Robert Dotson, chief executive of T-Mobile USA, delivered a keynote speech this week at CTIA in Las Vegas. It was full of revealing facts and figures about Google’s (s goog) G1 smartphone, which launched last fall. An estimated 1.5 million of these phones were ordered, though it’s still not clear how many phones have been sold by T-Mobile, both here and abroad. Here are the best bits from Dotson’s speech:
1. 80 percent of G1 owners browse the web daily.
2. Four out of five G1 owners download apps at least once a week from the Android. On average, T-Mobile G1 customers have each downloaded more than 40 applications from the Android Market.
3. An average G1 owner consumes 50 times the data of the average voice-centric phone user.
4. Among T-Mobile customers who have purchased the G1, roughly half have traded up from a basic handset.
5. The majority of T-Mobile G1 owners use Facebook and YouTube at least once a week.
6. Half of G1 customers also access Wi-Fi on a daily basis.
The above-mentioned trivia can be explained by two things: the increased availability of newer Android apps and an awesome browser, with capabilities that come close to matching those of the iPhone. As I’ve said before, armed with the right form factor and a near-perfect browser, average consumers would happily make a smartphone their Net device of choice.
The good news for T-Mobile is that they have a network that can handle the traffic coming from the G1 Google phone. According to Dotson, by end of the year the T-Mobile network will cover more than 230 cities, reaching some 207 million Americans.
Related Post: What I Love and Hate About Google’s G-1 Phone.
Sounds about right… As a G1 owner myself, most of those six items apply to me. All of them but number 2. I’m not sure I download apps once a week any more. I’ve found most everything I like. So I search and install more like once a month.
Interesting that the avg T-Mo G1 user has uploaded over 40 applications – curious to how many of those were paid and uninstalled on average.
,Michael Martin
http://www.googleandblog.com/
Interesting that the avg T-Mo G1 user has uploaded over 40 applications – curious to how many of those were paid and uninstalled on average.
,Michael Martin
http://www.googleandblog.com/
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
I think your comment, “…armed with the right form factor…” is important. If the gPhone had come to market with a halfway respectable hardware and multi-touch would anyone even be talking about the Palm Pre? And I still haven’t seen anything on the 09 horizon that would entice me to buy a gPhone over iPhone or Palm Pre. Very disappointing…
Have to say, this post reads like an ad.
Or a press release.
An ad masquerading as a press release, disguised as a blog post.
Credibility can only go up from here, I suppose.
What about this fact: 100% of all G1 owners have to charge their phone more than once a day. Love my G1 but the battery life is making me consider a switch back to a blackberry.
i have a G1 and i don’t have to do that. I have pretty good battery life. charge once a day or once every day and a half. i do browse the internet, but no youtube on a normal day.
I totally agree i have to charge my g1 at least once a day sometimes a lot more i feel like the battery dies every hours but i still absolutly love my g1!!!
I agree. I love my G1 but it seems the battery dies after only a few hours of use.
“1. 80 percent of G1 owners browse the web daily.
2. Four out of five G1 owners download apps at least once a week from the Android. On average, T-Mobile G1 customers have each downloaded more than 40 applications from the Android Market.”
A bit funny to see 2 different metrics that mean the same thing side by side (80 percent = 4/5). 😉
Anyway, thanks for the info.
How is it a bit funny. Yest the number is the same, but it is still two seperate facts. Browsing the web is not the same as finding apps. But hey good job showing off your math knowledge
What about the statics of the people who bought it and returned it within the week because the battery only lasts 4rs and you have to charge it 2x’s a day??…like myself and at least 5 more people I know…lol funny how they hide the important things with useless facts!! I dont care how many apps people download…make the G2 last longer and I will consider buying it again
Not for nothing, but seriously, get a life. If battery life is more important to you than the ability of the phone, see you later. I agree that the battery life is short. That’s a problem with the battery. They need a longer life battery. They need to figure out how to more efficiently use energy. Not a reason to hate on the phone itself though.
Gee, ever think that maybe it matters how long an electric device lasts during regular use?
Got the G-1 and Yes I LOVE IT! I do all but use wifi that frequently b/c quite frankly my access to 3G is pretty constant.
The battery life on this phone really dose suck, but I have a car charger so my phone really is always charging so it dosnt really die. And you can also get an app that will help your battery last longer. The pros definitely outweigh the cons with this phone.
Yeah, too bad all of the network traffic is geared towards the G1 and they left their Blackberry users hanging. Why is it that I can’t keep a connection while standing still long enough to watch a 1 minute youtube clip. I am sorry, but their blackberry network speed is just horrific. Don’t think that I live in the sticks, because I live in and around the Chicago area. Strong signal all day long.
These other facts mentioned above are important but the point being made is that a good device will increase revenue for carriers. The iPhone or G1 are not perfect but they are the first devices to gain as much acceptance by average consumers. I’d like to hear if G1 customers are using more or less voice as their data usage has increased.
