G1 News

Okay…it’s a YouTube video, but it is still the first video we’ve seen of the Chinese answer to the T-Mobile G1, and as such it is very exciting!

The handset seems pretty sturdy, and a nice size and shape.

The little things like voice recording, the pretty globe, the homage to Snake and riveting lens cover are all interesting additions. We wonder if it will run exactly the same Android MarketPlace, or have i6-specific add-ons.

Weird to see Android running on anything other than the G1, though…

Source: Engadget

From makers of amusing knockoffs to pioneers, the Chinese are ahead of the curve when it comes to handsets making the most of the fast-and-loose Android SDK.

First came the hilariously-named Sciphone Dream G2 and now the latest phone to take advantage is the QiGi i6.

Interestingly, the QiGi i6 is equally able to run Windows Mobile 6.1 or Google’s innovative touch-driven operating system. That’s ‘or‘, not ‘and‘. Giving customers the choice is nice, but how much sweeter would it be if it could run both?

A breakdown of the vital statistics make for a pretty sturdy handset:

• 2.8-inch touchscreen display
• On-screen QWERTY keyboard
• GPS
• Wi-Fi
• Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
• Bluetooth
• A 2MP camera
• A 624MHz processor
• microSD card support (up to 4GB)
• 109 x 58 x 14.9 mm

No wi-fi, which is a shame… But to have a sweet little HTC Touch-inspired Android device entering the market at an impressive pricepoint could shake things up! What does this mean for the plucky T-Mobile G1? Once that interface starts to be a little less unique, will it still be as alluring with cheapy phones like this around?