Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

T-Mobile May Offer Free Gmail Data Access On G1 Phone

Posted by timothy on from the if-the-trial-balloon-floats-up-the-flag-pole dept.

An anonymous reader writes "AndroidAuthority.com is reporting that T-Mobile is considering putting free ad-supported Gmail access on its T-Mobile G1 smartphone — no data plan required. The G1 launches in New York tomorrow and is the first device to hit the market that uses the Linux-based Android OS that is backed by Google."

71 comments

  1. Availability? by zardoz342 · · Score: 1

    Does anybody have any hard data on availability? I have seen several sites state that there will be phones available this week for existing customers, but nobody at T-Mobile seems to know anything.

    1. Re:Availability? by sleigher · · Score: 1

      I think on the radio they said the HTC dream? phone will be available tomorrow. I guess at T-Mobile stores..... Not sure though so.....

      --
      All points of time and space are connected.
    2. Re:Availability? by zardoz342 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, T-Mobile is calling it the G1. I've called two stores and T-Mobile corporate, and nobody knows anything about any phones being available until October 20, not even pre-orders, which I've seen several rumours about starting this week as well.

  2. Is it really that much of a risk? by isBandGeek() · · Score: 2, Interesting

    According to Fortune, such a plan would not come without risks to T-Mobile. T-Mobile currently charges for data access, and data access fees have been becoming an increasingly large part of T-Mobileâ(TM)s quarterly revenues.

    How much of the cut would they get for the advertising? I suspect that they might be better off overall by the attraction of providing a free service and also getting revenue to cover at least part of the costs.

    Good luck competing against the iPhone though... the world is held in awe by Steve Job's line of shiny products, never mind the monopolistic policy of banning apps that "compete" with its own services.

    1. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Yes, but many of us who are not homosexuals prefer to use a man's phone.

    2. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by vux984 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      How much of the cut would they get for the advertising? I suspect that they might be better off overall by the attraction of providing a free service and also getting revenue to cover at least part of the costs.

      Yawn. I don't want adware on my phone. I don't want it at all. And the last company I want to give more information to is Google. They need more competition.

      Good luck competing against the iPhone though... the world is held in awe by Steve Job's line of shiny products, never mind the monopolistic policy of banning apps that "compete" with its own services.

      Amen. Seriously, why the hell can't another company put out a product that beats the iphone?
      I don't even care if it costs more, just do everything the iphone does, do it just as well (meaning the clean intuitive ui, and smooth performance (all the other phones in its class lag and jerk and otherwise just clunk around), and dump the Apple lock-in and ridiculous restrictions.

    3. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 1

      Amen. Seriously, why the hell can't another company put out a product that beats the iphone?
      I don't even care if it costs more, just do everything the iphone does, do it just as well (meaning the clean intuitive ui, and smooth performance (all the other phones in its class lag and jerk and otherwise just clunk around), and dump the Apple lock-in and ridiculous restrictions.

      Because even if they did that, they still wouldn't beat the iPhone. Apple is an unstoppable marketing machine. One need look no further than the various attempts to beat the iPod at its own game to realize this.

      --
      My blog
    4. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by Lemmy+Caution · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There is a big difference between mp3 players and mobile phones. I'm willing to give up a little functionality for some glitz and fun on an mp3 player. I am willing to give up some glitz and fun to get more out of my mobile phone.

      I have been thinking about getting an iPhone G3, but have held back due to concerns about tethering and general freedom/openness. I am already a fairly content T-Mobile customer, and wasn't really looking forward to switching to AT&T.

      I agree that the HTC Dream/G1 is unlikely to take more than a few percent of the iPhone's current customer base away. I think it may, however, staunch the growth of that customer base, and take a good slivver away from the Blackberry, as well.

    5. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Informative

      There is a big difference between mp3 players and mobile phones. I'm willing to give up a little functionality for some glitz and fun on an mp3 player. I am willing to give up some glitz and fun to get more out of my mobile phone.

      Have you been to a mobile phone store recently? Listen to the people checking out the phones. The first thing they say when looking at phone they might like to buy is "I like the way this one looks!" I remember an exchange between one couple:

      Him: "Look at this one!"
      Her: "Meh. I like this one."
      Him: "But this one does more."
      Her: "But I like how this one looks."

