T-Mobile’s G1 Takes Shopping To 2.0

I’m on the search for a new phone! I currently have a Blackberry Pearl but it’s time for me to raise my game. I have been sold on the iPhone for a while now and decided that the purchase would be my Christmas present to myself. A few applications the phone offers that stand out in my opinion are Obama ’08, Twitterrific, AIM, Facebook, Wordpress, Pandora, and Pac Man – it’s my favorite game of all time!

With new smart phones being release every week, it’s hard for me to stay committed to the iPhone. The T-Mobile G1 became available on October 22, with the option of to pre-order starting September 23. I’m not too fond of T-Mobile’s service because their 3G network isn’t available everywhere. However, these pre-built features make me question switching providers:

1. One touch Google search

2. Google applications: Gmail, Google talk, Google calendar and YouTube

3. Google maps street view

and 4. SHOP SAVVY

Shop Savvy appears to be the shop-a-holic’s dream. I don’t really shop much, but the feature is very appealing. To give you and overall gist of how this works, you click the icon for Shop Savvy. Then click on ‘Search for a Product’. The camera on the phone appears and allows you to scan the barcode of any product. The phone registers the product and displays product information that includes a picture and prices of the product online and locally, using the built in GPS. Ideally, this information provides the user information to purchase the product at the cheapest available price either online or at a local store. You can also read reviews, be notified when the price reaches a certain point, and send the information to a friend.  Here’s a live demo:

Not every consumer good has been entered into the system, but for the phone to be on the market for less than a month the application is performing well. I’ve read reviews on how people are using Shop Savvy, such as parents scanning gifts their kids want and sending the list to grandparents as the suggested gifts to purchase for Christmas. The application is something really cool that the iPhone does not offer, yet the iPhone has so many other applications to offer.

I’m really at a lose of which phone to purchase. If anybody has either the iPhone or the G1, I need guidance!  Should I even consider the iPhone sans a Shop Savvy App?