[PCWorld]

Post your comments for T-Mobile's G1 vs. The iPhone: Game On! here

[JPMTJR]

Why don't you also compare it to RIM's new Blackberry that isn't out yet? It almost sounds like you are treating RIM the same way the Networks are treating McCain.

[AZIT80]

Maybe because the release for the Blackberry Bold is not out yet known. The bold has been up for release in May, and Sept. However it keeps getting pushed back.

I am sorry to hear about Mr. McCain press problems but I don't think a new Blackberry would fix them.

[iJah420]

Amazon many not have as big of a library of content to choose from compared to iTunes, yet. But the chief advantage Amazon has over iTunes is music is a bit less expensive and music tracks don't have digital rights management (DRM) on them.
REALLY!
Are you SURE about that? music tracks "on Amazon" don't have digital rights management (DRM) on them.
So what you are saying is EVERY song available through Amazon's music store is DRM FREE!
Please provide PROOF of this statement.
You are on that slippery slop buddy, you best be careful on what it is you write..
iJah420 says there is NO WAY ALL songs on Amazon are DRM free...DOH!

[jchall123]

Well here it is straight from the Amazon web site. Go to this URL: www.amazon.com/gp/dmusic/help/faq.html/ref=sv[udmusic[/u]0]
Read it and weep. All of Amazon's mp3 content is DRM free. Maybe you should check your facts before claiming someone else didn't.

You can not help your neighbor remove a speck from his eye if you have a plank in yours.

[iJah420]

Why can't Amazon offer the same music catalog as iTunes if they have all 4 majors on board?
The SAME catalog as iTunes BUT ALL DRM FREE.
Why Not?
Because Amazon is hiding the truth from the music consumer. Please read carefully the following.
WILL ALL 6 Million tracks be DRM FREE?
According to Amazon, the store offers more than 6 million DRM-free MP3 songs from all four major labels

Will new mobile music alternatives strike a chord?
September 25, 2008 — 3:51pm ET | By Jason Ankeny
Tools

The congested and combative mobile music space looks even more like a mosh pit following news this week that Internet retail giant Amazon.com and handset maker Sony Ericsson will step up their respective digital music efforts. On Tuesday, Amazon announced its Amazon MP3 digital music store will arrive preloaded on the T-Mobile G1 when the phone--the first-ever device powered by Google's Android mobile operating system--hits stores next month. Amazon will optimize a new version of the Amazon MP3 application for the T-Mobile G1--users downloading music from the store will require a WiFi connection, but they may search, browse and listen to samples anywhere across T-Mobile USA's network footprint. According to Amazon, the store offers more than 6 million DRM-free MP3 songs from all four major labels and thousands of independent labels; Amazon MP3 prices its 100 bestselling songs at 89 cents, with more than 1 million more songs available at the same price point, while its 100 bestselling albums are $8.99 or less, with most albums priced from $5.99 to $9.99 and more than 80 percent of its album catalog priced at $8.99 or less.
A day later, Sony Ericsson officially confirmed it will introduce PlayNow plus, its much-rumored unlimited music download service. Created in collaboration with digital music service provider Omnifone, PlayNow plus will offer all-you-can-eat access to millions of DRM-free tracks from the four major labels (EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music) as well as thousands of independent labels--subscribers may recommend content to fellow PlayNow plus users, and when their contract expires they may keep a number of tracks from their favorites list, although Sony Ericsson has yet to specify exactly how many songs consumers may retain. Expected to debut commercially via Swedish operator Telenor during the fourth quarter, with additional global rollouts on tap for early 2009, PlayNow plus is a direct response to rival handset maker Nokia's upcoming Comes With Music all-you-can-eat subscription service, scheduled to go live in the U.K. next month. Add to the mix MySpace Music, the social network-backed online retail service that also launched this week, and the fight for digital music marketshare is more intense than ever.
Exactly what everyone is fighting for is another question altogether. It's no secret mobile music sales are flagging--speaking earlier this month at the CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment event in San Francisco, Warner Music Group EVP of digital strategy and business development Michael Nash blamed the malaise on the divide between consumer demands and existing business models, arguing in favor of subscription services and content bundles. Nash contrasted the Japanese mobile music market with its U.S. counterpart, noting that Japan enjoys a 34 percent compound annual revenue growth on mobile music thanks to bundling and related retail alternatives, compared to just 5 percent CAGR in the U.S. And just a few months back, market analysis firm Jupiter Research reported that 66 percent of U.S. wireless subscribers express no interest in premium mobile music services whatsoever, citing a combination of consumer apathy and content access complexities. Of the 1,800 respondents queried by Jupiter, 28 percent were interested in ringtones, and only 14 percent were interested in full-track downloads. According to Jupiter, the blame lies with current pricing models--consumers expect per-track costs comparable to Apple's 99-cent iTunes prices, with copyright restrictions, content storage restrictions and the popularity of dedicated music devices like iPods also contributing to customer indifference.
It's much too soon to determine whether Amazon, Sony Ericsson and Nokia can turn the tide, but it does appear they've learned their lessons from iTunes' success and their mobile music predecessors' mistakes. Amazon MP3's prices are even cheaper than Apple's, and consumers don't have to worry about device compatibility concerns thanks to the store's DRM-free guarantee--meanwhile, both Sony Ericsson and Nokia are abandoning traditional a la carte pricing altogether in favor of the subscription-based approach championed by Warner Music's Nash and supported by a consumer study issued last week by market intelligence firm Strategy Analytics, which reports that 84 percent of subscribers are willing to pay for an all-you-can-eat mobile music service. But rumors persist that Apple is planning an iTunes subscription service of its own, which if true brings the mobile music marketplace back to square one--i.e., stuck in the shadow of the iPod and everything that consumers love about the device. The more things change, the more they stay the same. -Jason

