The T-Mobile G1 is the first "Googlephone" running the Android operating system. The G1 has a large touch-sensitive display and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. It's best features are its mobile internet applications such as Gmail and Google Maps, as well as built-in GPS and WiFi support. Weaknesses include the dire camera, lack of memory, difficulty interfacing with a PC or Mac and general "beta" feel to the whole thing. We'd recommend waiting for the next Android phone, or choosing the iPhone 3G instead.
The T-Mobile G1 is the first handset to use Google's Android operating system. To us, it feels pretty much like a beta release, rather like the original iPhone - good in some ways, but not really cutting it as a phone.
Available in a choice of white or black, the device looks a bit like the iPhone's ugly sister, but you can slide the screen to one side to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard beneath. The screen itself is touch-sensitive, giving you a choice of input methods. The accelerometer automatically rotates the screen between landscape and portrait modes, depending on how you hold the phone. It's not a small phone: too big to use single handedly, and really heavy too. Weighing 158g, it's the heaviest smartphone currently on the market - the same as Sony Ericsson's Xperia, but not half as good looking.
OK, so this is the long awaited "Googlephone", and it's all about Google. This is a 3G phone that's clearly designed for accessing the mobile internet, with a large screen, web browser, Google applications and email. But plenty of smartphones can do that. What's special about the G1? Well, of course it's great for browsing the web, with its big screen (3.2 inches is massive, let's face it), ultra-fast 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connection, WiFi and easy text input. It's completely Google flavored. It's integrated with Gmail, Google maps, Google search, YouTube and Facebook. But this is a double-edged sword. Suppose you want to do something that's not approved by the Google thought police? Like synchronize with Outlook. Nope, no can do. Won't even speak to a PC. or a Mac. Don't even think about replacing your BlackBerry with a G1!
You can download new apps from Android Market - some free, some you have to pay for. There are going to be loads more developed in the future, so no doubt lots of interesting stuff will be available here. Android is a multitasking operating system, so you can run apps in parallel, like view Google Maps whilst talking on the phone. Be careful though, as the more apps you run, the slower the phone will be and the more likely it is to crash. We don't yet have a view on how robust Android is. It's not the kind of thing you can tell from a short test session. We'll have to wait and see what our users think after they've been using their Android machines for some time.
It's clearly intended as a mobile internet device rather than a multimedia wizard. Cos multimedia wizard it isn't! The camera is about as good as the original iPhone's camera, i.e. at the bottom of the class. Although it's rated at 3.2 megapixels, it has no flash, no zoom, no video capability. There is an MP3 player, but no FM radio. One good thing it does have though is built-in GPS. This is a nice implementation that integrates well with Google Maps and even has a digital compass.
The G1 comes with a 2GB microSD card, which is inadequate really. Thankfully you can upgrade this to 8GB, but we feel that an 8GB card should have been supplied in the first place. We're pleased that it's got quadband support though, as well as 3G.
Even so, we're disappointed by the number of things that have been left out. No predictive text, no voice dialing, no video calling, no MMS video capability, no ability to use the phone as a modem. Pause for breath ... no ability to sync with a PC or Mac, no FM radio, no document viewer, no video recorder!
Battery life deserves a paragraph of its own. Its awful! If you use this phone as intended (i.e. all the time) you'll need to recharge it every few hours. And with a device as big and heavy as this, there's really no excuse for this.
We think that the G1 is going to turn out to be very much like the original iPhone. Massively over-hyped, brilliant at some things, but with too many flaws to be considered a mature technology. Some will love it, some will hate it. We steer a middle course and have tried to recognize the good bits, whilst pointing out the bad bits. Please don't send us hate mail like Apple lovers/haters did after our iPhone review. Remember ... it's just a phone.
Features of the T-Mobile G1 include:
- Google Android operating system
- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus
- Display: TFT, 65k colours, 480 x 320 pixels, 3.2 inches
- MP3 player (MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, MIDI, WAV, OGG Vorbis, M4A formats)
- MP3 ringtones
- Handsfree speaker
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging, Gmail
- GPS with Google Maps and digital compass
- Caller ID
- Vibration alert
- Memory: 2GB microSD card (expandable to 8GB)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB, WiFi
- Internet: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
- Quadband plus 3G HSDPA
- Size: 118 x 56 x 17 mm
- Weight: 158g
- Talktime: Up to 5 hours
- Battery standby: Up to 130 hours
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