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Looking to replace that grimy old T-Mobile G1 with a true superphone? The HTC Vision has been spotted again, this time with T-Mobile U.S. A. branding (note the one dot instead of three before the T).
The four row QWERTY keyboard equipped handset is rumored to feature a 1 GHz Qualcomm processor and 3.7 inch display. While all the other HTC phones heading to T-Mobile have been “blessed” with their myTouch branding, the HTC Vision could make its debut as the G1 Blaze, retaining the name of its predecessor. If T-Mobile’s leaked roadmap does pan out to be real, the G1 Blaze should be hitting store shelves on September 9th.
Just out of curiosity, how many of you are still holding on to your G1, waiting for a suitable replacement?
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i sprung for the myTouch Slide…couldn’t wait to get rid of my G1, but this looks nice. dammit
Dont you just hate that? Wait and wait and finally get a new phone, then a week or two later, something much better comes out.
All Droid owners, say Yes
I am afraid this phone will suck, just because of its design and stereotyped functionality. Impressions. http://2su.de/XV5
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ummm… That’s a light sensor, not a camera
And proxy sensor
Yeah,after doing some reasearch its the light sensor. Sorry people
I sadly still have my G1 and curse it every day. It is now unbearable slow and every time I have to use it I regret buying it. Well… I probably don’t regret buying it because I did want to use the first Android handset, but it’s long past an upgrade.
Really happy to see this phone though, I’ll keep my fingers crossed about a US release in Sept. I wonder if they’re timing this with the original G1 buyers’ contracts expiring?!
Have you considered rooting it and running with a cyanogen rom?
I am currently running V5.07 (latest stable is V5.08 -unless V6 has become stable).
V5 is basically running version 2.1 of Android with most of the features turn on, with additional customisation that Android really should include as standard i.e. shifting programmes onto the SD card. I find that my fine is pretty fast and very stable and am currently running around 157apps including quite a few whose application size is way over 10MB. Definitely recommend this version of the rom.
V6 is reasonablly stable – stable enough for day to day use and is a lot quicker than v5 due to using new kernals etc…… This is 2.2 of Android. I haven’t migrated onto this yet due to issues with running programmes via the memory card rather than internal memory. The last time I looked Cyanogen was looking at replacing the standard 2.2 method of doing this with their method – if that is the case I will definitely upgrade (Froyo method seems to insist on the programme maker allowing the installation to the memory card).
It won’t cost you much except some time. Even if you are too scared to go through the rooting to V5 –> consider rooting to V4 (far fewer risks) – its based on 1.6 Android – has the same feature of running apps from memory card and is still pretty quick and very stable.
Before taking this step read the instructions and understand them!!!!
I’ve still got my G1, and am holding on to it waiting for a suitable replacement that has a physical keyboard.
And, IIRC, the Samsung Galaxy or whatever won’t have a physical keyboard on T-mobile in the USA, so, I suppose this is our next best bet?
the Samsung Galaxy Q that is out this summer is the qwerty keyboard version of the Samsung Galaxy S
@Michael, I’ve got the G1 running CyanogenmMod 6 RC1 with 2.2 and its quite speedy. The only lag I experience is when I load the home screen, where everything gets redrawn but all applications load really quickly and the phone functions really well.
Note though that there’s no JIT enabled even though it’s 2.2 and CM6 included ADWLauncher as default which is painfully slow. Change that to LauncherPro and you’re golden. I think my G1 can still run circles around the iPhone 3G or MyTouch/Hero without 2.2.
Before I get negged by Apple users, tell me I’m wrong. I’ve got an iPod Touch 2nd Gen which is the same hardware as iPhone 3G and iOS4 did not give me multi-tasking yet it managed to make the device slower. On the newest update of Android, my G1 functions faster than ever and still manages to let me multi-task without ever diminishing the experience of Android.
My bad. My reply was @Paul.
I still have my old G1. Didn’t want to do a half step upgrade to myTouch Slide. Really want a new QWERTY keyboard slider but…going to wait until the Emerald comes out in November to see if it blows me away enough to convert to touch screen. The rumored dual core in and of itself might just do it and make me go Emerald.
I still have my G1 but want something with more memory, and faster. Don’t like not having the apps I like because I don’t have space. Waiting for something better (really better) to come along. Not seeing it come to T-Mobile? Would settle for 2.2 on G1 as I have been told that it really improves the phone. But that might make me happy.