[iJah420]

The GREEDY 4 are trying to rook consumers into a subscription service.
A day later, Sony Ericsson officially confirmed it will introduce PlayNow plus, its much-rumored unlimited music download service. Created in collaboration with digital music service provider Omnifone, PlayNow plus will offer all-you-can-eat access to millions of DRM-free tracks from the four major labels (EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music) as well as thousands of independent labels--subscribers may recommend content to fellow PlayNow plus users, and when their contract expires they may keep a number of tracks from their favorites list, although Sony Ericsson has yet to specify exactly how many songs consumers may retain.

[iJah420]

Sony Ericsson has yet to specify exactly how many songs consumers may retain.
if ALL tracks are DRM free then you as a puchaser of that track would retain the track EVEN if you decided to cancel your subscription.
I'm done with this BS.
iJah420 says what a SCAM!

[iJah420]

One More thing.
From Amazon Site.
Why isn't music from my favorite recording artist available for download?
Our ability to offer music to you in MP3 format is limited by the rights granted to us by the record companies. Currently, not all record companies grant us a license to sell their music for download in MP3 format.
We are constantly working to establish and improve our agreements with record companies so we can offer a complete selection of music downloads in MP3.
We do expand our selection frequently and encourage you to check back for new additions to our product catalog.
Steve Jobs has been lobbying for DRM FREE music before these other players could get their collective heads out of their back sides.
Now Amazon is the HERO for offering DRM free tracks.
GIVE ME A#$%^#&% BREAK!
iJah420 says WHAT A TOTAL SHIM SHAM!!!

[AZIT80]

Steve Jobs has not nor will he back DRM free music. Apple just entered into several contracts last year to keep several companies/labels with their Itunes store. The big push was that DRM music would make sure the artist and labels get royalites for their music.

I like apple I have the iphone, ipod 20GB and nano but they say one thing then lock you into their products. I cannot move my itunes sounds to a device not synced to my PC. There are application that allow for you to work around this but updates by apple alway fix these holes. I am not saying amazon is any better but for right now they are the best we have.

[iJah420]

Right on right on...
Here is another gem from Nokia. and the new music way that will take iTunes by storm...
http://macdailynews....comments/18668/

[aeh310]

WOW! Did the music industry (or Amazon) molest you as a child or something? Your passion flows!

[TheMessiah]

Well, I'm currently an AT&T customer, However, I've just ordered the T-Mobile G1. I currently own an iphone (1st Gen) so by having the opportunity to owned it and have used it, I am in need of something new. I was thinking of upgrading again as I do almost every year and was going with the 3G, but its just the same as my 1st gen iphone with 3 differences; video, gps and 3G network capable. Hmm, with that said the T-Mobile G1 is NEW!!!! PLUS MORE!!!!

I'm really excited that someone finally came out (15 Months late) to make apple a run for its money. Haven't you all noticed that apple is an "i" company, ipod, itunes, itv(flop), imac, itouch, and iphone. Its all about itself and I find it a little sellfish and monotonous. Apple a simple advice, let the other software companies in, then maybe you can have different ideas. Besides its not all about you, and the world does not revolve around your "Macworld" well, I take that back, their are some loonies out there and they are the Applefan boyz!!!!

P.S. For Sale iphone - $120....

[TheMessiah]

Wow! Hey iJah420 simple fix dude get an ipod!!!! We are talking about phones here!!!

