2 Years later: Looking back at the T-Mobile G1

Almost 2 years later I look back at the first U.S. Android phone and wonder where we would be right now if not for this phone. It's big, bulky, had a weird swivel/slide out keyboard, horrible battery life and it had a chin (seriously a chin!!). People sure weren't buying this phone for it's style thats for sure. The phone itself didn't set any precedence or break any barriers in terms of smartphones but I did see a glimmer of light within the device. Blackberries and iPhones ran rampant and the entire cell phone communities were either considered low end or high end. This was the begining of something big. It didn't have true push emails like Blackberries nor the extensive apps available for the iPhone. What it lacked was actually a blessing in disguise as many of the things that were common on cell phones in general was getting very bland.

I still recall my first experience with the T-Mobile G1. I had charged the phone and booted it up for the first time and experienced my first issue, which was just logging and syncing my Gmail account to the phone. I did eventually got it working and got into the main screen. What went through my mind is the fact that this device for some apparent reason needs to always constantly be synced. I did not have the device for long as the T-Mobile network is quite weak in my area and later returned the device. This is where it all began. The device did not stay with me but what did stay was the concept of a web synced device that would no doubt be a part of my mobile phone in the near future.

2 years later, we have a device that has basically listened to its consumers and adapted to almost every mobile need. It is a little cliche for me to recite the Verizon Droid commercials but the fact of the matter is that "Droid Does" in fact does do so. What started as a main menu with a single large clock widget has become much more. Customization is key, and will always be the selling point for any Android device. I can't imagine what the mobile world would be like today, if not for Google's daring attempt at the cellphone market.