Web Browsing: Android-based T-Mobile G1 vs. iPhone 3G - FIGHT!

by Eric March on September 23, 2008 at 1:17 pm

The comparison will be inevitable. It could be said that aside from the Blackberry Bold and Thunder, the iPhone’s main potential competition is coming directly from Google’s Android, I’ll be the first to admit that Android has heaps of potential. It’s Linux-based, like Mobile OS X, uses Objective C for its SDK, also like the iPhone, but Android’s biggest difference is that it’s open-source, so anyone can develop anything they want. That’s always a double-edged sword, one side of which Apple is trying to dull with its closed vetting process for app submissions, but that presents its own problems, too. Also, Apple’s developer NDA makes for a great deal of tension between developers who want to be able to share code, tips and tricks amongst themselves to better their own applications.

Well, T-Mobile’s G1, which is to be the first Android-based handset released, is due out next month, and Engadget has managed to get some quality face time with the device’s web browsing — inevitably comparing it to Mobile Safari on the iPhone. The results, as can be seen in their hands-on video, shows a web browser that still feels a bit sluggish overall, both with zooming and scrolling around the pages. While page rendering does seem to be acceptable, it does seem to have that fresh-out-of-beta look and feel. The G1 does sport a full size keyboard under is sliding screen, which is of course nice for those who don’t care for the iPhone’s virtual keyboard, and it’s all in a form factor that’s not much bigger (though definitely thicker) form factor.

Like I said, Android’s got lots of promise, but it’s still got some growing pains. What’s going to make Android a tough act to rate however is going to be the fact that unlike the iPhone, telcos are going to be able to enhance/cripple Android to their liking, just as they do with feature phones and other smartphones, so any given handset showing up on any given provider may or may not share certain features, may be faster or slower, have larger or smaller screens, may or may not have a touchscreen, and any of the rest of the general differences you find with most phones across various providers. It’ll be interesting to see how it progresses, but for now, I can’t quite see this being the iPhone killer it’s supposed to be just yet.

(via Engadget)