[misskeahi]

ill buy your iphone!!!!
Message was edited by: rgreen4 - removing personal information

[rgreen4]

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[Mackadae]

Blackberry sncks just like *. I want to know more of the iPhone or G1. So far the iphone is a beautiful device.
Message was edited by: rgreen4 to remove political comment that has no bearing on the discussion.

[SteveMc]

Prolly because the title of the article was "T-Mobile's G1 vs. The iPhone".

[joe7]

the G1 is a better phone the iphone over rated and itones theres a better place to get your music and its more then 50% cheaper

[ArtemisKitty]

As a couple side-comparisons, the whole "price if you include text
messaging" was the full internet/text/phone plan on the iPhone, and
also, apps.

The reviewer seems to be ripping the app-store pretty
badly, but I've found it to be fairly decent, particularly when using
the phone in a professional manner. Not so worried about the games and
flashy stuff, but professional usage, the iPhone still has excellent
security, which is nice, especially since it natively interfaces with
Microsoft Exchange, and it's a full interface too, not just emails but
2 way instant (burst mode) communication of contacts,
meetings/calendars, etc. So if at work you and your boss have split
access to something, it updates instantly on your phone as well. And if
the phone is stolen, you can remotely erase the business-related data
from it. (Only the things that are on your exchange server,
unfortunately you can't just lock down the whole phone and wipe it, but
then again, if you set a password on the iPhone itself before it's
stolen? Problem solved.)

Apple stopped doing the whole
DRM-restricted thing a little while back. May of 2007, in fact. And
they're currently finishing licensing with their last 3 companies
(there was just an announcement over the past week) to be 100% licensed
for DRM-Free. Seems they're still arguing over the price etc. with
Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony BMG. Otherwise,
same there as Amazon. And you can buy/interface either from your PC or
Mac, or from the iPhone itself. Plus there's always been the little
detail no one seems to mention. iTunes has this little feature called
"Convert to MP3" - set your quality as variable bitrate on it's
encoding settings, and there you go. Your purchased DRM'd files have
been un-protectable for years now. Granted, it's pretty much a moot
point now. Hopefully it'll soon mean that everything they produce is
DRM free, TV shows, Music Videos, and Movies as well as music.If you
rent it, it's protected, if you BUY it, it won't be. We shall see.

And a few of the apps they mentioned that the G1 has and the
iPhone "Doesn't"? Bar codes? We've been doing it for a while now. Even
2D barcodes, which is nice. the program's called ScanLife, and has been
available for a while now.

Pedestrian paths. Yep, integrated into
the default map program now, (google maps, so it's doing precisely the
same thing that the G1 was, and as soon as the G1 was released, Google
released that update to their portable software, so the iPhone got it
as well) plus I've found some other awesome (and free) applications
for it such as the mapping of the subway system in New York. So not
only will it get you to where you're going, it'll give you the fastest
route there without driving. Oh, and it also does now (again, since the
google maps update) offer public transportation as a 3rd alternative
(drive/pt/ped) if you care for it.

Honestly, I love the concept
of the G1, in fact I almost converted when it launched, as I'd LOVE an
open-source phone that's easy to use, user friendly, and quick,
reliable, etc, but I think they still need a little time to roll out a
few updates. Just like the iPhone when it first came out. It's not
quiet as friendly, and definitely not as durable, which is important in
the field for businesses that have you travel a lot. The only real
thing I'm not sure about is the touchscreen. I've owned a huge number
of PDAs since 1994, and the one thing I've always hated was the
interface of the touchscreen. I don't WANT to have to use a stylus, I
want it sensitive to the way I work as a human being. I have hands with
fingers, let me use them. Not tapping a fingernail, but actually
pointing. The G1 my friend bought is not as bad as Windows Mobile
phones in that aspect, but it's still nowhere near the newer style EMP
screens (which apple is using instead of a pressure-sensitive one). The
screen technology isn't owned by apple, so I'm just waiting for someone
else to pick it up. Put one on the G1v2 (or G2?) and that'll make a
huge difference. Plus as it's glass, there's no worrying about
scratches/scribble lines all over the screen, the worst I've ever seen
on people iPhones is fingerprints, which can be wiped off easily.

Now,
if Apple would just open source a few lower-level things on there? It's
BSD Unix based after all, and if you unlock your iPhone you can compile
your own source code and port debian-based apps over quite easily. I
can understand why they're not natively that way, but hey, let a few of
us who could really use that ability sign a contract saying we give up
all tech support and use the system UNDER the system, so to speak.
Though the interface is quite nice already. Quick and easy to use.

Oh, and let TomTom release an app! Google OR Apple, someone please, it's just so efficient!