The G1 differs from Apple’s iPhone as it offers Android, an operating system that allows users to combine data with the Web and personalized applications.

“The T-Mobile G1 is our opportunity in the U.S. to accelerate the mass adoption of the mobile Web,” said Cole Brodman, chief technology and innovation officer for T-Mobile USA, in an e-mail.

The phone’s starting price for T-Mobile customers is $179.99. With more advanced phones costing around that price, students said they can’t afford to break or lose their phones.

“I keep my phone right in my pocket and I’m pretty used to checking it when I don’t use it,” journalism junior Brian Lammers said. “I used to throw it in my bag … but I had one smashed when I set it down.”

Advertising senior Jenna Brown bought a cover for her phone after she broke her first one and lost her second in a puddle.

“I’ve gone through quite a few phones,” Brown said. “I keep it in my purse, and I check and freak out if I don’t have it.”

For students who do damage their phones, some local businesses offer cellular repair services.

Nick Curtis, owner of Talk-A-Lot Wireless repair center, 611 E. Grand River Ave., said water damage and broken LCDs are the most common phone repairs he deals with.

“Words of advice are if the phone ever gets wet, take the battery out right away, dry it out with a cool temperature and bring it in as soon as possible,” Curtis said. “Blasting the heat is bad for the phone.”