We take a look at the official T-Mobile G2 features as well as look back to the beginning of the revolution. What was the T-Mobile G1 all about?
If good things come in small packages, the upcoming T-Mobile G2 is as small as it can get. The T-Mobile G2 is basically the carrier's new jewel that'll take on competitors such as the Motorola Droid 2 and Samsung Epic 4G. If you're currently using the original T-Mobile G1, it's worth noting that the T-Mobile G2 will not be a regular successor, but a "revolution" like T-Mobile likes to call it. Here's what the T-Mobile G2 will have to offer when being released later this fall:
  
3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen
800MHz Snapdragon CPU
Android 2.2 with Flash Player 10.1
14.4Mbps HSPA+ connectivity
Hinged, slide-out QWERTY thumbboard
4GB NAND flash
8GB microSD card bundled in sales package
5-megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording
3.5mm audio jack
Swype text input
Pinch-to-Zoom for Web browsing and Photo Gallery
Dedicated Quick Keys for your favorite Google shortcuts and apps
Microsoft Exchange support
Pre-loaded Google services
Android Market with 80,000+ applications, games and widgets
When you compare the above feature list with the T-Mobile G1, it basically paints a clear picture of how rapidly Android has developed since mid-October 2008. The release of the T-Mobile G2 will mark the two-year anniversary of Android availability in the U.S., and while waiting for pre-orders to begin, we've dug up a story we wrote prior to the G1 announcement back in September 2008 that we think fits pretty well here:
T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream), Google Android: What's it about?
Building up to tomorrow's unveiling of the first Google Android based smartphone, the T-Mobile G1 by HTC, there's been a whole lot of wild reporting on what Google ultimately wants to accomplish by "going mobile". Let's take a look at the principal ideas of it all:
Principal idea #1
Have leading mobile industry companies working together on common standards to avoid further fragmentation of the mobile market. As such, the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) was established. At first sight, the alliance obviously lacks some key players, but that doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, it is OHA members like Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Broadcom and Intel that ultimately decides what's possible to do with a handset or internet tablet.
Principal idea #2
Offer an open-source operating system that can handle any kind of platform and hardware environment, ensuring that whatever the OHA members plan to do, they can do it by using Google Android as the operating system. The first phone to hit store shelves is the T-Mobile G1 phone, which has been manufactured by HTC based on a Qualcomm chipset.
Principal idea #3
Let the "Facebook generation" create services and applications for the new devices emerging, without the requirement of expensive development software, license costs and everything else that suppresses young geniuses from succeeding. With help from the Open Handset Alliance and Google Android, mobile projects brought to life in dorm rooms and garages around the world will get a smooth start.
Principal idea #4
Create an advertising model that'll encourage all involved parties to offer cheaper or more advanced offerings. Let's use Twitter as an example: Alerting people by SMS is an advanced offering, but the costs involved are insane. With help from the Open Handset Alliance and Google Android, Twitter and others coming after can do more advanced stuff with less costs. Ultimately, it could all lead to new messaging services, for both consumers and corporate customers that are both useful and for instance free.
And that's why the Google Android and the Open Handset Alliance is promising. They will simply offer change for those who see the possibilities of it all. The real challenge moving forward, however, is that the masses will not be attracted by theoretical possibilities, but real services and handsets that are better than what's already offered. Tomorrow, we'll know more about how that'll turn out initially. Stay tuned for our T-Mobile G1 launch coverage!
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