By While Google stopped offering the Nexus One well before the Android engineers took full advantage of its hardware, we can’t say that the device has reached “true” end-of-life: Google’s just not going to be the ones to get it into your hands. Unfortunately, the original “Google Phone” (Remember that one?) – what we hold close to our hearts as the T-Mobile G1 (or Android Dev Phone 1 and HTC Dream for a lot of you) – is officially being given its walking papers.
After a year and nine months, the first Android phone to start the craze that we salivate over today has been officially pulled from the market. It was a very ambitious device: 192MB of RAM, 256MB of internal storage, 512MHz Qualcomm ARM11 processor, a 3.2-inch HVGA screen, and one of the greatest keyboard designs we’ve ever seen on a smartphone. At the time, this was state of the art merchandise: you weren’t “hip” if you didn’t have one of these (and you aren’t “hip” if you actually use that word).
Unfortunately, technology moves so fast that the G1 eventually couldn’t keep up. Even with groups like Cyanogen still bringing the latest innovations out of Google’s Mountain View, California campus to the G1, they have to sacrifice hardware intensive features (the “bells and whistles” as some may put it) to keep the little engine going. Over time, new devices have emerged that would eventually overshadow the G1. Throughout your Samsung Galaxy phones, your MyTouch 3G handsets, and your HTC Heroes, the G1 could still hold its own.
Unfortunately, those devices are nothing compared to the devices we have today. New processor technology, more RAM, better cameras, more internal storage: just better and more of everything across the board. The day’s come where the pioneer that started it all has to lay his hat down and walk away from it. We’ll never forget the G1, but we will proudly move on as we realize it’s done its job in ushering in a new era of smartphones. It didn’t just influence the way we use them, but the way we think about them – Android users cherish their phones, the operating system it runs, and the mascot that carries the big green flag with unrivaled tenacity. The ship will continue to sail for a long time coming – and new “flagship” devices will take the helm each and every month – but the G1 will always be the phone that started the movement of the fastest growing mobile operating system to date.
[Update]: I almost forgot that I promised Rob I’d find some way to get this video back onto the site. It had to be the right time, and it had to be relevant. I can’t seem to think of any other time that would be better than today to honor the G1. I present to all of you (that didn’t see it back when he first “dropped” it): G1 Love by Rob Jackson.
[via Android Guys]
It had to happen eventually but the G1 pioneered by changing the phone game and will not be forgotten for it.
I think this link should be included in this story and I’m sure Rob would agree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bk9aImCTqE&videos=KBVIIiblFxM
My girlfriend still uses her G1. I’ve since upgraded to a Nexus One.
Long live Android.
If we go from the G1 to devices like the EVO, N1, Droid etc in less than two years; please, bring on the next two years quickly!
Long live the HTC Tmobile G1. The Father of Android.
i loved my G1, it turned me into the Android fanboy that I am now. i’ve since upgraded to an Evo, and it’s awesome. the android OS is just amazing, nothing can top it.
I plan keeping mine forever as a collectors piece!
And for the memory… I loved this phone!
My first Android phone the G1, got it when it was first released, still loving it even though I have an Evo. G1, will always live in my heart and in my room…
The G1 started the whole Android craze, at that time nobody knew what android was. at first, the g1 was ahead of it’s time. Even though the G1 was an amazing phone, it still hasn’t really used the Android OS to it’s fullest. google had much more ambition. that is why they brought us the nexus one. the G1 showed us the Android OS, while the Nexus One showed us what it is truly capable of! Both phones started a new wave of mobile devices, the g1 started the whole android crave, and the nexus one started to push other manufacturers to create extreme power house phones!
i will keep my G1 til t-mobile releases a high end phone with a hardware keyboard, that’s NOT the mytouch slide. I want something comparable to the Droid, (woulda bought the milestone online, but no 3g connectivity =( ) and at this point that’s getting old so whatever’s the next step. G1 FTW!!!
It’s funny that if TMobile had decided not to stock this device I don’t think Android would have worked…
Well S, it looks like the G1 Blaze should do it for ya. im very impatient on my g1 aswell, but now im just going to wait or Emerald, but that most likely wont have the hard keyboard. G1 were still alive thanks to cyanogen and xda giving us froyo, but we’ll be out by the end of the year.
@Tom. I completely agree. At the risk of sounding like a fan-boy, Android is by far the best mobile OS I have used hands down and I owe it all to leap of faith with the G1.
R.I.P. my great friend
T-Mobile G1/HTC Dream
November 2008 – July 2010
We’ll Miss You
I use my G1 (HTC-Dream) as my main phone and love it!
I was once cool with my state of the art G1. Now I’m… not.
It’s amazing that no one has been able to make a better device as far as user input that this phone. The combination of having a 5 row keyboard, as well as 4 hardware keys and a trackball make this phone great for entering information.
Why is it so hard for the manufacturers to make a great phone? All you need to do is make a G1 with a 4 inch screen, 1ghz processor and 16gb of memory.
I still use my G1. I’ve never had a problem with it with the exception of the “C” key on the keyboard being harder to push and the frustration of the speed and storage. I’m with s and KC. I’m holding on to it until they have something updated and comparable. I hear that Android 3 should be out this winter with the minimum requirements being 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of ram. There are also rumors of a T-mo phone with 2 GHz processor around the same time. So, we’ll see.
RIP G1. Can’t say anything since article said it all. But knew it was over 2 month ago since my supervisor was given a mytouch 3g and a replacement.
I upgraded to the Nexus but I’m still holding onto my G1 for nostalgia reasons. It’s been a great phone and it hooked me on Android. Great device and thank you T-Mobile for opening the door to Android.
