Rewind a year and a bit and everyone was going on about how the iPhone was the best thing since sliced bread. But if you're the kind of person who prefers doorstep-style sandwiches, what's on offer at the mobile bakery for you?

Many have tried – and failed – to replicate the goodness of Apple's iPhone by attempting the touchscreen thing in different form factors. Yet none have quite matched the iPhone's promise of the internet in your pocket. Until now, perhaps?

Google's recent mobile OS brainchild, Android, has had a long gestation but, as the cliché suggests, it is a case of good things coming to those who wait.

Many manufacturers have pledged their allegiance to Android and the likes of LG and Samsung are promising handsets next year and beyond. But someone has to go first, so HTC has bitten the bullet with the G1.

While the outer shell won't win any beauty pageants, it's not exactly the ugliest device we've seen either. T-Mobile has decided to stick with what works and has gone for a device not dissimilar to the Sidekick with a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.

The 3.2-inch 320x480 screen is ample but prone to grease marks, which is, alas, so often the case with modern touchscreen devices. Until one of the players in the mobile arena miraculously innovates a solution, we're afraid it's a case of using a cloth or constantly washing your hands.

With a choice of black or white, the colour scheme is a pretty safe bet. T-Mobile tells us that the white seems to be more of a hit with the ladies, while the boys are backing black. The keyboard springs into action smoothly and is attached to rest of the handset securely so there's little risk of it falling off after a few weeks' use.

The Qwerty keys are spaced out to maximize comfort while typing; this is a device targeted at web users after all. Although it's a shame you can't use the responsive touchscreen to enter data using a virtual keyboard, the user experience with the hard keys is not too dissimilar from using a desktop keyboard, just scaled down a little.

Aside from the keyboard and touchscreen, five buttons and a small mouse/track wheel are used to navigate the phone's myriad functions. 

With an aesthetically pleasing user interface and clean, uncluttered desktop, Android emulates the desktop experience further. The usual Google applications (Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube etc) are included and it's possible to customise the home ‘desktop' by dragging icons around - or binning them - with a sweep of a finger.

HSDPA connectivity (up to 7.2Mbps), plus Wi-Fi support means fast and furious web browsing and those familiar with Google's recently-launched Chrome browser will be pleased to see its mobile lovechild evident here. Multiple web pages can be opened, managed, navigated and zoomed in and out on with your fingertips.

Push email (Gmail, naturally) support is present and always working behind the scenes with messages (both email and SMS) appearing in the top left of the screen and viewable in full at the touch of a finger. Add to this threaded SMS, Bluetooth (only for headsets) and GPS and you've got yourself a nice little communications feature set.

An omission that will no doubt prove a peeve to those looking to Android for both business and pleasure is the lack of Exchange support. Although T-Mobile et al are expecting third-party developers to come up with the goods.

Another major gripe is the lack of video recording functions, but fear not as Android Market is around to provide add-ons like Exchange email and video capabilities. Applications available for download here are rated by users and can be added to the phone quickly and easily.

There are other goodies on offer, too. A digital compass (which might be used with Google Street Views to create 3D images here in the UK like in the US soon) complements a price comparison widget where you photograph a barcode and the app searches out places you can buy the item for less.

The latter is likely to result in stores filled with confused security guards as they watch quizzically at consumers taking snaps of products and them storming out of the shop in search of a better bargain.

The music player is slick and the sound quality loud and surprisingly untinny using the speakers. The lack of 3.5mm headphone jack upsets us, however. Just when will manufacturers learn?

Sadly we didn't get to play with the 3.2MP snapper but we're not entirely sure we missed much as it doesn't have a flash.

Overall, we liked this phone, but more because of the gems it's hiding than what it looks like. You know the cliche of the dowdy, bespectacled librarian transforming into a vamped up supermodel at the mere undoing of a hairgrip? The G1 is the mobile equivalent...