Even if 80% of people that downloaded 40 apps uninstalled all of them it is a paradigm shift from when consumers weren’t installing applications at all. You need to look at the bigger picture. Of those 40 apps users are bound to keep a few of them. A majority of applications are under $5 I’d venture to say they are also paying for some of those applications.
Love my G1 I use the wifi when home and wireless elsewhere. Works perfect for me. I had downloaded many apps but only of them a paid one (Documents To Go $19.99) I don’t access facebook but myspace and twitter are a daily task. Also I love the Google Calc, Docs and Email integration. While EDGE works fine I can’t wait for T-Mobile to start offering 3G on the Lehigh Valley PA area.
What do you think of the Document To Go? I really like to be able to modify spreadsheet but find it difficult with the current app.
Can you modify words document and excel spreadsheet with Document To Go? Thank you
Got the G1 about a week ago after trading in the blackberry for it. Much more user friendlythan the BB and web seems to be much faster. I am hardley ever on my PC anymore. Love it love it love it
Running android on Nokia N810 sounds much better than purchasing the T-Mobile G1
Yeah as far as I can see there’s nothing wrong with the OS, just the phone: Low battery life, that strange chin etc. I personally reckon the G1 (or Dream) is just a phone for early adopters. Really just meant to show off Android. As soon as we start seeing good phones coming out I think it will become more popular.
Seriously though, Android on Nokia N810? That awesome! Are you actually doing that?
can my computer pick up the wireless signal from the g1?
I also would like to know that. What is the wifi for? I can already access the internet with the phone. By the way I love it. My bf has a IPhone and I don’t see really a whole lot of differences. Beside the fact that the G1 is thicker but thats for the keyboard. Which I love because I had a hard time typing on the screen. I have heard that complaint from a few iphone users.
hello i would like to know the respond to your question i am tring to find out myself. please let me know i would like to use my wireless laptop if i could connect from g1.
thanks
I dont be on no facebook, even though I have it or youtube I go on myspace and they right about those apps installed on a weekly basis and having over 40 they should have came with more MB lol.. I love my G1 !
I had the g1 for about 6 months now must say that I’ve been using it more than my pc . Its cool and easy the battery life sucks the coolness away however still a cool piece of equitment
i want the tmobile G1 but it is too expensive and i just dont know if it is worth it or not.
I’m 11 years old and I’ saving up for tha G1 now. I’m reading these comments and I heard about how sucky tha battery life is but im like who cares tha phone is so kewl and u can do lots on it including helping the environment with tha eco rio app…like 1 person said tha pros out weigh tha cons…I can’t wait 2 get my G1 yay me!!!!
So basically it’s a phone of internet users and as it comes from Google then it’s understood that it must be a Google ready phone.
Is it another Google’s marketing stunt?
I think the thing to keep in mind when deciding whether to get a google phone is to ask yourself:
“What do I want my phone to do for me?” Am I a person that wants the ability to multitask applications i.e. web browsing (multiple pages at a time) Do I want GPS integration? (Google Maps, Google Latitude) Do I want the ability to keep up with all of my Social Networking sites? (fBook, iTweet, Myspace all available in the Android Market. Some better than others) to quote “BlippieMcFreezums”- “the G1 (or Dream) is just a phone for early adopters. Really just meant to show off Android. As soon as we start seeing good phones coming out I think it will become more popular.” He is right, The Android OS gives users the ability to have PC features on a smartphone. I am sure that the iphone can do some of these things, as can some of the newer Blackberrys
( I hear rumors of a new “berry” coming out soon.) even some Windows Mobile 6.1 can do some of of these
things, but remember:
1. Its a new “open” OS with new possibilities for programmers to see an idea that THEY want to see on the phone come to life. You don’t have to work for Google to do this ( programmers can even buy it unlocked from Google to test and run thier own programs first BEFORE they decide to upload to the market.)
2. It’s new, so there are bound to be bugs (text threads, no stereo bluetooth, lack of an on screen keyboard, no video recording etc.) and fixes (Android 1.5 “Cupcake”)
3.It wasn’t designed for Blackberry user’s (mostly business and corporate types, although thier phones have gone mainstream for average users) but you can sync to Outlook, companionlink.com
4.Windows Mobile Devices i.e. Touch, Touch Pro, (Touch Pro2 coming soon) are a niche group built for business types as well, (you can view and edit Word, Excel, and Powerpoint Docs with a program called Documents to Go $19.99 in the Android Market) if this is you then the G1 might not be a good choice.
5.If you like the iphone stick with it, there are some similarities, but Google is charting its own path.
6.Do your research, get all the facts.
I have a mighty mite of a phone, The T-Mobile Dash, a Windows Mobile 6 device. Love it, but it’s showing its age…I’ll be upgrading to the G1.
Thanks for all of the tips! I am a G1 owner, and I found your advise very helpful!
