T-Mobile G1 "Review"
Yes, I got the phone. And, it's awesome, much better looking "in person" than in preliminary reviews. Been playing with it all day.
I don't know if I can add anything to other reviews that are out there. You can certainly find a meepload of photos of it.
The picture quality of the LCD screen is amazing, better than Nintendo DS's. The touchscreen works well, but is not too responsive around the corners. The keyboard is workable and the tactile feel is much better than of the previous HTC phones (I've had a few), as well as Blackberries.
The phone is not light and not small.
But, it seems very structurally sound, hinges and all, and I like the choice of plastic--it has a velvety feel, strong but not brittle.
The camera is OK but in desperate need of image stabilization. Only 2 out of 10 photos I took came out not smudged. I'm not too sure that this can be done in software, but maybe.
I'm not getting any 3G (and that's near downtown Boston!) and the GPS satellites are not being acquired from inside the building, even when standing near the window. Makes sense I guess because the receiver is intentionally low-power.
The call quality is very good.
The raw output of the compass and the tilt sensors seems iffy and will probably require a bunch of DSP to actually be useful to programs. But it's like that for all the motion devices, including the Wii controller.
Google apps are implemented well, and almost all the setup features are designed with efficiency and economy in mind. It is not the world's flashiest phone (certainly not up to par to the UI of the iPhone or one from www.tat.se), but one can immediately tell that a lot of thought went into the UI design. It is easy on the eyes and eminently usable (just like GMail).
The best part is, of course, developing for it. I like the design philosophy behind their APIs and system libraries.
I had our code running on real hardware in no time. In fact, it was nearly as easy as connecting the USB cable and doing exactly what I was doing to run it on an emulator -- pushing a meepon in the Eclipse IDE. And, I was getting real-time debugging output back over the USB (also no effort required), which is awesome.
I'm really rather impressed by the hardware. I don't use MS Exchange and could care less if the phone can't synchronize with Outlook. They'll probably fix this omission soon anyway with a software update. And, I am not too off-put by the lack of the 3.5mm stereo jack , because one can buy a lightweight adapter for ~$5 from EBay.
So in summary, I'm a total fanboy. I guess we'll see in the next few months how it will hold up.
P.S. It's got YouTube.
<span class="post_was_edited">On 2008-10-23 at 01:50:49, Crackalackin asked to smell your meep</span>
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godevilliv+
Oct23 '08
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Is it going to do a trick?
Oct23 '08
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Cool, thanks. The Java part of it grosses me out or else I'd be more curious about the development angle.
You're saying the keyboard is better than that of Blackberrys you've known and loved?
Oct23 '08
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I think so. Some people might have a problem of having to reach around the home/pick up/hang up/back keys (that whole block stays on the right when the keyboard is exposed), but I have longish fingers and have no problems reaching over those with my thumb.
Oct23 '08
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Do you have to have T-Mobile?I know I could google this,but would rather have an answer sitting here waiting for my eyes to have a gander.
Oct23 '08
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EW NEVER TYPE HERE AGAIN
EDIT: UGH NO YOU'VE RUINED IT
<span class="post_was_edited">On 2008-10-23 at 10:04:17, vasudeva asked to smell your meep</span>
Oct23 '08
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I was Kind of Surprised they did this with the Static Block at the Bottom/Side. I have an older HTC phone and it has more or less the same layout but that whole bit slides up with the screen. I'm really impressed with the amount of abuse my HTC smartphone has survived.
Oct24 '08
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Oct24 '08
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I nubs mine.
Battery burns fast Camera takes getting used to but works well Very impressed with music quality Love the threading for text messages Used shop savvy to save $30 on a halloween costume last night Shazam hasn't identified a song for me yet but I love the idea of it so much I'll keep trying.
I wanted the brown one but when with black.
Oct29 '08
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The sky is falling!!!!!!!!!1
Jan26 '09
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I have read advantageous opinions about this phone. Blogs, Press aso. They called it iphone killer...
Well, iam interested in the image that T-Mobile has in the US. You have to know that the german Telekom, the holding company of T-Mobile is the largest provider for internet and mobile phones here. They are some kind of "big evil corporation", although i use them for my internet connection, not for my mobile. Personally, i perceive them as some kind of underdog in the US, am iam wrong?
Jan26 '09
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Yes, in terms of subscribers, T-mobile has less than half as many as Sprint/Nextel. It has far, far less than Verizon and AT&T.
Their network coverage is much more limited too, although it serves most of my basic needs. We don't have 3G coverage in most of northeastern Pennsylvania, so buying a G1 wouldn't make sense (although I'd like to try it). Voice reception is sometimes spotty, and it's frustrating as meep that I can't get a signal in my office building.
When my contract's up in August I'll probably switch to AT&T or Verizon. I'd nub me a Blackberry.