Back in March I held off buying an iPhone and chose to wait it out instead, because I didn't want to commit to a two year contract when something better might come along later in the year. I knew the 3G iPhone and the first Google Android phone were coming soon. Well the iPhone launch came and went, and the T-Mobile G1 will be here on October 22nd, so it's time to re-evaluate. Here is a breakdown of cost and features of four PDA phones: iPhone, T-Mobile G1, AT&T Tilt, and my current (non touch-screen) T-Mobile Shadow. I included the Tilt because it represents the most feature-rich Windows Mobile phone available today (that probably won't really change until late 2009).
|
COSTS |
iPhone 3G |
T-Mobile G1 |
AT&T Tilt |
T-Mobile Shadow |
|
Operating System |
iPhone 2.1 |
Google Android |
Windows Mobile 6 |
Windows Mobile 6 |
|
Device cost w/ contract |
$200 |
$180 |
$50 |
$0 |
|
Device cost w/o contract |
$600 |
$400 |
$600 |
$400 ($150 on ebay) |
|
Voice per month |
$40 (450, 5000 n&w) |
$30 (300, unlimited w.) |
$40 |
$30 |
|
Data per month |
$30 |
$25 |
$30 |
$6 (IE only) or $20 (EDGE) |
|
SMS per month |
$0 (0) or $5 (200) |
$0 (400) or $10 (unlimited) |
$0 or $5 |
$0 (0) or $5 (400) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
$200, $70/mo (or $75) |
$180, $55/mo |
$50, $70/mo |
$0, $36/mo |
My current phone is the Windows Mobile T-Mobile Shadow which gets the job done for cheap thanks to the T-Zones proxy hack (but limits my data usage to the IE browser only). Note that T-Mobile is in general much cheaper than AT&T. I have had no problems with the T-Mobile network, although their 3G service is untested. This makes the iPhone the most expensive option up-front and over two years (2x my current bill).
|
FEATURES |
iPhone 3G |
T-Mobile G1 |
AT&T Tilt |
Shadow |
|
3G |
yes |
yes |
Yes |
No (2G EDGE) |
|
Web Browsing |
Yes (web-kit) |
Yes (web-kit) |
Yes (IE) |
Yes (IE) |
|
Touch screen |
Yes (multi) |
yes |
Yes (stylus) |
No |
|
Input |
On screen keyboard |
Slide out keyboard |
Slide out keyboard |
Slide down XT9 keypad |
|
Other input |
none |
Trackball, buttons |
D-pad, buttons |
D-pad, wheel, buttons |
|
Wi-Fi |
yes |
Yes |
yes |
yes |
|
GPS |
yes |
Yes |
yes |
No |
|
Accelerometer, Compass |
yes |
yes |
no |
No |
|
Storage |
8GB internal only |
1GB SD (expandable) |
expandable with SD |
Expandable with SD |
|
Battery Replaceable? |
No |
yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Battery Life |
5 hr. talk |
5 hr. talk |
4 hr. talk |
6 hr. talk |
|
Screen size |
3.5" |
3.17" |
2.8" |
2.6" |
|
Bluetooth |
Yes (no A2DP) |
Yes (no A2DP yet) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
camera |
Yes (2 MP) |
Yes (3 MP, untested) |
Yes (3 MP) |
Yes (2 MP), sucks |
|
weight |
4.7 oz |
5.6 oz |
6.7 oz |
5.3 oz |
|
multimedia |
iPod quality |
3rd party video app? |
Choppy video |
WMP sucks |
|
headphone jack |
Yes |
no |
no |
no |
|
3rd Party Apps |
Yes (restricted) |
Yes (open) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Exchange |
Mostly |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Local sync |
Outlook, iCal, iTunes |
no |
Outlook, ActiveSync |
Outlook, ActiveSync |
|
Internet sync |
Mobile.me ($99/yr), Exchange server |
Google Apps (free) |
Exchange server |
Exchange server |
As expected, it comes down to the sexy iPhone's multimedia capabilities versus the geeky G1's open architecture, physical inputs, and easy sync with Google Apps. I have no major problems with Windows Mobile except that it always feels sluggish, finding and using applications can be a chore, Exchange is not "The Cloud", WMP is a pain, and Pocket IE has issues with many websites.
All signs point to the G1: I use Google products all the time and I love the integration with the G1. I don't use Exchange. I have no iTunes media, so I am not locked-in to Apple. I don't like watching video on a portable device. I want a removable battery and storage. Physical keys are better than a virtual keys. I think Android will have a better developer experience. Minus a few picky details, it is the portable computing device of my dreams.
Is the droid I am looking for? New Android phones will arrive next year, but Sprint and T-Mobile are the only US carriers that are part of the Open Headset Alliance. That could change but my guess is that we won't see an AT&T or Verizon phone for at least a year. There is no word of another T-Mobile Android phone coming and I can't get Sprint signal in my house… so the G1 is probably my only option for at least a year. Or I could always stick with what I have and keep my money… I mean do I really need to be an early-adopter? Yes… yes I do.
