These days, it seems new phones get appear every added week. We've developed acclimatized to glossing over the specs, attractive at some columnist renders, again affective on to analysis out the abutting phone. If you had done this in September 2008, you ability accept disregarded what would become one of the best important phones of all time.
The HTC Dream, bigger accepted as the T-Mobile G1 in the US, alien us all to what has now become the most-used operating arrangement in the world — alike topping desktop stalwarts like Windows and macOS. The aboriginal Android phone. The aboriginal absolute adversary for Apple's iPhone appear the year prior.
With its slide-out keyboard, clue ball, committed phone buttons, and angled chin, the G1 was a arbitrary allotment of hardware. But these quirks would comedy a role in authoritative Android what it is today: A adjustable operating arrangement that accommodates a advanced ambit of accouterments to fit alone needs. So below, we'll booty a attending at how the G1 shaped the adaptable mural and how abundant has afflicted in a decade.
How the HTC Dream G1 Afflicted the Game
The T-Mobile G1 was a artefact built-in of necessity. Above-mentioned to its existence, Google was primarily aloof a chase engine. But with adaptable internet fast acceptable popular, they had to achieve that chase agent accessible on several altered platforms like Windows Phone, RIM, Symbian, and iOS. As CEO Larry Folio put it, "We had a closet abounding of added than 100 phones and were architecture our software appealing abundant accessory by device. It was about absurd for us to achieve absolutely abundant adaptable experiences."
This wasn't sustainable, so Google absitively to do article to get all the assorted smartphone OEMs on the aforementioned page. In November 2007, they accustomed the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a bunch consisting of best above players in the adaptable industry, alive calm "to advance addition in adaptable and action consumers a richer, beneath expensive, and bigger adaptable experience." To achieve this, Google accompanying appear Android, an open-source adaptable belvedere that any aggregation could use on their phones.
At that point, however, Android was software afterwards a allotment of accouterments to alarm home. There had been ancestor Android phones like the BlackBerry-esque Sooner, but afterward the success of the iPhone, Google knew its new adaptable OS would charge a primarily touch-oriented flagship accessory if it were to bolt on.
That's back Google angry to HTC, one of their aboriginal ally in the OHA. With the Taiwanese architect administration hardware, Google administration software, and T-Mobile ensuring affinity with the complicated cellular abstracts networks in the US, this was a massive undertaking. But on September 23, 2008, the HTC Dream, AKA T-Mobile G1 was apparent to the world.
In abounding ways, the G1 was the aboriginal Nexus phone, a forerunner to today's Google Pixel lineup. It ran pure, banal Android, and Google handled the software, so the appearance and functionality were adumbrative of the Mountain View company's eyes for the platform. Google casework were advanced and centermost (Google Maps, YouTube, Google Talk, and Gmail were all preinstalled), and the phone had absolute admission to Google chase appropriate from the home screen.
Speaking of the home screen, you knew as anon as you apart the phone that you were application fully-featured software. Instead of a simple filigree of your apps, the G1 had an app drawer to board a approaching area you had dozens, if not hundreds of apps installed. Interestingly, the G1's app drawer could be accessed by annexation up from the basal of the home screen, which is how the accepted Pixel Launcher works.
Another "futuristic" home awning affection was the G1's widgets system. You could add these to any abandoned aperture on your home awning and get quick, at-a-glance advice from your apps. This accoutrement arrangement is still a axial aspect of avant-garde Android versions, and it's article Apple has struggled to charm — the iPhone's widgets still aren't as affluent as some of the widgets that came with the G1.
Below are some of the notable firsts on the T-Mobile G1/HTC Dream. While some appearance had been accessible on added platforms afore this phone debuted (particularly desktop platforms), all of these appearance were present on the G1 afore they were accessible on iOS. In added words, the G1 brought these appearance to the adaptable mainstream.
- copy and adhesive functionality
- widgets
- third-party keyboards (after Android 1.6 update)
- predictive accounting (after Android 1.6 update)
- video recording (after Android 1.6 update)
- push notifications
- notification center
- home awning widgets
- custom wallpapers
- multitasking capabilities
- OTA updates
- sharing items amid apps
- voice search
This phone didn't aloof appearance Android, it afflicted the fate of the absolute adaptable industry. It shaped the iPhone's approaching by alms appearance that Apple eventually had to apparatus themselves in adjustment to accumulate up. Whatever phone you're application today, apperceive that it has a bit of the HTC Dream in it.
What a Aberration a Decade Makes
While the HTC Dream G1 was absolutely advanced of its time, it's assuming its age today. Back compared to a avant-garde smartphone, the aberration is about comical.
Specs were horrendous, about speaking. The high-end OnePlus 6 has 42 times added RAM. The Razer Phone's array is about four times bigger. The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium has a awning that's 4.25 times bluff (806 ppi vs. 180 for the G1). Speaking of, you can absolutely fit 27 G1 screenshots into a distinct screenshot from Google's Pixel 2 XL.
The slide-out keyboard and automated buttons are all but gone on today's phones, and the trackball has been abolished back ancient about the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G (which had a trackpad, to be fair). Nowadays, awning admeasurement is of absolute importance, so abundant so that manufacturers are accomplishing aggregate they can to abate the bezels about the edges of phones' displays. The G1's 1.5-inch basal button now makes it attending like a relic.
The fast clip of the adaptable apple has fabricated the G1 anachronous in added than aloof hardware. You can no best install apps from an official source, as the Android Market's TOS folio no best loads.
To alike set up the device, I had to acquisition a full-sized SIM card, which wasn't easy. Back I got one, I accomplished T-Mobile's abstracts arrangement had larboard the G1 in the dust continued ago — I couldn't get corpuscle service, as there was no 2G Edge advantage adjacent and the G1 didn't abutment any of the accessible bands. I had to drive about San Diego until I begin a corpuscle belfry with old abundant technology to alike use the G1.
To achieve affairs worse, I couldn't alike log into the Gmail app. In fact, I got a "Critical security alert" because Google saw the Android 1.6 Gmail app as a "non-Google app" and the G1 as an "unrecognized device." It's safe to say that a decade is added than a lifetime in the avant-garde adaptable world.
But we shouldn't let the G1's accepted accompaniment blemish its acceptable name. Sure, its time has continued passed, but all things appear to an end. While it can't angle on its own anymore, it lives on in spirit — so abounding $.25 and pieces of it accept acquired into what we apperceive as the avant-garde smartphone.
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