Battle of the Music Phones: Apple's IPhone Vs. T-Mobile's G1 Google Phone

Apple's super successful iPhone revitalized the touch-screen, became a status symbol and spawned a host of knock offs along the way. So what makes T-Mobile's G1 (their first real attempt to compete with the iPhone) any different than all the other flashy music-phone wannabes out there? I mean, anybody can throw a touch interface together and call it "innovative" these days, can't they? Even though it hasn't been released yet, ne word makes T-Mobile's offering stand from the rest as a serious competitor: Google.

That's right, Google has gotten into the phone business. Their Android operating system promises to bring the iPhone aesthetic to a multitude of hardware devices, with a greater openness for third-party developers. What does this mean for you, the end user? It means you'll be able to get (in a few months, anyways) the coveted iPhone-like experience on several different phones with varying features and hardware capabilities. It also means that the Android Market (a place for cool applications like Apple's App Store) will likely eclipse its iPhone counterpart in terms of the variety and amount of software available.

So lets get to the nitty gritty: we'll evaluate both phones based on looks, out-of-the-box functionality, how they'll handle your music, and price with a two year contract.

Looks

Apple is the undisputed king of making electronics look good, and the iPhone definitely isn't the exception to the rule. Few consumer electronic devices are as impressive on the eyes. While the G1 boasts an unconventional design that's hardly a fail, it comes across as a bit less sleek than iPhone. iPhone wins the round.

Out-of-the-Box Functionality

In terms of the default software set, the two devices are extremely similar...both provide dedicated YouTube apps, a "real" web browser, and basic personal information management. Google has an edge here, though because its applications will be tightly integrated with corresponding online counterparts. Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Maps all promise a certain degree of integration that will be hard to find anywhere else. Once (and it seems inevitable) There's a Google Docs application for the G1, it seems like the G1 will be the obvious choice for students and business people. However, if you're not already tied up with Google (and/or you really don't want to be) this is a moot point. In any regard, both devices will perform essentially the exact same functions.

From a hardware standpoint, the G1 has a distinct advantage in a hardware keyboard. The full qwerty keyboard slides out, and offers a better view and tactile experience when typing...something many iPhone users will miss. On the other hand, the iPhone 3g accepts all standard headphone jacks, whereas the the G1 will require a small adaptor to use conventional headphones. This will definitely be a slight annoyance.

And then there's the space issue. The iPhone comes with at least 4GB of space for music, but the T-Mobile G1 will only have 1GB. Even though it's easy to buy more memory to upgrade the G1, 1GB of storage is hardly enough for a few videos and 600 songs. Definitely not most people's entire music collection.

The T-Mobile G1 will include a 3 mega-pixel camera, which a slight improvement over the iPhone's 2 mega-pixel alternative.

In my opinion, the hardware keyboard and better camera make up for the shortcomings in storage space, so I think the two devices come out fairly even when in regards to hardware and software capabilities.

How Do They Handle Your Music?

This a tough area to evaluate in, because Apple's interface had become a widely imitated standard, whereas we haven't even really seen the music player application on Google's phone. That being said, one important issue already divides the two devices. The iPhone is, of course, tightly integrated with Apple's iTunes music store. While this provides a high level of convenience, most music bought from iTunes comes with DRM (little bits of software that limit how many times you can burn a CD of your music, how many computers it can be on, etc.) attached. The T-Mobile G1, on the other hand, will work with the AmazonMP3 music store, which sells only DRM-free music. This is a huge selling point for me, because I like to be able to burn, backup, and play the music I paid for as I see fit. Even if the default music player on the G1 doesn't measure up to Apple's standard of ease of use, DRM free music downloaded straight to the device clearly makes the G1 the winner in this category for me.

Pricing

The T-Mobile G1 will reportedly be $175 with a two year contract extension for existing customers. The likely price for new customers or without a contract extension will be $399. A $35/month unlimited data plan will be required. Current prices for the iPhone 3G are $199 for the phone with $30/month unlimited data plan. The two devices seem pretty close on this front.

So, which one should you buy?

In the end, it comes to down to a question of what you value. If you love the way Apple does things, and you're already an AT&T customer than it makes sense to go or stay with the iPhone. If you're a power user, or the kind of person that values truly owning the music pay for, or you just don't want to break a contract to go with AT&T, it looks like the G1 is your best bet. The good news, though is that we'll likely see many more Android based Googlephones in the coming months, so you never know, you may not have to choose to between either!