Official T-Mobile G1 Review November 25, 2008
Posted by Nik G. in : Cell Phones, First Look/Reviews, Google , trackback
So I think it’s easy to say that hands down, the T-Mobile G1 Google phone, featuring the all-new, open sourced Android platform and a killer resistive touch screen, was one of the most anticipated handsets of 2008.
Fortunately, I was able to get a hands-on with the phone and have been using it for a couple of days now and I have seen impressive results with it.
This phone seems to be perfect for me, a complete slide out QWERTY keyboard, an awesomely amazing touch screen that is just as good as my iPod touch and of course, the iPhone, and the brand new, never before seen Android platform. (Android, for those who don’t know, is the new operating system from Google that is open-sourced, meaning that developers can make all sorts of applications to use on the phone, sort of like Apple’s App Store just here there is no blocking of apps like with Apple’s store)
Because the phone has been out for a while and you can find all the design/tech specs all over the web, I’ll focus more on 1) the apps available to the phone as well as 2) what you as a teen would care more about.
The Applications
First off, it features an Android marketplace with a lot of nifty applications to make your experience with the phone more enjoyable. There are several awesome apps on it, including a pretty unique one called Punch-O-Meter.
Now, there is a version of this application on Apple’s App store that costs 99 cents, this one however, is completely free. That brings up another point, every app on the market is free, this means that the professional developers will bring out a lot more good, quality applications next year when T-Mobile allows them to charge people for apps.
Anyways, back to the Punch-O-Meter, for those who have never used this app, it uses the built-in accelerometer to test how hard your punches are and then gives you a rating. While this isn’t the most productive app and it certainly isn’t the greatest out there, it is one that stuck out in my mind as a pretty cool, off-the-wall application.
Another really sweet app is called Barcode Scanner.
You might have seen a similar concept somewhere else on the internet, but this application utilizes the G1’s 3 megapixel camera to take a picture of any barcode on any item and then searches all across the World Wide Web for the product.
I tried it on several different things — a box of Fruit Loops to a container of Whey Protein as well as the back of The Office Season 2 case — and guess what? It found every single product and offered several ways for me to purchase the product as well as the prices for it.
This truly is an awesome program and I’m glad to see it work well and not be poorly implemented.
Those are just a few of the different apps available in the Android Marketplace and if you really like the openness of Android or want something to mimic Apple’s App Store, then the G1 is definitely the phone for you with lots and lots of applications out there, ready to be tried by you — the consumer.
The Phone
Like I said in the beginning, I was going to focus more on the apps then the actual phone itself but what kind of review would it be if I didn’t at least “touch” on the phone?
In case you didn’t get it, that pun was totally intended. The T-Mobile G1 does an awesome job at what it was made to do: divert as much attention away from the iPhone as possible. That was made obvious when the Android Marketplace and Amazon mobile MP3 store were announced. Even though the G1 came after the 2nd generation iPhone, it still has everything the iPhone has and more, FOR LESS $$$.
It has a 5 row, QWERTY keyboard that is amazing to type on and a very fluid, responsive touch screen.
When compared to my Blackberry and T-Mobile Wing, it did pretty good on battery life and reception, the backbone to any cell phone.
It even boasted some impressive results with media playback and has an overall intuitive design, in comparison to the iPod Touch.
All in all, I would definitely say that this a great phone for anyone looking for something new. If you are with T-Mobile (like me), this may just be the perfect phone for you.
So what do you say? Bought a G1 and have your own review? Looking to get a G1? More interested in the new, all touchscreen Samsung Behold or a different T-Mobile phone altogether? Let us know in the comments!
Comments»
amazing review im getting one on friday and i cant wait from the reviews ive seen and the features ive gotten 2 work with this phone is just apsolutly phonominal i say it “leaves the iphone in the dust” no questions asked