I’ve still got my g1. Thanks to Cyanogen it’s still pretty usable. I can upgrade whenever so I’m just waiting to find the perfect replacement. Not sure if it’s this, need to see more specs. Promising, though.
Still have my G1. It feels like a 2 yr old PC. You know, the ones where everything seemed much faster when I first unboxed it. Unexplainable lag and slowness now. But it still does 90% of the stuff I need to it do pretty well, so I have no plans to unload it soon.
Looked at the myTouch slide and was underwhelmed. I use an Google I/O EVO that my brother gave me as a pure internet device (no cell plan) and I think I am slowly losing my “must have” stance on a physical keyboard. I feel like the accommodations that have to be made (thicker phones with smaller screen sizes) for the physical keyboard are becoming too much of a trade off for me.
I’ll probably get a Vibrant, or the current equivalent, when my contract is up next year.
I’m interestead in this phone, I hope it will be vanilla 2.2, Sense is cool n all but I want a plain old Android phone, right now I’m using my HD2 to run Android 2.2 and want to get an android phone. And this seems like a cool first android phone (based on design and rumored specs)
I switched to verizon for the incredible but i still have a line open on t-mobile with the g1(the little device tat could). The g1 holds a special place in my heart. Although i am just waiting for my contract to end on t-mobile I am glad to hear the g1 is getting a successor.
I have my G1 since it’s first day. With cyanogenmod it has FroYo now and it works just great. Of course a faster processor and more memory would make a difference, but at that point I’m happy with what I have and don’t see anything really worth to upgrade.
G1 since launch but I made the switch to the Nexus One after Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. I was happy with the G1 but I’ve had the Nexus for quite a few months and I think I would have gotten a little antsy seeing all the cool stuff going out for the newest tier of phones. Still, I probably wouldn’t have sprung for just any phone for 500 bucks off contract, not when the Cyanogen crew is still truckin’ along and supporting (with love) the greatness of the G1.
This looks very good! I have a GSM HTC Hero and am looking for a worthy upgrade from that. I have 2.1 on it now and it is doing fine so far though. Maybe 2.2 will speed it up a little bit faster?
I had my g1 until the most disapointing phone ever came out the cliq witch I sadly dumped on my girlfriend and got the my touch slide love it has some quirks but I can’t not have a keyboard….so this newblaze may be it……PS I LOVE ANDROID AND ME YOU KEEP ME UP TO PAR…SO FROM SEATTLE WA WHERE WE NEED U
I still have mine as my primary phone. This looks nice, but it won’t make me upgrade. I’m waiting for Project Emerald, to see if I get blown away. Currently, the Vibrant got my attention. But we’ll see how it goes, I’m loosing the need for a physical keyboard, I just want a fast phone with good processing and memory.
Had the G1 forever and was frothing at the mouth when the N1 came out, sprung for it and loved it especially with 2.2. My wife works for TMO and I was able to get my hands on a Vibrant and it was AMAZING!! So I sold my N1 and am now rolling with the Vibrant…No regrets!! Now if project Emerald comes down the pike this fall with the rumored 2 GHZ processor and Gingerbread I will have to pick it up, but I definitely would not hang on to the G1 till then if I was you, I am telling you when you get a 2nd gen phone it makes 1st gen seem like a quaint joke. This is coming from someone who loved his G1!!
I’ve had my G1 since launch and have been waiting for another phone w/ physical keyboard. I think this G1 Blaze or an Android-based Sidekick Twist (if either of those pan out) could be my next phone.
I’m holding on to my G1…waiting on a suitable upgraded replacement.
Got the Vibrant for my wife and I… Love it… It has a few quirks and its hard to give
Up the keyboard but this swype is kinda cool. Its so big and bright..side by side theres no comparison vib all the way. G1 so slow. I loved it while it lasted. perhaps in 2 years when its time for an upgrade the new phones will have holographic 4D touch sense emitters. Lol.
So it’s a Nexus One/Desire with a slide out keyboard and faster dl speeds. Sorry, that’s not enough to use my upgrade for. Waiting for Project Emerald.
Still have my g1 as primary phone. Its rooted with cyanogen 5.08 and works well (except for the old battery not lasting long and cracked screen). I had cyanogen 6.0 rc1 but reveerted to 5.08 to try and save my old battery. Now that rc2 is available I might give it a try. I plan to hold out as long as I can for tmo to release a super phone. Project Emerald with dual core 800Mhz sounds fun. I really want to see some graphics on par with the vibrant. I’d really need a keypad as I gave the n1 a try and really missed my keypad.
