T-Mobile G1 Review
Although it suffers from some defects, the first smartphone to use the platform for Google Android, T-Mobile G1-eclipse much of the competition with a fun-yet-smart OS and a unique set of features. Aggressively priced at $ 179, he destroyed most of the smartphones of mobile world and merits the first place among the T-Mobile offers upscale. The G1 also showcases Android as a mobile platform capable.
Made by HTC, the G1-5.6 ounce is thicker and heavier than most new smartphones today from the Apple iPhone 3G or Nokia E71, there is something missing in the office style . However, it has a smooth finish with rounded corners. The large screen of 3.2 inch dual touch screen, and it has a 320×480 resolution. Below the screen is the G1’s chin, “a part of the phone before advancing slightly. From here you can find the tactile navigation controls, including a clickable trackball and dedicated call, Home, Menu, Up, call buttons and end.
Much of the circumference of the phone is due to the sliding screen G1, which is out to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The keys, which resemble closely the T-Mobile Sidekick, are square and sufficiently spaced to avoid bumps. The keyboard also has a backlight, which is great for dark or low light environments. Because the buttons are flush with the surface of the phone, however, they are not always receptive. In addition, chin G1 actually painfully difficult to type messages while holding the phone horizontally.
The phone has a mono speaker high on the back, with a 3.2-megapixel camera. Capturing video is not supported, and the camera has no flash, which is a shame, given its impressive resolution.
As for the interface, our first impressions of Android are very positive. After a brief start, the G1 boots to a clean, configurable home screen. The home screen is a three-Glance page and you can flip between pages with a swipe of a finger, just like you do on Apple iPhone 3G. By default, the center features an analog clock with a number of preconfigured application shortcuts. Google Search is displayed on the right page and page is intentionally left blank for other app shortcuts.
Most applications of G1 are hidden in a virtual drawer slides up with the touch of a finger. You can manually add shortcuts to these applications to one of three mobile home pages in the G1 pressing the Menu button and selecting the applications you want. Similarly, you can delete the shortcut icon into the application down and dragging it in the trash. Overall, the G1’s interface is on par with the iPhone and found to be clean, fun and very intuitive.
Android is based on an open platform, meaning that any software publisher can design programs for it, and that’s where the G1 really shines. UK Android, Google’s answer to Apple’s App Store, houses many applications that take advantage of the G1’s features. Compare Everywhere, for example, uses the G1’s camera is allowing you to scan bar codes and comparison-shop on the fly. The G1 currently lacks the same number of applications to offer the iPhone, but its original offer is no less impressive.
Amazon.com also takes advantage of multimedia capabilities of the phone and you can download DRM free songs directly from their MP3 store. With the implementation of the Amazon, buying over-the-air tracks for the mobile version of Amazon MP3 store is easy and fast. After choosing the song you want, the application asks you to login to your account. It then verifies your account information, verifies the number of credit card and start downloading. In our test, the whole process took 45 seconds.
It should be noted, however, you have to switch to Wi-Fi before you buy songs (you can not buy through 3G). You must also have a credit card registered to your Amazon account (you can not buy songs if you have several credit cards under your account).
As expected, Gmail, Google Maps and Google Calendar are tightly integrated with the OS G1. The G1 is synchronized with Google’s web-based services from the moment you power up, requiring you to login with a Google account, new or existing. With cloud computing, Android eliminates the need to manually sync your phone directly with your PC. And as with all Google products, do not expect support for Microsoft Exchange.
Although the call quality on the G1 was superb, our 3G support has been uneven across New York City and parts of New Jersey. Similarly, the G1 GPS signal is not always clear. Browsing the Web was relatively fast with Chrome Snappy the G1 browser type. NYTimes.com, CNN.com and our own sites ComputerShopper.com each loaded in just under 30 seconds via 3G. Besides 3G, the phone also supports the EDGE network and Wi slowing faster wireless networks. Bluetooth is also built in.
In our tests, the G1’s battery lasted 12 hours and 30 minutes (with Wi-Fi turned off) and 3G moderate and Internet use. Using GPS the G1 for extended periods drains the battery, but otherwise the battery life is stellar for sending / receiving calls, Internet use, and running applications.
Unfortunately, the G1 has some shortfalls of the first generation miner. For example, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack for use with most headsets on the market, and there is no way to synchronize your contacts and calendar with your PC directly, you must count on cloud computing. MP3s and photos can be synchronized between the phone and a PC or Mac via drag and drop. Despite the few complaints and defects of the first generation, however, Android is a platform promising that we are very pleased to see on other handsets, and the G1 itself should be at the top of each T-Mobile customer list.
Key Specs
Network: EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA
Input Method: Trackball; thumb keyboard, touch screen
Screen Size (Diagonal): 3.2 inches
Operating System: Google Android
Carrier Specific?: Yes (T-Mobile)
Digital Camera: Yes (3.2 megapixel)
Audio Playback: Yes
Internal Memory: 256MB
Memory-Card Support: Yes (MicroSD)
Mfr. Rated Battery Life: 5 hours (talk time); 5 days (standby time)
Dimensions (HWD): 4.6×2.2×0.9 inches
Weight: 5.6 ounces
Pros
Intuitive interface; great feature set for the price; excellent wireless connectivity, including 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi
Cons
Hardware/keyboard design can make typing difficult; 3G and GPS signal can be spotty; no 3.5mm jack; camera doesn’t support video
Bottomline
With a solid feature set and intuitive OS, the G1 easily claims the top spot among T-Mobile’s smartphones.
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