      This exchange is not atypical at all.

      --
      My blog
    6. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by CrkHead · · Score: 1

      Not everything needs to be an iPhone killer. Let me use myself as an example. I've thought about getting something I could check my email on, but frankly I'm not sure if I'd ever really bother with it. Now, not only would I have to drop a bit more on a phone I'd find myself paying more for the contract.

      So, if something comes out that looks usable, gets some decent reviews, and isn't that much more out of my pocket I'd be likely to get it. Now, I may find that I can no longer live without email on my phone. I may even decide that it would be worth it to drop a bit more for more access.

      In short, it's a way to build a market.

    7. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I have been thinking about getting an iPhone G3

      Me too, when do you think it'll be released? The current second generation iPhone runs on 3G networks, I bet this rumored G3 one will use some sort of satellite.

    8. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by jipn4 · · Score: 1

      Amen. Seriously, why the hell can't another company put out a product that beats the iphone?

      In part, because a big part of what makes the iPhone simple is that they cut out a lot of important functionality.

      The Mail application, for example, is easy to use, but it's quite tedious.

    9. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by vux984 · · Score: 1

      In part, because a big part of what makes the iPhone simple is that they cut out a lot of important functionality.

      The Mail application, for example, is easy to use, but it's quite tedious.

      Precisely. So why can't a company release a simple device like the iphone, with limited simple apps like the iphone, where the masses will drool over it.

      Yet, instead of creating a stupid locked up app store that arbitrarily KEEPS the iphone limited, users who WANT or NEED more features can install them, or even develop custom software to make it do precisely what they want... so the geeks will drool over it too.

      Seriously, there is NOTHING wrong with the iphone that opening it up wouldn't fix.

      Apple can even keep the app store. I have no problem with a convenient and simple approved way to purchase and install software. I might even use it from time to time to purchase apps.

    10. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by cl0s · · Score: 0

      yea I still don't see what the big deal is with the iPhone. It's just as restrictive as any other phone, and it has no keyboard. I've been able to copy and paste from emails on my phone since the Sidekick color, that was at least like 6 years ago, and have been playing Sonic the Hedgehog for over a year on this Sidekick III, the keyboard is what keeps me around, the iPhones nice response to tilt for some games and stuff is cool but really does nothing for me. I even got a terminal client on the old sk -- mind you the browser is a joke but usable on sites that are meant for mobile and the lock in on it is pretty ridiculous. My contract has been up for about 6 months now, just been waiting for the Dream Phone. It does or can do at least everything the iPhone does, plus a slide out keyboard and open OS, besides maybe looks if you like shiny little toys or marketing I don't really see what the competition is...

    11. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Just because the Ipod was a successful product, doesn't mean that all Apple products are or will be. By that logic, any mobile stuff that Microsoft put out should be should become the dominant platform, right?

      Moreover, there is no need to "beat" the Iphone, because the Iphone has yet to beat the other phones already out there. It's just yet another phone.

    12. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Smart phones with a lot of functionality cut out have existed for years - they're called phones.

      They also have the added bonus that, due to not including this functionality, they're a lot cheaper as well as simpler. I'm not sure why lacking functionality on the Iphone is touted as a good thing, when you have to pay extra for it!

    13. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by ckaminski · · Score: 1

      Wait until next spring when the AT&T exclusivity deal is done and over with - you might see the iPhone everywhere then (except Verizon (fscking CDMA) grrrrrrr ).

    14. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But the iPhone is a smart phone and it is being sold as one: E-mail, web browser, calendaring, synchronization, music, installable applications. It just doesn't quite live up to its aspirations and claims.

    15. Re:Is it really that much of a risk? by mdwh2 · · Score: 1

      Sure, but then that also refute's the argument that the Iphone is special because it's cut out functionality, when it still has all of that functionality. One can't argue both that it's good because it doesn't have functionality, and good because it does.

      (Also note, all of the things you list - E-mail, web browser, calendaring, synchronization, music, installable applications - are now standard in most ordinary phones, and are no longer only found in expensive "smart" phones.)

