The Glory of Beginnings and Endings

The First Android Phone came out a Decade Ago

I had an HTC G1 (aka the “Dream” in other countries) when they were first released on T-Mobile in America. The iPhone already existed, of course, but this was more in my price range.

Behold the HTC Dream

By modern standards, it wasn't a good phone. Even at the time, it wasn't great. Early Android was a bit slow, a bit weird, and the physical buttons and trackball were also a bit odd. But I loved the slide out keyboard. And I loved that, even on that slow and weird G1 I could see how Android was going to be something good.

Since then I've hopped back and forth across the Android/iOS divide a few times, never quite feeling settled on either side. It's sad that pretty much every phone is now just a flat black rectangle. The G1 promised us something so much more interesting.