T-Mobile G1 Android Phone, Black (T-Mobile) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)======================================
Summary [7.5 out of 10]
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The T-Mobile G1 is an excellent "first-mover" Android-based phone from T-Mobile and is truly a "Google Phone". If you are already have most of your life on Google through one of their many handy and free services (Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Talk, Picasaweb, etc.) the G1 is going to be a dream device for you. If you don't make use of the Gmail services or have most of your life scattered across many different services, the G1 will be an OK phone for you, but we'd suggest also looking at a BlackBerry or iPhone as well as there are some things those phones do better than the G1.
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The Great
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* Call-quality (both receiving and sending) is very nice. People I spoke too (in an A/B comparison between iPhone) said that the iPhone sounded just like a typical crappy cell phone and the G1 sounded like I was on my office phone. I also felt the volume of the G1 was louder when talking to people making it a bit easier for me to hear them.
* Google services integration is awesome. It's completely seamless, syncs over-the-air regardless of the data connection you have, seems to sync frequently so your contacts, calendar, email and IM are all always synced up. Also the synchronization is bi-directional, you don't have a "Read only" copy on the G1... you can change anything you want and see it synced right back to Google.
* Having a keyboard is very handy. The non-super-techy types that I lent the phone to for a few hours all commented that the physical keyboard felt and "made more sense" than a virtual on-screen keyboard to them like the iPhone or BlackBerry Storm.
* The trackball is much handier to have for selection than I anticipated. Also it's position on the phone is perfect for both landscape and portrait use. I was surprised (in landscape mode) how my thumb naturally fell right ontop of the trackball, making it much easier to navigate the screen without lifting my hand off the keyboard to press something.
* Micro-SD support - including the new 16GB cards that were released recently.
* Voice dialing - How does the iPhone still not have this. I also found the accuracy excellent, pretty much on par with what my BlackBerry had. I also noticed when you have multiple numbers for a single person, even though the voice-dialing result screen shows you all their numbers, it always puts the one you wanted as the first item, so it's easy to execute. Unfortunately if you like to drive with your phone in your pocket and call people, this might be an extra step some folks don't want.
* Back Button - Similar to the BlackBerry OS, the "Back" button always does what you think it should. If you read an email, and jump into a browser to check a link and click a YouTube link to watch a video... the "Back" button will move you backward through those contexts back to the original email as you keep hitting it. This has always driven me nuts on the iPhone - you have to go back to the home screen first, then back into whatever it was that you were doing.
* EDGE data performance seemed snappy on the phone. While browsing is certainly still just as slow as you would expect, the Chrome-based browser performed well and the background-sending/receiving of data in every other app gave an excellent user experience. Coming from a 1st Gen iPhone on an EDGE network, I was used to much longer lag related to data operations (like Maps or Email) so it did seem a hair more performant - or maybe just designed in a more streamlined flow, it's hard to say.
* Mobile YouTube was easy to use and looked great on the little screen. Playback started quickly and the interface was easy to use - I find the iPhone interface a bit too constrained.
* Basic UI for the Android apps on the G1 were very intuitive; I didn't find myself pointing out UI oddities left and right as I tend to do, everything just did what I expected it to and menu items were right where I thought they would be.
* Universal notification bar across the top of the screen became a huge "must have" for me. Going back to the iPhone is going to be painful after this (and dealing with multiple overlapping dialog boxes). Any time anything happens on the phone that you have notifications setup for (IM, Email, SMS, etc.) a notification icon is added to the bar that you can drag-down with your finger any time to view the contents of. It makes multi-tasking possible where as the iPhone is a single-context device.
* Operating system updates are downloaded over-the-air and you are prompted to install them seamlessly at your discretion. This is both over EDGE as well as 3G.