  3. market opportunity by crayz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You could use gmail as conduit for other data. e.g. email a URL to gmail, some server-side app checks the mail account, loads the page for you, and sends it back in a reply email. You could presumably also have an Android app that hides the mechanics of this to allow you to just load web pages or other data through gmail, free of charge

    1. Re:market opportunity by JeremyBanks · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Though incredible slowly...

    2. Re:market opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Will you shut up, please. They're still evaluating the idea.

    3. Re:market opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Waaa waaa waaa, I want my data now."

      Kids today.

      I remember when I had to use bitftp to download the sources to empire from simtel20.

      Get off my lawn!

    4. Re:market opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RMS, ahead of the game once again

      http://lwn.net/Articles/262570/

    5. Re:market opportunity by Sparr0 · · Score: 1

      Incredibly slowly? I have surfed the web with latency times measured in *HOURS*. Thank god for tabbed browsing. Waiting 5-10 seconds for the turnaround on an email would hardly be slow at all.

    6. Re:market opportunity by JasonTik · · Score: 1

      I have to ask: How did you manage latency that long? What sort of setup were you using?

    7. Re:market opportunity by Sparr0 · · Score: 1

      An intermittent connection, due to a long term power outage. My laptop worked fine, but without power I had no internet access. I picked up a connection and swapped out my laptop battery for a charged one each morning and evening on the way to refill our propane tanks. I used that short time to load every page that I had queued, and the time in between trips to read all the pages I had loaded (dozens) and queue new ones.

    8. Re:market opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're thinking of the rms-phone. it comes with an acoustic coupler that you plug into the phone itself. that said, still better-looking than the htc dream.

    9. Re:market opportunity by Halo1 · · Score: 1

      That's exactly how I ftp'd during my first steps on the Internet, when all I had was a dial-up account with email access. FTP Mail, aka everything that's old will be new again...

      --
      Donate free food here
  4. Will you pay for the app background data use and o by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 1

    Will you pay for the app background data use and email content as well the ad bandwidth / web site links in them?

  5. opportunity by frovingslosh · · Score: 1

    My thoughts exactly, although it doesn't need to be marketing based. Many years ago there were a number of locations on the Internet that would accept requests by email and email back the requested information. This ranged from file transfers to web pages. No marketing was involved, just the overall internet philosophy that information wants to be free and the realization that some people at the time had email access but not complete Internet access. I remember dialing into an email server (not a full Internet gateway) and sending my mail and requests, and later getting responses back when I dialed in again. If this truns out a true report with no strings attached then it would be nice if some people would start back up services for email users.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it won't really. The difference is Then there were relatively few users, and a geeky commeradery among internet users in general. T'was back when it was a novelty to see a url in traditional advertising. A service like this has a good chance of being too popular, costing bandwidth that'll invite restrictions.

      Like say someone makes a myspace-user-friendly app that sits on your own computer, you email home base, and it screenshots the URL or fetches the music or movie or image you wanted and emails these back to you. Don't remember the exact filename? The app can send playlists or directory lists in ASCII. Or clickable HTML format, where the clicked link composes a reply mail. Makes your phone into a Remote at email speed. Call it RoverGoFetch or whatever and it would be pretty popular.

      Yes, security-privacy nightmare, but that's never stopped developers before.

  6. Ad Supported... non-Google ads? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TFA doesn't say who would be providing the ads. It would be very easy to assume that Google will do so.

    However, if anyone other than Google can provide ads, my question would be at what point at the ads displayed? If ads are injected into the GMail interface within the phone, then there's ample opportunity for the non-Google ad provider to steal personal data.

    I'm really looking forward to seeing what the phone can do/might be restricted from doing, and details regarding how ad provisioning will roll out will be worthy of some attention.

  7. My golden-age of mobile internet by Frohboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If they do offer this service, I see potential for a much-improved version of my great experience with cheap mobile internet access seven years ago.

    Back then, a lot of mobile phones didn't offer graphical web-browsing. My phone at the time (some Samsung of some form) was purely text-based, but Telus (in Canada) offered a $2/month unlimited email option.

    So, I signed up, and after the novelty of being able to check my email anywhere wore off, I began itching for more information.

