So the husband and I finally agreed to consolidate phone plans, and I won out with my vote for sticking with T-Mobile. We went last night, and Billy upgraded to a pretty nifty T-Mobile Wing. I, however, am still debating on which phone I should get, and came home still wielding my same old Samsung.

My 2 top contenders at this point are the T-Mobile Shadow or the awesome-looking and quite pricey G1. The G1 is supposed to be the next generation phone, similar to the iPhone but with a full QWERTY keyboard (which I really really like). Has anyone heard anything about the G1? Here are my concerns and decision points:

- The G1 does not have Windows Mobile. While this phone is mainly for personal use, the ability to sync with Outlook and open attachments while not in the office could be handy. However, since my company is not paying for my phone, it's not a 100% deal-breaker.

- That being said, it would be handy to be able to check my work email from my phone. Right now the G1 runs all Google-based apps. Is it possible to access outlook through google? (I know, newb question, but I've actually never used Outlook until this job).

- The G1 has a nifty kewl touch screen similar to the iPhone. While being super fun to play with, if I get a phone with a delicate screen like this, will I be forced to carry it around in a dorky case? I'm more of the 'toss the phone in the purse and go' kinda girl, and I wouldn't be caught dead toting my phone on my hip. Are the screens that easy to damage?

- In general, is it bad to buy something expensive like this when it's right out the gate? I know with cars they always say never buy the first model year....should I hold off and see if this new 'android' phone is all it's cracked up to be, or just take the plunge?