In a battle of pure looks, we'd have to say the Apple iPhone would win hands down. The G1 also isn't quite as intuitive to use as the iPhone right out of the box, but comes with a bit more features.
While you'll probably use the touch screen for most actions, you do get some tactile navigation controls, including Talk and End/Power buttons, a Home shortcut, a back button, a trackball navigator, and a Menu key.
On the T-Mobile G1's left spine, you'll find a microSD expansion slot. It can support up to 8GB cards, and a 1GB microSD card is included in the box. Internally, the G1 has 192MB RAM and 256MB ROM.
The T-Mobile G1 is equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera, which beats the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera, but you can't record video. Even worse, there are no camera settings, such as white balance, effects, and shooting modes, and you have to have a real steady hand to get a clear shot.
Overall, the keyboard feels roomy, and there's enough spacing between the keys that we think it shouldn't give too many users problems. If anything, we wish the buttons were raised a bit more. The bigger issue is that the bottom section of the G1 makes it awkward to hold the phone when typing messages, since your right hand doesn't quite have the full range of motion.
On the bottom of the unit, there is a mini USB port, which is is where you can connect the power charger and sadly, this is also your only option for connecting a headset. There's no dedicated headphone jack, 3.5mm or otherwise, which is really disappointing. Instead, you'll have to use the included headset or buy an audio adapter so you can use your own headphones.
The T-Mobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) is the first smartphone to run the Google Android platform. While we're not in love with the design and would have liked some additional features, the real beauty of the G1 is the Google Android platform. As it develops, we think it has the potential to make smartphones more personal and powerful.
There's a good reason for G1's larger size: a full QWERTY keyboard. To access the keyboard, just push the screen to the right. The sliding mechanism is fairly interesting in that it's not a straight up-and-down motion; the screen actually swings out slightly to the left before snapping into place.
The T-Mobile G1 is manufactured by HTC and has a similar look and feel to the company's other Pocket PC smartphones, such as the T-Mobile Wing and the Sprint Mogul.
Measuring 4.6 inches tall by 2.1 inches wide by 0.6 inch deep and weighing 5.6 ounces, the G1 is definitely not the sleekest device, and we certainly wouldn't call it sexy. Instead, the words "interesting" and "weird" come to mind.
The bottom of the T-Mobile G1 juts out at a slight angle. HTC said it was angled to better fit in your hand when using the device as a traditional phone. The company also said it makes the device unique and recognizable.
