1 Comment for Does the G1 google phone have a barcode scanner?

• 1. aishwariya  |  January 24th, 2007 at 8:36 am

  One of the year’s most hotly anticipated gadgets hit the shops the Google G1 a handset that can find cheaper goods by using a barcode scanner.

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  Thousands are expected to take advantage of T-Mobile G1 handset – Google’s first foray into mobile phones.

  It promises to transform the mobile telecoms industry and finally persuade consumers to surf the internet on their phones.

  The handset, which comes free with a £40 a month contract, has won few fans with its bulky design. But technology experts have been raving about Google’s operating system, Android.

  This allows customers to download for free up to 50 different applications onto their phone, from computer games, to shopping sites to the Telegraph’s website – all of which have been specially designed for easy use on the phone.

  The applications mean that users do not need to go through the laborious process of logging on to the internet via their phone. They merely press one button and are linked directly to the sites.

  They include Shazam, which can identify what song is playing in the background in a cafe or club, and Pac-Man, one of the most popular video games of all time.

  The application that has impressed experts the most is Barcode Scanner, which uses the G1′s camera to scan barcodes on items, such as books and CDs, and then uses the phone’s built-in Global Positioning Software to tell its owner not only the cheapest place online from which to buy that item, but the cheapest place in the local area.

  Ben Wood, analyst at CCS Insight, said: “Some of these applications are pretty smart.

  “They have been available for some time, but most people needed a Phd in sofware engineering to know how to use them. The G1 makes it really very easy, and should help consumers avoid the notorious “bill shock” that greets many users when they use the internet on the phone.”

  T-Mobile, which has the exclusive deal with Google until next year, says that customers can download almost unlimited data as part of their monthly £40 contract.

  Most experts, however, are sceptical that Google’s ingenious software will trump Apple’s iPhone, which has already sold more than 10 million since it first went on sale last year. Mr Wood said:

  “Gadget freaks will love the Google G1, but for most people the iPhone will remain the hottest handset.”

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