When Apple released its world-famous iphone in summer 2007, the world was stunned at the extraordinary designs and innovative functions. Half a million iphones were sold right after its launch in the US alone. Two versions were sold, with different memory capacities, one at $499 and one at $599. Everybody had to have one, its popularity rose extremely quickly and the new iphone became an icon of style and class. No phone could rival it; that is, until fall 2008, which was when Google released its G1 phone with the operating system Android. In the US, the phone was available on the T-Mobile network from October, and in the UK, it was available on the same network from November onwards. The phone’s price in the US was $179 with a T-Mobile contract. With the newcomer on the market, a question that arises is which phone really is a better investment.

The G1 Phone

Its aim when it was designed was to make it like a computer as much as possible, in that it was supposed to let people surf the internet easily, and perform everyday tasks on the move. Various online services like Gmail, Youtube, Instant Messaging and Google Maps are readily accessible. Speaking of Google Maps, there is an in-built compass and motion sensing technology, so navigation using Google Maps is possible just by turning the phone in one’s hands. The phone also has an integrated camera which takes three mega pixel photos. Those can be shared on the web instantly. It has a 3.2 inch touch screen and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The G1 has 2GB of inbuilt memory, but this can be increased to 8 MB with an additional card. Extra software for the phone can be downloaded through the open Android platform. Google’s own web browser, Chrome, is at the heart of this operating system. The phone is available in black, white, or brown.

The Iphone

The Iphone uses IPhone OS as an operating system. Its screen size is 3.5 inches; it has a touch screen as well as four buttons for access to “home” and the “sleep/wake” function, regulation of the volume and activation or deactivation of the ringer. There is no keyboard. The camera works with a resolution of two mega pixels. Originally, the memory storage was 4 GB, but this model is now off the market and the Iphone is now available with 8 or 16 GB of memory. It has WiFi as well as Bluetooth 2.0. A software update allows location through the use of cell towers and WiFi networks, despite the lack of GPS. Loudspeakers as well as a microphone are integrated. The original Iphone is available in black only. A new edition of the Iphone has been released, called the Iphone 3G and with additional features such as GPS, available in white and black.

Which one’s best?

There is no denying that the Iphone looks way more stylish. The G1 is fairly thick due to the slide-out keyboard and one of the main allures of the Iphone is that such amazing technology could be brought together in such an incredibly well-designed little gadget. The design of the Iphone is sleek and immediately sets it apart from any other phone. Another thing about the Iphone is that it offers more when it comes to entertainment. The screen is more apt for watching movies and you can download music quickly through the iTunes shop and get it on a computer easily. It also has a camcorder function, which the G1 doesn’t. Finally, the IPhone can be synchronized with a lot of emailing services, while the G1 only has Gmail available. On the other hand, the G1 is definitely easier to use. A touch-screen keyboard can get quite annoying and the G1 QWERTY keyboard is incredibly useful and straightforward. Also, its Google Map function is incredibly useful and will actually show exact photos of the places you’re looking for, an addition that the IPhone doesn’t have. And finally, the usual Apple problem comes up with the IPhone – the operating system is less compatible and uses only applications and software personally approved by Apple. Android is far more compatible and it is also open source, so anyone can write and distribute software for it.
Bottom line is, it really depends what you’re looking for. The IPhone is excellent when it comes to style and entertainment, but if you’re looking for something practical, the G1 might be more recommendable.