For everyone waiting for a phone with a full keyboard.
I’m on verizon and purchased the droid for that same reason. After having a previous phone with a full keyboard I said I could never go without. I downloaded SWYPE a few months ago and I can honestly say I don’t remember the last time I used the regular keyboard. I would recommend trying out swype for awhile and see if you think you need a full keyboard still.
Well, thats because the droid’s keyboard was one of the worst ever made. It’s absolutely horrible.
I’m still rockin a pre order G1.
This looks OK, but the four row keyboard sucks.. if you are gonna do a qwerty, do a real one.
I recently played with an EVO and because the screen was so big, I was able to type pretty well on it.. so I figured a vibrant would be good.
Then I tried a vibrant and got so frustrated trying to type on it, I had to walk out of the store.
It was acting all funny, kept trying to guess the words I was inputting into form fields, it was driving me crazy. Maybe there were some setting turned on (I was using the ‘samsung’ vk) but it was not as simple as the EVO.
So… still waiting.
Yes, you can turn that word prediction off on the samsung vk. It also comes with swype which is great. You can also get the EVO keyboard and install on the vibrant, its really good. There’s also swiftkey which is good too. There’s lots of good virtual keyboards out there.
Still had my G1 until about a week ago I was able to get my mitts on a Nexus One before they sold out
I just replaced my G1 with a Samsung Vibrant two weeks ago. I’m pretty happy with Swype so far, and the screen and increased speed are very, very nice.
Open source drivers, root access, and a CM6 port in the works make me hopeful about the longevity of the phone too.
I’m still rocking my G1. I was really tempted to get the Slide, but I’m glad I held out. Froyo is running well enough for me to hold on a little longer.
I still have my G1 from the original launch. still holding on to it and waiting for something to be as revolutionary as it
still feel the need for a keyboard even though the bigger touch screens are great even for those of us that are in love with physical qwerty’s. but as much as I want the new Vibrant, it still hasn’t made me want to run and trade up the ‘ole beast.
I still have and use my G1, but I don’t think this is the upgrade for me
I’m also pretty sad this bears the G1′s name. If you’re going to make a true successor to the G1 then make it a 5 row qwerty.
I agree with you about the name. I thought the name G1 basically meant “first Google phone”. The name becomes meaningless if you pass it onto another phone and add some equally meaningless buzzword onto it to make it sound fast and cool.
My Nexus One was actually my replacement for the G1. Some of the hardware keys didn’t respond properly & I had gotten used to using the software keyboard portrait style.
Although I’m still intrigued by the Blaze, the Nexus One shows no real signs of slowing down. Well, aside from the obvious.
I’m a G1 user that would of got the Vibrant but GPS may or not be a soft/hard ware fix. Until fix I’m still looking for 2nd or 3rd Gen phone.
Oh also b/c I have Even the More Plus plan I want my new phone to be the BEST investment I can make w/o the most awesome phone coming out a month later.
I have a G1 and despite my battery dying in half a day I’m thinking I’ll wait it out either until the Vision or Emerald. I’m sure I could get used to a touch screen keyboard on a phone with a large enough screen but these sausage fingers of mine just work better with a physical one.
I’ve still got my g1… could this finally be a suitable replacement? Does anyone know if this is the same as the supposed HTC “Emerald”? and How big is this screen??? It looks 4′ to me?
The article states it’s a 3.7 inch display. No, this is not the HTC Emerald. According to T-Mobile’s roadmap, the Emerald will be launching in November. But, this may be the first true HSDPA+ handset to hit T-Mobile.
What are the buttons next tot he shift keys for?
Just ditched my G1 for the Vibrant and I’m really liking the speed and the screen. I was never a huge fan of the physical QWERTY – I need the predictive text and It turned out I was much faster with the onscreen keyboard so I am really liking swype. I always thought the physical keyboard makes the phone bigger than it has to be and it’s just another part to break.
i still have and use my G1 as my daily phone. Thanks to Cyanogen I am running froyo… also running Apps2SD so have lots of apps.. updated radio firmware.. SetCPU overclocked to 576mhz.. runs great!
The G1 is a legend… legends live forever.. the little phone that could!
I’m very happy w/ my Donut G1, except some letters on the physical keyboard are failing. So should i spring for the slide now, or wait for the g1 blaze? I will never, EVER, get used to a touch keyboard – I’m sorry, real typing means 2 hands. I guess a comparison btw G1 blaze and MT3G slide is needed…….