    Since Telus would still charge me 50 cents for Canada411 lookups, the first thing I did was write an email gateway for canada411.com (which was probably still canada411.sympatico.ca at the time). I had email to my domain set up to go to my home computer, and directed all email to services@mydomain directed through qmail to go to a Perl script.

    If the subject was "Canada411" (since Telus allowed me to store various preset subject lines), it would then parse the body as lookup parameters (Last name, First name, City, if I recall correctly). Then it would email me the results in plain text, after doing some web-scraping.

    Later on, I added some more "services", like dictionary lookups, recipes, university course schedules, etc. I could even list the current Slashdot headlines if I wanted (in retrospect, since RSS was already around, a basic email-based RSS reader would probably have been more generally-applicable).

    Nowadays, with HTML email being the norm for smartphones, you wouldn't even necessarily need to do the web-scraping (which is what ate up most of my development time).

    With email-based web-browsing, you can get what you want, but it takes a certain amount of patience and ingenuity.

    1. Re:My golden-age of mobile internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One coworker here is doing the same. He set up a webserver with quick links for his personal stuff, like stock quotes, weather forecasts. All those links point to server side scripts pulling information from "heavy" sources and present them as lightly as possible, to enable checking info from his palm on expensive data plans.

    2. Re:My golden-age of mobile internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      With an OS like Android, you could easily build a system to allow transparent transfer of data through email, too

  8. Hopeful but Doubtful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope they don't force this into it's own little application and allow straight gMail access... I absolutely hate companies that shoehorn a web app into a non-web app interface (I'm looking at you, Bank of America...)

  9. Links by isBandGeek() · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Source

    Your email message should look like this:

    TO: www4mail@kabissa.org
    CC:
    BCC:
    SUBJECT:

    GET http://ictupdate.cta.int/


    Simply replace http://ictupdate.cta.int/ with the address of the web page you want to read.

    Web-to-email servers

    The email addresses of the most popular web-to-email servers are listed below.

    www4mail@kabissa.org
    www4mail@access.bellanet.org
    www4mail@wm.ictp.trieste.it
    www4mail@unganisha.idrc.ca
    text@PageGetter.com
    page@grabpage.org
    www@web2mail.com

  10. I know it's slashdot, but... by Ascoo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Did anyone here read the CNN/FORTUNE article that the Android Authority article referred to?

    Where in the original article does it actually mention T-mobile/Google will be using ads?

    The author of the Fortune article states:

    Should T-Mobile decide to offer free Gmail access, it would be seen as a big counter move to Research in Motionâ(TM)s (RIMM) BlackBerry e-mail service, which costs $15 a month extra. And if telcos embrace Googleâ(TM)s ad-supported free e-mail, it could help drive Googleâ(TM)s ultimate aim to spread its successful desktop advertising business to mobile phones.

    He said if not when. And while Gmail may be ad-supported, their current lineup of mobile based email clients are not. At least I've never seen an ad on my gmail java-based client on my phone. Or any other google mobile product (gmaps, gmail, etc).

    Is t-mobile going to ask Google to develop a T-mobile specific client (with a hardcoded encrypted access point) that purposely injects ads? If so, it's nothing that's ever been confirmed by t-mobile, or google. Just the thoughts of the author based on presumably how gmail works on the web.

    1. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      i'll stick with my iphone - the HTC is not good and well I already have free data and all the google apps and much more. £45 a month is nothing to me and i understand those who are cost concious - I can't see many really *wanting* this except apple haters.

    2. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by Colonel+Korn · · Score: 1

      i'll stick with my iphone - the HTC is not good and well I already have free data and all the google apps and much more. £45 a month is nothing to me and i understand those who are cost concious - I can't see many really *wanting* this except apple haters.

      Or get a phone like the HTC Touch HD or Diamond or Pro, depending on your specific need, and have hardware that's superior to the iPhone's and the ability to use the tens of thousands of free WinMo programs and to load other operating systems (like Android, for instance). I can't see many really *wanting* the iPhone except apple advertising victims.

      --
      "I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
    3. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by dogdick · · Score: 0

      The big thing here to note is that google who knows every shit piece of information about you via your gmail account, now will actually know your [real] name, your phone number, your address, your email address, and if you have GPS, well, where you are. Im just curious how much information tmobile will share with them to offset the cost.

