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

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I seriously considered the iPhone 3G, but decided against it based on Apple's business practices. After 1.5mo of use, I have no regrets at all. There are a few trade-offs in favor of either phone, and the G1's interface may not be quite as polished as the iPhone, but in all I think the G1 is a better value. If you're a user of Google services (Gmail, calendar, contacts, Picasa, etc...) this phone is for you.
The good:
- I've gone through several generations of PDAs (no previous smart phones, however). With the G1, I finally feel like I have the internet in my hand, wherever I am. Google has made the transition to a mobile platform almost completely seamless.
- Range is far superior to my previous T-Mobile phones.
- Keyboard for a smartphone of this class seems essential.
- Performance under EDGE is better than I expected, and good enough to be useful.
- 3G and Wifi performance is outstanding. WEP was easy to configure.
- Service price is far more reasonable than other carriers, and T-Mobile support (what little I've needed) has been outstanding.
- Great UI - very intuitive, responsive, and attractive. Screen response is great, as well. Compared to the iPhone, it's missing multi-touch, and it is far better than Windows Mobile 6. Cross-app integration is superior.
- Shop Savvy has already saved me more than the cost of the phone and monthly service.
The not-so-good:
- T-Mobile coverage service is nowhere near as broad as other carriers in the US.
- The web browser does have problems rendering some pages - craigslist, for instance.
- I've never run out of battery during a single day, but with heavy use it won't go two days. Limited use, it will last me three days.
- Video recording is due out shortly (next firmware update, I'm told). Nice to have feature, but not what I want a phone for.
- Current phones are shipping with a 1/8 headphone adapter with a mic built in (for hands free calling with your headphones). Not bad, though I'd rather have a built-in 1/8 vs. the adapter.
- Need better handling of attachments - but I have no doubt it's coming.
- While there is a 3rd party Exchange client right now (haven't tried it), I'd like to see this as a core Android application. Weboutlook performance is similar to Weboutlook under Firefox or Chrome.
The Bad:
- The lettering on the bronze keyboard (both bronze and white phones) disappears when the backlight comes on in dimly lit conditions. I haven't evaluated the Black keyboard, but I also haven't seen any complaints about it.
vs. iPhone:
- Physical keyboard
- Better camera - it can read a bar code (for Shop Savvy), whereas the iPhone can't focus closely enough
- Open platform
- Slightly thicker (keyboard) but not as wide - fits in my front pocket, even in its soft case.
- Smaller screen than iPhone - not as bright in comparison, but bright enough.
- Cut and paste between apps.
- Trackball for fine cursor control - don't use it much, but sometimes it's essential.
- Better Google integration.
- About half the battery life, but it is user replaceable.
- Expandable memory via microSD cards.

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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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