Got my G1 in June of 09 – 1 year left on my T-Mobile contract. My ‘Must have” list includes a five row keyboard. I wasn’t sold on the G1 KB when I first got it, but in comparision to other physical KB it seems pretty solid.
My laments? Memory, Processor, lag, yada yada. The usual.
I believe I am waiting for the ‘perfect’ replacement, and the keyboard seems to be the real hold up.
I still got my g1 running cm6 rc2…i mainly use my g1 for tether since my internet is out…i am waiting patiently to see whats coming so i can use my upgrade wisely.
I upgraded both of my G1s when the MyTouch 3G Slide came out. Free was too good pass up.
The 1GHZ CPU sounds nice but the lack of 5 row keyboard makes anything less than a true G1, unbearable.
Yes I still have both of my G1s, one is now my son’s and other is my work phone.
Give me 5 rows or give me, um – nothing?
I love my G1, but I’m hoping a good phone comes out in a year when my upgrade comes around!
I love my G1. I’ve had it for a year and a half now and it still doesn’t feel obsolete. I won’t uprade until I see another Android that makes me drool like this one did.
If this is the G1 replacement, I’d be rather disappointed
Compare the picture above with one of the G1 with it’s keyboard drawn out. Notice anything? The slide out part of the G1 extends incredibly far, exposing at least 80% of the width of the phone for the keyboard. THAT is what made the G1′s keyboard such a pleasure to use. Every other sliding keyboard model I’ve seen has failed in that respect and I don’t know why HTC decided against continuing with this design.
T Mobile sucks!. Been with them for 7 years and had to leave cause Verizon is so much better(DROID). Plus i get a 25% discount CHEA!!
Everything went as planned. I held on to my G1 thanks to cyanogen. (running Froyo now and it’s great). and now ready to upgrade to guess what? A G1.
yup.. old school g1 here. salivating for the Blaze..
I still have my G1 but i just went with the evo . i don’t know if i would go back
droid owner sorry but t-mobile has suckie phone expect samsung vibrant but even that is limited as t-mobile allow user to use 1.5 gb from 16gb for apps what rip off artist t-mo is.
Good choice my friend @micheal
I still have my g1 from feb 2009 it a good phone and my back up just incase if my droid battery dies lol!
Still rockin the original G1!!! Thanks to cyanogen I got 2.2 on it though!!!
I’m in awe of my old G1. That puppy just keeps on chooglin. Still running a htcclay eclair build, because it’s just so stable and fast. Don’t know if I’ll take my G1 to froyoville. Thanks to Cyanogen this phone just keeps getting better. I have swype on the G1 and love it, along with the voice to text, so I don’t really feel the need for a physical keyboard anymore. Considering all the goodies on my G1, it’s gunna take a super phone to replace it.
I almost went for the Vibrant upgrade, then all the GPS woes started surfacing, hmmmmm…… I’m in no hurry.
“ROCK ON G1″
still have a g1, it’s feeling more and more sluggish as the days go on and I’m starting to get a lot of hardware errors now. sadly I don’t think this is the upgrade for me, a four row qwerty just won’t do it. with swype and the like, I am starting to wonder if I can deal with a soft keyboard. Meh!
I still have my G1, and I still love it. It’s rooted though, running FroYo. I think the G1 has the best keyboard ever put on a phone. Ever.
I still have my G1- but I switched over to Sprint and got an EVO. I was adamant that my next phone had to have a full qwerty physical keyboard until I tried typing on this big, beautiful brute. The screen is big enough that it is actually quite easy to type on the virtual keyboard. I’ve had it about a month now and I don’t even remember hating virtual keyboards, lol. The EVO is fantastic (but my little G1 will always have a place in my heart).
htc <3 android <3
I just got the cliq. Now am finding out that Motorola cant get their asses up to speed and update the android os. So hopefully they give up and Tmobile says we can return them.
I’m still rocking the G1. Hopefully the G2 or G1 Blaze will be my replacement. Wish it had a 4 inch screen, though.
I *adore* my G1 and have been hanging on for a like for like replacement for months, despite my phone buggering up at least twice a day. This news has made me do a happy dance!
I feel you! My phone is all grimmey and old. The white is almost completely chipped off, but I won’t let it go until this new phone comes out! DROID FTW!
Still rocking my G1, like alot of folk I’m waiting on PE. This is too little too late, these specs are already available in other phones minus HSPA+ and QWERTY