      Yay google, you are officially creepier than the uncle that always wants you to sit on his lap.

    4. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by dogdick · · Score: 0

      I agree, the HTC hardware is hot as fuck, but windows mobile makes me want to kill the children of the software developers. Unfortunately for me my other option is OpenMoko, which I bought and returned in the same day because its such an infuriating piece of crap.

    5. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by SenseiLeNoir · · Score: 1

      The T-Mbile G1.... is made by.... HTC..... in case you didnt realise!

      --
      Have a nice day!
    6. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by dogdick · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I know, but its no where as hot as the Diamond or HD mentioned above. Those phones are slicker than snail turds.

    7. Re:I know it's slashdot, but... by SenseiLeNoir · · Score: 1

      Sorry I misread your post, as I thought via implication that you were not aware the phoen was made by HTC.

      I agree fully. Actually i really like the Diamond as it is the first "Smartphone" that has small "non smartphone" like dimensions. its only detration is the lack of Keyboard. (Yes I am aware of the Diamond pro, but that is *much* thicker)

      The HD is also a very interesting Device.

      --
      Have a nice day!
  11. What's with this modern definition of free? by pembo13 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Unless all you need to do is purchase a phone and call T-Mobile up to enable this feature it isn't free. It may be at no additional cost, but it isn't free.

    --
    "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
  12. /. phone pics by religious+freak · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Hey um, not to be too picky here, but do you think that when an article mentions something as relatively advanced as free data access on a mobile device (which also happens to be a phone), we could have a picture of something more modern than a 1982 suitcase phone, a rotary phone my grandma would've laughed at and what looks to be some kind of 1970s pacman pocket game?

    Just a thought.

    --
    If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
    1. Re:/. phone pics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure you know this... but it's just a symbol.

    2. Re:/. phone pics by mgblst · · Score: 1

      Yes, because that is what we all care about the stupid icon used. Lets discuss icons for a while, not the details.

    3. Re:/. phone pics by religious+freak · · Score: 1

      Well, everyone else seemed to make pretty good points on the details - so I just followed on with a little something extra.

      --
      If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
    4. Re:/. phone pics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For shame! You call the iconic Palm V a "some kind of 1970s pacman pocket game"??

  13. Wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This phone is going to be offered without internet service? Isn't that the real news?

    1. Re:Wait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I'm shopping for a new phone and know of the rumors of an announcement this week. Waiting will solve that problem soon enough. What I don't know is whether there will be a suitably cheap unrestricted data plan, and whether the troubled Bluetooth will allow me to use the larger screen on my laptop. If not, then there's a different service which will let me do what I need. But I think I can wait a few more weeks to find out if I can support this project by going with G1.

  14. Re:Will you pay for the app background data use an by Constantine+XVI · · Score: 1

    The idea is that you see the ads, and the ads cover the cost of the data. There's no point in making it ad supported if it isn't free or fucking cheap.

    --
    "I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
  15. Encryption? by proxima · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For me, this would be more useful if it used https to gmail. The article, of course, is just one step shy of speculation (and why not link to the original blog post with more information?).

    T-Mobile is in a decent position with the next gen of smart phones. I've seen their "hotspots" more commonly than other carriers. Combine a wireless plan with their hotspot plan (which appears to be a little pricey at $20/mo with phone service) and you've got cell coverage most places and 802.11 coverage many places.

    Still, I'm not likely to get a data plan myself. A nice (open) phone that can use 802.11 and get email for "free" sounds pretty good to me.

    --
    "The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent." --Carl Sagan
  16. 1G phone? by CmdrPorno · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I thought that 3G was the newest/best data standard. So why are T-mobile introducing a G1 phone that's two generations behind?

    --
    Sent from my iPhone
    1. Re:1G phone? by Fuzi719 · · Score: 1

      uh... "G1" is the model name of the phone, not the network it uses. "3G" is the moniker for third-generation cellular data network. Totally different. The T-Mobile G1 phone can use T-Mobile's 3G network. Perhaps if you cannot understand the difference in context, anything more advanced than a rotary princess phone is just not for you. :-)

    2. Re:1G phone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love the whooshing sound a joke makes when it goes over someone's head.

