T-Mobile G1

The T-Mobile G1 is the first of many expected smartphones to reach the market that are based on the Google Android operating system. Before being introduced by T-Mobile, it was known as the HTC Dream. The Google Android OS is seen as having the potential to expand the capabilities of smartphones generally because of its open source orientation to third party applications. It is reasoned that because developers have free rein to show off their best and most creative work that the possibilities are limitless.

The G1 boasts perhaps a more comprehensive set of features than any other mobile device and was apparently designed to satisfy all consumers. Much discussion in the smartphone arena revolves around the relative benefits of a touch screen and a physical keyboard. The top rated Apple iPhone 3G has an excellent touch screen while the number two BlackBerry Bold utilizes a keyboard and trackball. The G1 addresses this argument by offering both. It has a 3.2-inch touch screen, a keyboard and even a BlackBerry-like trackball.

The G1 is the first 3G offering from T-Mobile. The only down side to that is that T-Mobile’s 3G network is, for now, much smaller than that of AT&T. That means that the 3G data transfer speed and voice quality benefits are limited to those markets in which T-Mobile has 3G. That also explains a rather unique pricing agreement with retail giant WalMart. From T-Mobile, the G1 is priced at $179.99…pretty reasonable for such a feature packed phone. It is, however, available from some 550 WalMart stores for $148.88. Those stores happen to be the ones that are located in T-Mobile’s 3G network markets.

Standout Features

• Touchscreen and tactile keyboard
• GPS linked to Google Maps
• Direct connection to Amazon MP3 store

Features

Display
Screen resolution on the G1 is bright and clear though a step below that of the iPhone. Its display is also a bit smaller than that of the Apple device. It provides a slight vibration, called haptic feedback, to confirm some actions taken. Some actions don’t get this feedback, however, which can be a little confusing. Navigation on the screen is intuitive and precise and scrolling through web pages is simple. Unfortunately lacking is the iPhone’s ability to zoom in and out by pinching your fingers together or apart.

The Keyboard
The full QWERTY keyboard can be accessed by pushing the screen to the side and up. The action feels solid and smooth. Opening it automatically changes the screen display orientation from profile to panorama. The keyboard is spacious and will be preferred for typing by many users. Its keys are adequately sized but are somewhat flusher than we’d like to see. You have to be rather deliberate in pressing the keys or that design fact can result in errors.

The keyboard is good enough that it should be attractive to business users and happily, the device does have a copy and paste function. That said, there are a number of serious shortcomings with regard to business needs.

Email, Synchronization & Sharing
The G1 does allow for viewing of email attachments such as Microsoft Office documents and PDF files. Unfortunately editing or creating such documents is not possible. More critically, the G1 doesn’t offer support for Microsoft Exchange Server. That means that synchronization with Outlook email, address book, and task lists is not possible. These omissions may be resolved by future third party applications but, for a device at this level, should have been included from the manufacturer and carrier. For users who need those functionalities, the BlackBerry Bold would make a better choice.

GPS
GPS is built in to the T-Mobile G1 and, not at all surprisingly, Google Maps comes pre-installed. It includes standard, satellite, and traffic views as well as a terrific compass mode which is exclusive to this platform. In this mode you can select a spot on the map then rotate. Taking advantage of the phone’s built-in accelerometer,you’ll be treated to a full 360-degree street view from the spot.

Music
Your can enjoy your music collection using the G1’s music player which supports most common audio formats but there are some disappointments. The device has a strong 192MB of memory and comes standard with a 1GB microSD card. That memory can be expanded by a MicroSD card of up to 8GB. Direct connection to the Amazon MP3 store allows for download of songs without DRM restrictions. Music can be downloaded only when you have a Wi-Fi connection and not over the wireless phone network. Music can, of course, be downloaded from other vendors and you can upload songs from your computer. A major flaw is that the only way to attach wired headphones to the G1 is via the USB port by way of an adapter. An inconvenience, to say the least. Bluetooth hands free headsets and car kits are supported by the device but, sadly, stereo Bluetooth is not available … so no wireless music headphones. That is another strike against a phone that should be a top-notch music player.

Camera, No Video
The G1 comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera, giving it the edge over both the iPhone’s and Bold’s 2.0 megapixel cameras. It is, however, a pretty basic camera without typical options for white balance or effects. The device does not have video recording capabilities.

Third Party Applications
The Android Market is a central issues regarding the T-Mobile G1 and other Google Android OS devices that are yet to come. Open source programming is the essential theme behind the entire Android concept. Developers are given all the programming freely and are encouraged to make the most of it. At this early point, shortly after the release of the first, and so, only, Android phone, there are far fewer third party applications available than for other platforms. If the potential of Android phones is realized we can expect an explosion of programs available. Some will be merely reiterations of programs available for other phones. We’re hoping that the open source concept will indeed spark creativity and result in applications we haven’t even dreamed of yet. For the time being, we’d be really pleased to see some bright developers fill the voids that we mentioned regarding business and music functions of the T-Mobile G1.

Battery Life
The rated talk time for the T-Mobile G1 is 300 minutes with estimated standby time of 120 hours.

Design
The G1 has a solid feel and simple, contemporary design. Opening the device to display the full QWERTY keyboard has a solid feel. The rubberized texture lends confidence to handling the device.

Summary
Anticipation was high when the first Google Android OS based phone was announced. The T-Mobile G1 is an excellent first step in realizing the potential of open source programming and offers a wide array of features. It is, nonetheless, disappointing that such a high end device would leave critical functions such as MS Exchange compatibility, video recording and stereo Bluetooth to third party developers