Gaiman denied G1 by T-Mobile because it "won't do the Google" where he lives
Neil Gaiman, author of fantastic tales, is not allowed to have a T-Mobile G1. In fact, the staff of a T-Mobile store didn't want anyone to have a T-Mobile G1.
There was a man and a woman behind the counter. They said they were sorry but they didn't have a G1 for me to play with."When will you get them in?"
"We won't get them in."
"No?"
"No."
Apparently the G1 "won't do the Google" in Gaiman's area. "So we aren't allowed to sell it." As a result, Mr. Gaiman has decided not to buy a G1.
Photo: Neil Gaiman
A fine wensleydale? [Neil Gaiman's Journal]
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There probably weren't enough local employees of the Google in his area typing in entries.*
*I actually knew a woman who believed that the Google employed thousands of little old ladies to sit in a basement and type in all the search results...
My guess is that he's not in a 3G area. And seriously, if he's savvy enough to blog about it, he should be smart enough to just order it online.
@Phi -
If you read his blog post you'll see that he didn't want to buy the thing without seeing it in person, first. The folks at the T-Mobile store (which actually sounds like it's a non-corporate store, more like one of those mom and pop corner mobile everything places that sells T-Mobile) said he could go to the Twin Cities to see one in person.
@2, yeah but there's something to seeing one in person and having some douchey sales guy explain to you why he wouldn't buy one.
"The Google", is that one of those fancy new dance steps the kids are into these days?
I too want to hedge bets that this is merely not a corporate TMobile store, but another one of those 'authorized resellers' the telcos use to shove off last years phones on people.
It is possible the area does not have 3g coverage in that area, but I would still bet with the fact that it is a second tier reseller, lying their ass off, as usual.
FWIW - the G1 works just fine when it's only got edge network data. But given the lines we saw in Atlanta on the 22nd to get phones, there's just no reason that they'd have them in stores outside the 3G service areas yet.
Areas not in 3G coverage won't have units for sale in the stores. However, they're SUPPOSED to have demo units that show what you can expect to get on EDGE, and *IF* you are okay with the less impressive EDGE performance, you get directed to the website (t-mobileg1.com, incidentally) to buy one. It WILL WORK in T-Mobile coverage areas outside of the 3G zone, but just on EDGE and wifi.
That seems like it wasn't a T-Mobile corp-owned store, however, so it's less likely that they'd have units. Or, they're new, because that answer was both wrong and completely dumb.
(Disclosure: I'm a T-Mobile rep, these opinions are my own, not Deutsche-Telekom etc. etc. etc.)
The phrasing of the answer "Doesn't do the Google" intrigues me. Obviously they meant that they're outside a 3G Coverage area, but I like to imagine there is some sort of Browser Gang War going on in Mr. Gaiman's home town.
"B***H THIS IS ASK.COM TURF!"
As a Twin Cities resident, I can promise you that we "do the Google." We do the Google like you wouldn't believe.
You don't have to be in a 3G area to buy a G1. I just bought one last week (they're shipping it to me), and our area only has EDGE. I knew that going in, tried the phone in a T-Mobile store, and found the speed quite acceptable.
(Doesn't hurt that I know we're getting 3G in about 3 months.)
So, something's fishy.
if rumors are correct (and they may not be) I think I know the town and store that Mr. Gaiman is talking about. I live about 15 miles from it. It doesn't surprise me that people wouldn't know what is going on...
I wonder what the dance steps to The Google look like?
It's just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right...