T-Mobile G1 Now Shipping

According some Phandroid readers, T-Mobile is now shipping the G1 via UPS 3-day delivery. In case you just came from that five-year trip to Tierra del Fuego, the G1 is the first Google Android OS-based smartphone. This means that the phone will be in T-Mobile customer hands by, at the very latest, the 21st.

T-Mobile Has Already Sold 1.5 Million Android-Powered Smartphones

When Google, T-Mobile, and HTC unveiled the first smartphone running Android last month, Google's many fans were excited by the idea of a mobile phone tied to the online services they enjoy. Other were less enthusiastic, pointing out that Android is an untried operating system and the T-Mobile G1 is only going to be available from a single, relatively small wireless provider in the United States.

Nevertheless, there are enough optimists that 1.5 million G1's have already been pre-ordered, sight unseen. And this number would be higher, except that T-Mobile has sold all the devices it has available to ship by October 22, the launch day.

T-Mobile G1It had initially put in an order for 500 thousand units from the G1's manufacturer, HTC, for this purpose, but when those quickly sold out the order was tripped. This enlarged order has also already sold out.

iPhone-Type Numbers

As they are both aimed at consumers, many people are eagerly watching to see how Android is going to do against Apple's iPhone. So far, Google's offering seems to be holding its own.

Having 1.5 million people pre-order the T-Mobile G1 stands up well against the one million iPhone 3Gs sold during the launch weekend.

But the competition has just barely gotten started, and only time will tell how these two will stand up against each other and the other mobile operating systems, like Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Palm OS.

Don't Despair, Android Fans

There are two options available for those who want a T-Mobile G1 as soon as possible but who haven't already pre-ordered one.

When this smartphone launches later this month, there will be about 2 million units in T-Mobile stores across the U.S. Details on where to to find a store are available at www.T-MobileG1.com.

Those not interesting to braving the crowds can put in a pre-order for a unit now, but these won't be delivered until some time after the launch day.

More About the T-Mobile G1

The T-Mobile G1 will be a consumer-oriented smartphone with support for this carrier's new 3G network.

It will include an 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It will also sport a microSD card slot and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

The G1 will have a highly functional web browser, and will support many of Google's services, like Gmail and Google Maps.

Overall, it will be 4.60 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.60 inches, and weigh 5.6 ounces.

It costs $180 with a two-year voice and data agreement.

The G1 will be released in the United Kingdom in November.

Emulator gives you the T-Mobile G1 experience now

Yeah, the wait for October 22 (or after) is absolutely excruciating; trust us, we know. We'll take every scrap of information and imagery we can to hold us over until G1s start showing up on doorsteps in a few weeks, but T-Mobile's really gone above and beyond the call of duty here by setting up a surprisingly functional and feature-complete emulator to satisfy our urges to touch icons and click buttons. Obviously, you're not going to get a GPS lock, so don't get your hopes up that you're going to be playing around with Street View or anything wild like that -- in fact, most apps lead you to a "this screen is not fully functional" message -- but it's got more goodies than the Android SDK's emulator, and it's just enough to get you acquainted with the phone's personality by the time it's actually in your paws