For some reason – perhaps a mistake – T-Mobile still has a page on its website listing the first Android smartphone ever made, the late 2008 HTC-made G1 that started the Android revolution. Found by a Redditor, the page offers potential buyers more details about the “modern compass” that was the G1.
The webpage is complete with “Experience G1,” “Buy now” and “Upgrade Now” buttons, and also interactive icons mentioning some of the phone’s key features. “Navigate through your day like never before,” the page reads. “T-Mobile G1 apps simplify everyday tasks, making your life that much easier.”
Sadly, the functional buttons do not point to other G1 pages, instead taking the user to T-Mobile’s current website. Similarly, interested users can’t actually buy the device from the carrier – not that the G1 is actually that relevant anymore in today’s mobile landscape.
When it launched in October 2008, the G1 was the main response to the iPhone, and was followed by various other Android-based devices in 2009. The phone offered a 3.2-inch display with 480 x 320 resolution, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 528MHz Qualcomm processor, 256MB ROM, 192MB RAM, support for up to 16GB microSD cards, 3.15-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, a 1150mAh battery, and Android running the show.
Old Android stories dug up during the Apple vs Samsung second U.S. trial have revealed how Google changed course with Android development after the iPhone was launched, with the G1 being the first touchscreen handset based on Google’s mobile operating system – initially the operating system was optimized for BlackBerry-like handsets.