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The Good
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* Build quality was more solid than I expected. I expected the whole phone to be that "plastic cell phone feel", but the top sliding piece that has the screen in it is actually a solid feeling piece of metal with the glass-esque screen connected to a plastic body.
* The Android UI is a lot more polished and "sexy" looking than I thought it would be. It's not quite like the iPhone, but sexier than BlackBerry OS on the Curve or Pearl (I haven't spent enough time with the Storm or Bold to compare, but at first glance I'd say it's a bit nicer).
* We found most all of the Android applications and system design to be intuitive and flow nicely.
* It is nice to have a "Menu" button again. I got used to it on my BlackBerry as a source of secondary operations that you may want in any application, and missed it on my iPhone -- sometimes feeling like functionality was trimmed to far in the name of a "simple interface".
* The slide-out mechanism for the G1's screen is much sturdier than I thought it would be. I don't forsee this breaking down over time as it has a smooth operation to it and held firmly in place with two guiding pieces. It's also got a good amount of spring-tension to make the operation feel stiff/firm and not flimsy or chinsey.
* Replaceable battery - slide the back cover off and you are all set. You can replace the battery yourself. None of this Apple-crap where you send your device in for "service" to get the battery replaced.
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The Bad
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* Form factor is large enough to consider this a "large" phone. The iPhone was a big phone, but skinny enough you didn't really notice it. The G1 is about 30-40% thicker feeling than the iPhone, so in your pocket, you absolutely notice it. I'd say if you are used to wearing tight jeans, trying to shove this down in a pocket and dig it out is going to be more of a pain then something more streamlined like an iPhone.
* Backlighting of all the keys (keyboard and main face buttons) is dim, uneven and times out quickly so it's easy to loose your orientation when ready before hitting another key. This is really annoying in normal-room-lighting, because the backlighting will always kick in (no sensor) causing the white lettering on the keys to almost become the same color as the key itself, so you suddenly cannot read the keys until the backlighting turns off or you hold the keyboard at an angle so you can read it. This an odd (and annoying) side effect of "all-the-time" backlighting that I had never experienced before on another device.
* Main face-buttons are all the same size, feel and are flush with the face so you cannot navigate them in the dark. You usually have to do something like hit "Menu" or roll the control ball to get the "back lighting" to wake up, then press the button you want.
* Screen display quality is slightly less fidelity than the iPhone (very minor). It's hard to tell, but none of us were "struck" by the beauty of the screen clarity, resolution or brightness unlike (for example) some of the recent BlackBerry Storm reviews that actually called out how nice the screen was. If the iPhone is just fine for you, and you don't need a noticeably improved screen, then this won't matter at all. Just pointing out that there isn't any improvement here.
* The touch-screen performance felt about 15% less accurate than the iPhone. Meaning you had to press a bit harder something or press it a few times before it "clicked", quick clicks with the finger or some slides didn't register right at first. This didn't happen often and for the most part the touch screen was just fine, no usability impact -- it's just that we did notice a hair of a difference in what would be interpreted as "accuracy" of the touch screen.
o ADDENDUM: As one of the viewers on our G1 video review pointed out, the less screen sensitivity was likely due to the protective film we left over the screen. A lot of folks still use screen protectors, so this point could still be important for them, but we wanted to make that clarification. With the screen protector off, the touch screen performance would be expected to be on par with the iPhone.
* From time to time we noticed the OS lag after a button push by up to 6 secs before responding. We've seen this on the iPhone as well (and BlackBerry), but on the G1 the pauses seemed more pronounced.
* No standard headphone jack. There is only the Mini-USB connection at the bottom of the phone or the choice of a Bluetooth headset - Unfortunately because of the poor battery life, we don't think a Bluetooth headset for the purpose of audio is a good choice here.
* The connection mechanism for the entire back plate of the phone (that pulls off like opening a clam) isn't as secure as you...Read more›

