Can Google take a bite of the Apple?
Caitriona Palmer on the 'G1 Phone' launched this week in New York
Saturday September 27 2008
Move over Apple. The Google phone is here. Hoping to take a bite out of iPhone's Christmas market, Google's much-anticipated G1 phone was met with some tepid reviews on its debut this week, with critics pointing to a number of shortcomings.
But even if the search engine giant's first foray into mobile phones is not as sleek as Apple's iPhone, industry experts say Google's new device represents a serious long-term threat to Apple's domination of the market.
Clunkier than an iPhone and a tad heavier, the G1 is available in three separate colours -- brown, black and white -- and offers users many of the same features of the Apple product, including a full web browser, an online market to buy games and software, a music player and camera.
But unlike the Apple iPhone, the touch pad screen of the G1 slides back to reveal a more traditional computer keypad -- a clever feature to lure away Apple customers who dislike the iPhone's virtual keypad.
It also has a funky security detail that requires users to slide their fingers over a series of dots to get into the phone. Instead of having to remember yet another password, G1 owners will simply just have to remember what kind of line to draw to join their series of dots.
And in a snub to the iPhone and the massively popular iPod, the G1 comes with a special application developed in association with the retail giant Amazon that allows customers access to over six million music tracks in Amazon's online store.
While the design on the outside may not break new ground, the software on the inside is what sets the phone apart and makes Google's venture a genuine threat to Apple.
The G1 uses Google's 'Android' operating system software and makes it available to other phone companies to develop. Google is gambling that its programmer-friendly software will become the industry standard for mobiles, in the same way that Microsoft's Windows software became the standard for PCs.
The G1 phone could be the first of many phones using the 'Android' software, said Charles Golvin, principal analyst at Forrester Research.
"What matters to Google is having as many devices out there as possible that they can deliver their services to and, importantly, deliver advertising to their customers," Mr Golvin said.
Google is hoping that the G1 and any other phone using 'Android' will bring a vast number of consumers online, enabling the company to make more money through its search and advertising services.
The G1 -- which is a combined effort of Google, the hardware manufacture HTC, and telephone company T-Mobile -- was eagerly anticipated as the first real competitor to the iPhone. But so far it's been a disappointment, at least in its first incarnation.
According to the critics, the G1 is too heavy and feels a little cheap, with a track ball that is less than perfect. And, unlike the iPhone, there is no video playback.
Even worse, regular headphones won't work on the G1. Customers have to get a special adapter if they want to listen to music.
"I have to ask, why bother including a media player at all if you're going to make it a hassle to use headphones," wrote Eric Zeman in a blog from Information Week magazine.
The G1 will go on sale in the US next month, will land on British shores in November and will be available in the rest of Europe in early 2009. It's not yet clear when the G1 will hit Ireland.
- CAITRIONA PALMER
