To G-Phone or not to G-Phone

[Klast Brell]

I have been coveting the T-Mobile G1 AKA HTC Dream AKA Android AKA Google Phone. For the most part I was just reading articles in various gadget blogs and tech news sites and feeling major gadget lust. I had told my wife about how nifty I thought it was. I was not planning on doing anything about it because me current cell contract is not up for another 8 months.

But my wife just asked me if I wanted one for X-mass. Suddenly I'm thrown in to turmoil. I have a dark secret. I'm a cheap bastard. A penny pincher. I hate spending extravagant amounts of money on luxury items. And because I am married anything my wife buys me will be bought with "Our Money". So really the question is, do I want to buy myself a G-Phone?

There are lots of things I like about it:
Tight intergration with Google Mail and calendar. Anny change made on any computer is updated to the phone automatically and vice-versa.
Open Source platform means that lots of really cool applications are already out and lots more are sure to come. An especially cool one lets you set the ringer based on location. Now I don't have to remember to turn the ringer off when I'm in school, or remember to turn it back on once I leave class.

On the other hand:
It's a 1.0 device. First generation always has bugs and kinks to work out.
I hate paying the early adopter tax. later generation models will be more capable and or cheaper.
By this time next year i will be looking at all the much cooler 2nd generation devices and feeling like a tool for buying the original.

But I want it. I really want it so bad. I just don't know if I should. What do you think of the phone, the platform, etc?

[Freecare Spiritwise]

Sprint has said that the OS isn't ready for prime time, so they won't be carrying the phone. I despise them with a passion, but they're probably right. Shit, the iPhone is probably still not ready for prime time, and it's on the 2nd generation. Google is a sharp company, but I'd give it a year or so to make sure that you're not paying your hard earned mula to be a beta tester.

[Ddrak]

I'd go with an iPhone over a G-Phone for now. At least the iPhone is at v2.1 and definitely improving for all those revisions. Google also has absolutely no experience in a commodity market and has a history of dropping stuff on the floor if it doesn't take off so I'd be really, really careful.

Dd

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I'd echo what Dd said.

[Fobbon Lazyfoot]

Call tech support and troubleshoot your G phone that doesn't work before you buy one. If you get really pissed off because they tell you to turn the phone on and off six times, then don't buy it.

[Alluveal]

I dunno. I'm just trying to get only my name in the "last post" column.