  17. Ridiculous idea by __aailob1448 · · Score: 1

    Checking webpages through Gmail? Really?

    That is a a ridiculously bad idea. I understand the appeal of getting data for nothing (i'm paying $30/month for my useless data plan) but the method is just too limiting to be worth a damn.

    Just the way it is. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't thought it through.

    1. Re:Ridiculous idea by dogdick · · Score: 0

      here here chap. I pay 30 bucks for a data plan on my blackberry. 'browser' as it is called makes me want to kill everyone i walk by. opera mini is an equally frustrating piece of shit. THe 'slow down over hyperlinks' feature completely sucks. Im pretty much sure everyone that has a data plan on any phone is getting ass raped, technically speaking. The world should demand a good mobile browser now. We should make a commercial like the demand oil solutions commercial.

    2. Re:Ridiculous idea by Mike89 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Just the way it is. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't thought it through.

      No, anybody who thinks it's useless hasn't thought it through. I used to get free email access on my phone. So what did I do? Wrote up a script which sends me an email with each Slashdot story's summary. Not incredibly useful, but I find myself with 10 minutes every day (usually commuting) where it's just me and my phone, so I read them. Then when I get home, I can check the comments if I want. Also, if this service allows attachments - couldn't you download MP3s on the phone just by emailing them to yourself? Sounds good to me.

    3. Re:Ridiculous idea by ckaminski · · Score: 1

      I love tethering through my Treo on Verizon. Mobile web is a pain, but it's usable. The real value for me was tethering, though.

  18. Cool by motang · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Considering the fact that GMail is my primary email that is actually very good news...this is becoming more and more appealing to me.

    1. Re:Cool by Fuzi719 · · Score: 1

      I agree. I'm already a T-Mobile customer, having their cell service for over 2 years and now also using their @Home router for a home phone. I've been thinking of upgrading my cellphone but have been putting it off to see what is coming up next. I think this G1 is what I've been waiting for. And like you, gmail is already my primary email account, so a perfect fit.

    2. Re:Cool by cl0s · · Score: 0

      Yep, pre-ordered mine a few hours ago, should be at my front door October 22nd! I use Gmail and Google Apps for Domains, should work the same with Google Apps so this will be great.

      Plus its only $25 a month for unlimited data and 400 text messages (I don't even use that many), since its open I'm sure it will be no time before an app offers tethering. They've announced it does not do that now though.

  19. Re:Will you pay for the app background data use an by squiggleslash · · Score: 2, Informative

    FWIW, with T-Mobile's data plans it's an "all or nothing" thing. If you haven't paid for unblocked data, you'll not get it. Unlike certain telcos, T-Mobile USA never chargers per-kilobyte.

    Right now, the data plans are:

    1. T-Zones (or whatever they call it) - $7 for unlimited WAP. Sometimes this allows generic HTTP and HTTPS, and sometimes not, and it usually supports SSH too.
    2. T-Mobile Mobile Internet - $20 for unlimited everything, but you get a 10.x address
    3. T-Mobile Total Internet - again $20, and you also get Hotspot access (why this and the latter aren't the same plan I don't know)

    There's also a dedicated data plan (ie no voice plan needed), and a Sidekick pre-paid plan.

    So, in short, if you haven't paid for "app background data", you're not going to get it.

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  20. I just ordered mine. by youngdev · · Score: 0

    if you go to t-mobileg1.com. click on get it first. When I ordered mine only black and brown were available.

    Here's the kicker: you have to be a tmobile customer to get it now.

  21. Announced by SleptThroughClass · · Score: 1

    G1 announced but not much in that article about service options.

    1. Re:Announced by SleptThroughClass · · Score: 1

      "the G1 does not allow tethering as a modem" so one of the previously mentioned needs is not available. Hmm.. a music store but no support for stereo Bluetooth? I keep seeing mention of no stereo Bluetooth, so at least that implies mono Bluetooth is supported.

  22. End of the year by SleptThroughClass · · Score: 1

    Plenty of press popping up due to today's announcement of availability by the end of the year. I'm sure /. will mention it soon.