I like my G1 but:
I would like to be able with my T-Mobile account to have 3 different handset using the same phone number.
I do have a G1 that I use daily for work Monday to Friday
I also want a cheap light one for working in the garden on the weekend or go fishing etc…
I also want a fancy small international handset when I travel oversee
Thank you
Jacques
Grants Pass, OR 97527
Jacques
You can easily do this. Just purchase the other phones (a cheap one and a gsm international one) and you can swap your SIM Card from phone to phone, transfering your number very easily. Go ask a t-mobile rep how to do this. its very very simple.
Just got the G1, LOVE IT, BUT as everyone mentioned, the battery simply sucks. Charging twice a day; GPS sucks the life from the battery visually. Don’t bother if its not plugged in. Have to terminate G3, autosync of email, wi-fi, and blue tooth to not have to recharge twice a day. The phone has no built in program to terminate programs…you just “back” out of them. The issue with the battery has me dumbfounded…how can T-mobile allow this??? 3-4 hrs and it’s dead as a door nail.
“The phone has no built in program to terminate programs…you just “back” out of them.”
As a learning dev on Android, I can tell you that is not quite true.
Only a few (4 maybe?) application processes actually run at once. The reason you can go back to them is that each application saves its state in a bundle when it gets scrapped, so when you “go back” to the application you’re actually just loading the state of the application back and restarting it, even if it has been stopped ages ago.
On top of that, the only things running on the system at any time are the current activity (i.e. the interface you can see) and any services (like the part of the music player that keeps it running in the background, even after you back out of the application). Everything else is paused.
As a tip, try using the “back” button instead of the home button if you’re finished with the app. It doesn’t bother saving the state and just quits it. It should save a little (though probably not much) battery life. Use the home button if you’re just interrupting the task briefly.
Hi, i have a question, I read that this phone does not have video recording. Is that true, and is there anyway around that?
Does this phone have GPS, like the HTC touch which allows you use the GPS like a normal Garmin GPS device?
Is the android software more reliable than windows mobile?
and finally, i was told that it is not possible to play videos from your memory card. is that true? and is there a fix for that.
Thanks for the help
I have updated my G1 to version 1.5 “cupcake” and now have video recording. The videos do play back from the SIM just fine. As for turn by turn nav – AFAIK – it doesnt exist… good luck!
I am always supportive of open technologies as I think this is a big source of innovation and future improvements. However, when making business decisions I have to stay focused on the business goals and objectives which usually involve items such as durability, history of uptime, good customer service, excellent technical support, etc. When considering mobile phone/device solutions clearly windows mobile is the only choice with a very long history of development and support.
hi, im only ten and i got the G1. the phone its self is beatiful with the touch screen and keyboard. The G2 simply sucks. stick with the G 1 and go unlimeted its better that way. the G2 has no key board and sucks di*k. sorry but the G1 is beast.
the G1 is okay exept tha flaws in it. No video recorder but buetiful camera. No battery life either but the G1 makes up for those flaws and u know it. i know they could improve but the G1 will do 4 now at least. Fu*k the black berry they really suck big time just like da people who use them. :x. PUNCKS!!!
You sound like you think you are a cell phone expert. Don’t fool yourself, your only 10, your facts are wrong (G1 DOES have a video recorder after the 1.5 update) you probably never owned a Black Berry so you can’t say bad things about that. The bottom line is the G1 is a great phone. You need to get back in school, learn how to spell and talk without all your big bad boy swears. Oh yeah you should also give that phone back from where ever you got it and pick yourself up a nice $10 Trac Fone with a $20 Prepaid card. You should be able to afford that with a paper route.
I absolutely love my g1. I haven’t put it down since I got it. As for the battery, nothing is perfect, I just purchased 2 extra batteries. Also there is a system upgrade offered, which will give you an on screen keyboard that has a misspell board that is very forgiving to those with big fingers, the video camera that everyone is looking for, and a few other cool options.
silly question i know but once you downloaded songs onto the G1, can you assign them to callers or as ring tones? i have the sidekick 08 and you cant use your downloaded songs as ring tones and i hate it. 🙁 but imloving this G1 phone and all its apps…sounds so cool. 🙂
I am considering getting the G1 as my next phone. I would Love a BB but ~ I Do NOT Want to Pay almost $75.00 a Month for a Phone (with All the Additional Services). I know TMobile is offering a really good deal for $39.99 a month for the basic service ~ but how much does the Total Bill come to ~ if you want to Surf and do Email and Tweet (my desired new uses)??? Anyone willing to reveal what they Pay??? Thanks, Ann
You have too pay 34.99 for the unlimited text and web browsing on top of your rate for your plan.
I wish I could do all of those things, but no, I dont have internet service…so i cant download games…or watch youtube……or basicly everything else except for call, text, and look at my contacts. But, i do love it, i just wishi could download games. I wish t-mobie would let my download without paying for interntet. IT IS STUPID. but i do love my g1