They don’t say, but sounds like Google is throwing in advertising dollars]
11:06 PM Q: Will it use teh Chrome browser?
11:06 PM We’ll put the video back up as a standalone video.
11:06 PM Rubin: It is Chrome-like. Based on teh same underlying technology [Webkit], but Chrome is for the desktop, our browser if for the mobile device.
11:08 PM Q: What are the future plans for Gmail. Anything out of the box that the G1 will do differently than with the iPhone.
11:08 PM Rubin gives a non-answer. Gmail is great, multi-threading, blah, blah,blah {So no diferentthan Phone]
11:08 PM Q; Does it work with iTunes and Skype?
11:08 PM Online presence is an amazing concept. You essentially don’t have to be “away” anymore. But do we want that…
11:09 PM Every contact will have an online presence. This will have a huge effect on GTalk implementation
11:09 PM Larry Page and Sergey Brin surprise visit!
11:10 PM Come on rollerblades (brin and Page, that is)
Brin “I’m a bit of a geek. I like tinkering with things.”
11:12 PM Brin: i get that same kind fo pleasure playing with tehG1. I have been using it in my pocket for a while now. The first app I wrote was one where you throw the phone up in the air and it calculates how much time it takes to hit the ground, using the accelerometer.
11:12 PM Page: I suggested we not ship that app.
11:13 PM
11:13 PM Page: There are 3 billion mobile phones. This is as good a computer you had a few years ago. When you think of that in terms of access to the Web, that is a tremendous opportunity.
11:13 PM Page: the speed differnce between using a phone and a laptop is still pretty big. being able to do search with the fidelity you used to have on your laptop is a big deal.
11:14 PM
11:16 PM That’s it.
11:19 PM Cole: Supports AAC, WMA, MP3, but the content would have to be DRM-unlocked. [So they support, openness, and DRM free in music, but when it comes to the SIM not so open].