The G1, the first cellphone equipped with Google Inc.'s mobile Android software, will go on sale Wednesday at T-Mobile stores and some electronics stores.
If purchased with a two-year calling plan, the phone will cost $179. The cost jumps to $399 without a plan.
The phone uses a touch screen that can whip through images with the swipe of a finger. It has a full keyboard and can download music, display online maps, play games, store photos, show videos, e-mail, instant message, access GPS and communicate at 3G and Wi-Fi speeds.
Though not nearly as elegant and stylish as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, the G1 is a promising contender.
The Android-equipped phone is better at some tasks than the Apple model. The G1 has a real-world keyboard, as opposed to the iPhone's virtual layout, making it easier to use out of the box. Not to mention more fingernail-friendly.
The G1 multitasks beautifully, and, not surprisingly, it seamlessly integrates Google's search and other applications.
And the G1 battery, unlike the iPhone's, can be replaced by the user without sending the whole phone back to the company.
But the G1 has some growing up to do. And it has a lot of catching up to do with the iPhone -- from the company that gave us the iPod, which remains king when it comes to music and movies.