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A Note About 3G Phones and Internet Usage3G phones are optimized for use with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, but many of these phones' functions will also work well on the T-Mobile EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.The long-awaited T-Mobile G1 smartphone combines full touchscreen functionality and a QWERTY keyboard with a mobile Web experience that includes many Google tools you've come to rely on with your PC, including Google Maps Street View Gmail, and one-touch Google search. It's also the first phone to be powered by Google's new open-source Android operating system, which offers an intuitive interface easily customizable home screen. You can also purchase optional software via the Android Market to personalize your G1 with a variety of software applications like games, social networking, and on-the-go shopping.
In addition to a vibrantly colorful 3.2-inch touchscreen, the G1's hinged screen slides open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and closes to prevent accidental dialing. It runs on T-Mobile's new and growing 3G network, and also offers Wi-Fi connectivity for surfing the web on your wireless network or at hotspots as well as Bluetooth for both hands-free communication and stereo music streaming. Other features include a 3-megapixel camera for still photos and video capture, a digital audio player (and easy access to Amazon's MP3 store), an included 1 GB microSD memory card, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

T-Mobile Service The T-Mobile G1 operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and is compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. T-Mobile is currently rolling out its 3G network, and it expects by year's end that its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services. In those areas where 3G is not available, the phone will access data using T-Mobile's EDGE network, which is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps). This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web or downloading content from the T-Mobile t-zones content portal.

Android OS and Market The T-Mobile G1 with Google is the first phone to run on the Android operating system, which provides easy access to a wide assortment of messaging tools and Google apps. Additionally, this open source OS empowers developers to to create and offer applications that add value to the G1. The G1's Home screen (seen at right) is your starting point for using all the applications on your phone. You can customize your Home screen to display applications, shortcuts, and widgets.

The Android Market hosts a wide variety of unique applications, and with the G1's one-click access to it you can find and download a wide range of innovative software applications--from games to social networking and on-the-go shopping--to personalize your phone. Some examples of applications include:

With the comparative shopping ShopSavvy application, you can scan the UPC code of a product with your phone's camera while shopping, and instantly compare prices from online merchants and nearby local stores.
Ecorio was developed to help people keep track of their daily travels and view what their carbon footprint looks like. With access to tips and tricks, Ecorio allows you to record the steps you take throughout their day to help offset your impact on the environment.
BreadCrumbz enables you to create a step-by-step visual map using photos. Create your own routes, share them with friends or with the world.
Additionally, the T-Mobile G1 comes pre-loaded with a new application developed by Amazon.com that provides easy access to the Amazon MP3 digital music download store with more than 6 million DRM-free MP3 tracks. You'll be able to search, sample, purchase and download music from Amazon MP3 directly to the G1 (downloading music from Amazon MP3 using the T-Mobile G1 requires a Wi-Fi connection; searching, sampling and purchasing music can be done anywhere with a cellular connection).
Android 1.5 Operating System Update The Android 1.5 (Cupcake) operating system update includes the following:
New Features

Bluetooth stereo music streaming
On-screen keyboard in addition to slide-out keyboard (seen at left)
Video recording and playback
Home screen widgets
Easy upload of photos to Picasa and videos to YouTube
Spanish language support

Improvements

Edit multiple messages in Gmail
Faster MyLocation acquisition in Google Maps
Faster web browsing with smoother page scrolling
Improved camera with faster start-up and image capture
In-call keypad timeout to eliminate face dialing


Phone Features The T-Mobile G1's vibrant, high-quality screen slides open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, great for communicating with friends online or using the phone's e-mail, IM and mobile messaging capabilities. As another option for accessing the device, the T-Mobile G1 comes equipped with a convenient trackball for more precise, one-handed navigation. The 3.2-inch touchscreen has a 320 x 480-pixel resolution and a 65K color depth. The T-Mobile G1's touchscreen interface is unique, providing you with a more customizable, interactive touch experience. For example, you can set a signature gesture to unlock the screen (there are 30 million possible combinations). There are also different taps for different types of commands--for example, you can use a short touch to launch an application, or a long press on any screen will give you additional options, similar to that of a right click on a mouse.

The phone has an internal 192 MB RAM/256 MB ROM memory, and it's expandable via optional microSD memory cards up to 8 GB in size (a 1 GB microSD card comes with the phone).

With one-click contextual search, you can search for relevant information in a flash with a touch of a finger. A full HTML Web browser allows users to see any Web page the way it was designed to be seen, and then easily zoom in to expand any section by simply tapping on the screen. Built-in support for YouTube allows you to enjoy YouTube's originally-created content, easily navigate through YouTube's familiar video browsing categories or search for specific videos.