Had my g1 since release day and day 1 of android. I always used to say this OS would take off, and now look at where this platform is today. My g1 sleeps right next to my nexus :D
I got my wife and I the g1 on feburary 16th of 2009. We both still use it. I was going to get the vibrant but am going to wait for the epic. I have used samsung for my last two phones. They were very good to me. I washed them at least once and after letting them air out for a few days both worked fine. The galaxy s phone is exactly what I have been waiting for the last 4 months for and the epic is going to be the best phone for at least 4 months. I love my G1 wish they put more Rom/Ram and onboard storage and I would not be looking for another phone. Also, bigger screen. 3.5 would of been good. More Ram would of really made it much more peppy.
for those interested, and in the area, the tmo kiosk at washington square in oregon has one black g1 left.
I still have my G1. I got it last October. We’re like two peas in a pod.
What’s kinda funny is that there are *still* a ton of legacy sites and app names with “G1” in them. It just goes to show how influential the G1 really was. :)
If there were a hall of fame, you’d be in it, buddy.
I cried. G1 was my first Android phone, so I will always remember it. Enjoy the afterlife G1.
Man, it’s the Amiga 500 all over again… I had a C64, a Timex-Sinclair, an Amiga 500, then a 2000, so OF COURSE I bought a Dream/G1/ADP1. Now even my wife’s cheapy Motorola Backflip is better.
Why not upgrade? Well, I had this extra money back in early 2009… my pay had gotten messed up and I found myself with a backpay bonus one day. So I got the ADP1. I was able to spend the $400 on myself, almost guilt-free. But I can’t bear to spend that much money or more on a Nexus One or some other new android- not when there’s all kinds of stuff my kids need/want. Crap. It’s rough being a dad…
i got the g1 the day it came out and i am still loving it today. it is the best physical keyboard iv ever used. i can’t/wont upgrade to anything less. the phone still blows me away and i will always love this beast.
I really think Rob should have wrote this story and not Quentyn, its only fair since the only person writing stories when the G1 came out was Rob for many months. He probably would have written something with more heart in it and not a generic story. Also I’m glad Quentyn thought of putting that video in his story before anybody suggested it.
Quentyn FTW
RIP G1
The G1 got me into the whole Android craze. I still have mine and I passed unto my brother who appreciates it and takes good care of it. RIP my friend.
If most android phones had a 5 row keyboard, trackball and 4 buttons, we’d have so many games that you couldn’t get on an iPhone. Instead, people wanted to copy the iPhone and game developers decided that if you want to play a game like an iPhone, you might as well get a real iPhone.
I love my G1, its been great to me, am I somewhat envious of my friends and their droids and droidx’s… sure. But this phone has been dropped kicked stepped on and barely has a mark to show for it. It’s with me everywhere I go, and I feel naked when I forget it. I’ll be picking up a droid2, droidx, incredible, or whatever the latest and greatest is when my contract expires in September, but I’ll always love my G1. RIP my friend
Because of you G1, I now have a hobby that keeps me nearly broke………but it’s worth it.
ari-free, Not sure what you are trying to say, but it sounds like you might be an “I” FanBoy and may have become lost. For those of us that love to play games on an Android device we also insist that it work as a telephone too so that rules out the IPhone.
@jdog understandable of you to feel that way, but I’ve been following Android for a long time, as well. I may not have taken interest until the beginning of 2008 (Phandroid opened in 2007) but I still caught wind pretty early and I was knocking on T-Mobile’s door on launch day for the G1. Sorry if you found my post too generic, but it definitely doesn’t echo how I truly feel about the phone.
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I’m so into it that my rebuttal to you about the phone is now starting to sound a bit weird (haha!) We all loved the phone. Some might express it better and more than others, but what are you going to do? Having said all that, I do kind of wish Rob would’ve wrote it (he’s far more entertaining than I am) but I still did it the best way I know how.
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Long Live the G1!
Biv – If you are in a TM, HSPA+ market, I highly recommend the Vibrant. I still use my N1 for a hotspot and get 5 mbps+ which beats the 3.5 mbps I was getting on 4G with an Evo. Sure the Vibrant doesn’t have a FFC or flash, but it kills the competitors in every other category and when it gets 2.2 it will reset the bar. I would get an N1 before a D-Inc and I won’t even say what I think about Moto products although they seem to be getting much better. Unfortunatley you will have to get a military spec Nextel or comperable if you want something as durable as the G1 because these new phones are fragile. You’ll eat up lots of data so be careful about going with Big Red. They are the best, but you pay dearly for their service. Like you, I love my G1 and still use it occasionally.
R.I.P G1! I still own the one I bought back in 08 wen it first came out and I kept it for almost two years. I’ve since upgraded to the vibrant galaxy s but I will never forget the g1 which introduced me and the world to the the wonderful world of android! A true pioneer
Thanks to my G1, that is still my primary phone, I am getting very serious with mobile phone development. Love: G1, Android, Google.
Preordered my G1 and got it the day it came out. Everyone I knew had an iPhone, I was the only one who knew what Android was. I finally retired it, trading up to a Vibrant and while there are a lot of things to recommend this new device I still miss my G1. Better input, great keyboard, trackball, all in all a great phone. I like my Macs and my iPad but Android is the only way to go for a smartphone. Thanks G1 for making it all possible.
I just recently got ahold of my G-1, after buying one used to activate on an employee plan. – it opened my eyes, being both my first smartphone and my first android phone.
I love it, I hope I can ride it out for awhile, because I love this phone.
My girlfriend and I both had it at one point. Love it. I upgraded to the MyTouch Slide (it’s ok, wish I would have saved my full upgrade for a future android phone). I just want to know if my gf happens to “lose” her phone, what will T-Mobile replace it with?