For those not aware, TMobile is the first company to offer "The Google Phone", basically a phone running Google's Android operating system. Tenielle and I both needed new phones, so we went with this one (please don't mention the SE Xperia, I got sick of waiting) So, techy details aside, here's my review of it so far (I've had it for just over 3 days now).
Look/Feel/Size: My previous cell phone was a Razr, but I also had Treo 700w for email, etc. which I never carried for the sake of only having one phone on me. The G1 is bigger than the razr of course, but feels much less bulky and heavy than the Treo by far. I had a requirement of a physical keyboard, and the G1's is comfortable and I have gotten used to it real quick. Navigation is really intuitive, and the touch screen controls respond great and make a lot of sense. Really no instruction needed...it just flows well. Very comfortable to talk on so far.
Screen/Color, etc: The screen is really bright and crisp and I have no problems reading websites when zoomed out. The browser is pretty slick and so far has done great on all of the websites i've gone to.
Email: If you use GMail, you won't find a better phone for email than this one. I use Gmail almost 100%, so this is probably the best feature of the phone for me. Notifications are instant, and the full sync of contacts, calendar and mail seamless. Email interaction is almost identical to GMail on the web, so no real learning curve at all.
Other apps: There are plenty of apps available already for free on their 'Market'. The G1 commercial highlights one of them, the ShopSavvy app, that lets you scan in a barcode at a store and it will look up prices online as well as at stores nearby (where applicable). We've really only played with it so far, but I can see it being very useful. There is also an app to make your own ringtones from MP3's you put on the phone. I've used it and it's really fast and simple. Works great! There are hundreds more, but I've had it for 3 days, so only tried the most popular one's so far.
GPS/Maps: The G1 has aGPS, so it's not accurate to the inches, but definitely within a few feet most of the time. However, the phone is also supposed to be able to use cell tower triangulation to get yoru location when GPS is off or not available (indoors, etc), but that hasn't really worked for me yet. I have only tried it at home, so maybe it's somethign with the towers nearby. However, with GPS on, it's very accurate and works well.
Camera: So-so. It won't replace your current camera, but will do for random shots in decent light. Lowlight, don't bother as they will be blurry, and there is no flash. There is also no way to adjust the shutter speed or have lowlight settings...maybe that will come in future system updates. We'll see. The auto focus seems to work well though, and taking pictures is quick and easy. There is also an app that lets you edit pictures (add text, effects, etc) and then email/text them to people.
Memory: It comes with a 1GB micro SD card, which you can obviously replace. I'll probably keep my eyes open for a 16GB card on sale....16GB should be plenty for a phone :) And 1GB will suffice for the average person anyway.
UPDATE
Battery Life: Not so great when you start using the web features a lot. If you use it just for phone/standby, seems to do just fine (probably a couple days), but if you use it heavy on the web/gps, etc, appears to probably drain in about 4-5 hours. So car charger is a must.
That's the basics. If you are looking for a new phone, it's a great phone for the price, and I really don't have any complaints that are of major issue. If you use GMail, then you definitely want this phone.
More questions on it, let me know...otherwise, feel free to start making fun of this post for being stupid and how nobody who cares will read it, etc.
4 comments:
Hmmm, actually made me want to buy it. Too bad I'm not with TMobile.
Who are you with? If AT&T, they just launched an awesome phone today, the "Fuze". Worth checking out. Similar features (and better for work email, etc. or if you don't use gmail already)
How much does your monthly bill go up by? oops i farted
You need to add the data plan, which is 24.99 per line you want it on. That gives you unlimited data (surfing, email, music, etc) and 400 text messages. There is also an unlimited text message plan for 10 bucks more, but I don't do that much texting, plus you have your email, so no need to text as much, right?
However, the same data plan for my treo on verizon was 50 bucks a month, so 24.99 is really a great deal.
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