With Google Maps, Google's groundbreaking maps service, you can instantly view maps and satellite imagery, as well as find local business and get driving directions, all from the phone's easy-to-use touch interface. The T-Mobile G1 also includes Google Maps Street View, enabling you to explore cities at street-level virtually while on the go. Without taking a step, you can tour a far-away place as if they were there--standing on the street corner. Even better, the Google Maps feature syncs with a built-in compass on the phone--an industry first--to allow you to view locations and navigate 360 degrees by simply moving the phone with your hand.

Use the G1's 3G and Wi-Fi connection to attach and share pictures over e-mail and MMS or download music from your favorite web sites, as well as upload and post pictures to your personal blog.

The G1 features a rich HTML e-mail client, which seamlessly syncs your e-mail, calendar and contacts from Gmail as well as most other POP3 or IMAP e-mail services. The Gmail application provides features such as conversation view, spam filtering, search, and labels that Gmail users enjoy on their computer while offering new features such as integration with the phone's contact list. And it multitasks, so you can read a Web page while also downloading your e-mail in the background.

It also combines Instant Messaging support for Google Talk, as well as AOL, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger in the U.S., and IM presence allows you to see whether your friends are online, offline, away. The G1 also supports advanced text messaging features, enabling you to easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of group conversations through threaded text messaging. The Google Calendar app on the G1 syncs with the Web-based version, so any event that you add to your phone will show up on the Web-based Google Calendar (and vice versa).

Other features include:

3-megapixel camera with autofocus for still photos
Video recording and playback
Digital audio player with four categories (Artists, Albums, Songs, and Playlists) and support for MP3, M4A (iTunes AAC, DRM-free), AMR, WMA (8), WAF, and OGG Vorbis
Use digital audio songs as ringtone
Bluetooth version 2.0+EDR with the following profiles: HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control)
Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g)
Messaging: e-mail (IMAP/POP3/SMTP), instant messaging, SMS text, MMS photo
Voice-recognition
USB 2.0 connectivity with USB mass storage capability



Vital Statistics The T-Mobile G1 with Google weighs 5.6 ounces and measures 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 130 hours (5+ days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as the 1700/2100 MHz HSDPA 3G frequencies.

Frequently Asked Questions Q: Do you have to have a Google account to use T-Mobile G1? A: Yes, customers must log into the phone using a Google account login when they first use the device. Once you do log into T-Mobile G1 using a Google account, your Gmail and Google Calendar will all sync to your phone providing secure, up-to-date access to your personal information. If you don't already have an account, the startup process will walk you through creating one. Creating a Google account is free.

Q: Do customers need a voice and/or data plan to use T-Mobile G1? A: Yes, when you purchase T-Mobile G1, you must add one of two T-Mobile G1-specific data plans to their account. This is similar to other all-in-one devices we offer like the T-Mobile Sidekick or the T-Mobile Shadow. Customers must also have a voice plan.

Q: Is the G1 compatible with your HotSpot @Home service? A: No. Unlimited HotSpot Calling (formerly named T-Mobile HotSpot @Home) is not included in the T-Mobile G1, although the device can browse the Web over high-speed wireless connections including Wi-Fi and our 3G network.

Q: Are there any advantages to using Gmail on the device versus another type of personal (POP3 or IMAP) account? A: Yes. After first logging into their Google account, you will have all your Gmail, Google Contacts, Calendar and Talk data automatically synchronize with the phone. Anything you do on the phone with these products will seconds later become available on the computer and vice versa. If you were to ever lose their phone, their information will still be available and seamlessly synchronize with a replacement G1. You will also benefit from push e-mail and calendar alerts (this is also available for the multi-headed e-mail client). Finally, Gmail's contacts are synchronized automatically with the phone's contact list.

Q: What is the "search from everywhere" feature? A: "Search from everywhere" provides customers the ability to do contextual searches. T-Mobile G1 has a hard key on the QWERTY keyboard that you can touch in order to start a search within any application you are in. For example, if you are in your contact list and hit the search key, the device will search your contact list. If you are in your e-mail and you hit the search key, the device will search your e-mail. You can also start a search within each application through a search option within the application.

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