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G1 vs. iPhone: The tale of the tape

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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September 24, 2008, 8:24 AM ET



Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 3G and the G1 with Google (GOOG) unveiled on Tuesday have a lot in common.

Both are smart phones designed for users who want easier access to the Web than is offered by the current generation of RIM (RIMM) BlackBerries.

They share a lot of features — high res (320 x 480 pixel) color displays, motion sensors, support for GPS and Bluetooth 2.0, and venues for third-party apps. And they share some of the same flaws — both are locked to their respective networks, both lack video recording capability and full cut-and-paste text editing, to name just a few.

But there are real differences, which we’ve tried to summarize in the table below. If you spot something we’ve missed, let us know in the comment stream and we’ll update the chart.



Detailed specs are available for the G1 here and the iPhone 3G here.

Several sites have posted side-by-side video comparisons of the two devices from the noisy demo room below Tuesday’s press conference. Engadget, for example, compares the speed and responsiveness of the two Web browsers here.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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