Google G1: A real iPhone challenger

Starting next week, it can.

The G1, the first cellphone equipped with Google Inc.'s mobile Android software, will go on sale Wednesday at T-Mobile stores and some electronics stores.

If purchased with a two-year calling plan, the phone will cost $179. The cost jumps to $399 without a plan.

The phone uses a touch screen that can whip through images with the swipe of a finger. It has a full keyboard and can download music, display online maps, play games, store photos, show videos, e-mail, instant message, access GPS and communicate at 3G and Wi-Fi speeds.

In other words, it's a direct competitor to the much loved/hyped iPhone.

Though not nearly as elegant and stylish as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, the G1 is a promising contender.

The Android-equipped phone is better at some tasks than the Apple model. The G1 has a real-world keyboard, as opposed to the iPhone's virtual layout, making it easier to use out of the box. Not to mention more fingernail-friendly.

The G1 multitasks beautifully, and, not surprisingly, it seamlessly integrates Google's search and other applications.

And the G1 battery, unlike the iPhone's, can be replaced by the user without sending the whole phone back to the company.

But the G1 has some growing up to do. And it has a lot of catching up to do with the iPhone -- from the company that gave us the iPod, which remains king when it comes to music and movies.

Here's how they compare:

* Keyboard/ergonomics: The iPhone's virtual, on-screen keyboard is more appealing to the eye than to the hand. It takes a lot of getting used to, and some people never become entirely comfortable with it.

The G1 solution -- a keyboard that slides out from under the screen as on the popular Sidekick phones -- is less elegant but more practical. Because it runs nearly the length of the phone, the keys are relatively uncrowded, and there are some nice touches, such as separate number keys.

It may not be as easy to use as the full keyboards on BlackBerry models, with their protruding keys and satisfying clicks, but the squishier G1 buttons are passable.

The placement of the phone and navigation buttons on the G1 are more problematic. Their location makes the phone asymmetrical for keyboard use, putting some strain on the right thumb. After a heavy texting session, numbness ensued.