T-Mobile’s G1 mobile phone, which runs on the Google (News - Alert)-spearheaded Android operating system, went on sale in the U.K. on October 30^th. According to the carrier, lines began forming outside its Central London store on Oxford Street at 5:00 a.m.

 

The excitement over the G1’s U.K. launch was somewhat reminiscent of Apple’s (News - Alert) iPhone introduction to the U.S. market in June, 2007.

 

T-Mobile captured the impressions of Andy Burgess, an officer worker from London, who was the first to enter the store and buy a G1.

 

“Being the first person in the U.K. to own this mobile phone is amazing — I’m going to be popular at work!,” Burgess said. “I've been waiting for this phone for months and I knew I had to be the first to own it.”

 

 

Subscribers to T-Mobile’s (News - Alert) Combi or Flext plans can get the G1 thrown in to the deal for free. The Combi plan includes 800 minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited Internet browsing for £40 ($62.60) per month. The Flext plan includes “web’n’walk” plus, unlimited Internet browsing and up to 1,250 minutes or up to 2,500 texts — or a mix of the two — for £40 per month.

 

T-Mobile boasted that the G1 is bundled with 50 applications that can be downloaded free from Android Market. Among these are Wikitude (displays local info while scanning surroundings using the phone’s camera), ShopSavvy (scans product barcodes with the camera and searches the Web for competitive prices), SplashPlay (teaches users how to play the guitar), and Cooking Capsules (clipping service for online recipes based on the contents of the user’s kitchen).

 

Of course, another selling point for G1 is its integration with Google’s suite of online apps, including Maps, Talk (instant messaging client) and Mail (Web-based e-mail client). A built-in compass syncs with Google Maps so users can navigate simply by moving the phone.

 

T-Mobile U.K.’s CEO, Jim Hyde, said the G1 is set to revolutionize how people use their mobile phones.

 

“Judging by early reports coming in from our stores today, people are enthusiastically embracing this revolution and signing up for the T-Mobile G1,” Hyde said in an October 30^th statement.

 

T-Mobile has 123 million customers worldwide, of which 16.8 million live in the U.K. The company also claims that its cellular network in the U.K. serves 99 percent of the population. It operates a 3G HSDPA network with speeds up to 4.5 Mbps, as well as nationwide HSUPA capabilities for faster uploads.

 

The G1 phone from T-Mobile also hit U.S. market in late October.

 

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Mae Kowalke is senior editor for TMCnet, covering VoIP, CRM, call center and wireless technologies. To read more of Mae's articles, please visit her columnist page. She also blogs for TMCnet here.

Edited by Mae Kowalke