Will Android and G1 live up to the hype? Is this the first coming of a serious new contender in the mobile space, or has the triple threat of Google, HTC, and T-Mobile not delivered on their promises? We’ve put both the device and the software through its paces to bring you the definitive review of the T-Mobile G1. Read on!
News link: here
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87 Responses
10.24.2008
i use gimp and ooo
10.24.2008
I don’t think he’s saying they aren’t good. They are awesome pieces of software (I use them everyday) but given the choice i would choose Photoshop and MS Office.
10.24.2008
Way to angry about them being too nice and go the opposite way and be too mean jbella.First of all, keep in mind that they were trying to distinguish flaws with the phone vs. flaws with the network, which is pretty much impossible. I would love to get the G1 if it was being sold by my carrier for instance. They didn’t say the non-gmail email was bad, just not as awesome as the gmail app, which was really good. Half-baked software?Are there different expectations from the G1 than the iPhone? Of course. They are from different companies, different carriers, with different design goals. That said, before the first iPhone came out, reviews were gush gush gush just like this one. Wait until it’s been out a week, and then the complaints will come rolling in, but still not as big as iPhone complaints because not as many people are going to own the G1.I found the review to be very informative which is all I was looking for.
10.24.2008
If you are telling us the open software is unusable, then why are you using an iPhone? The operating system and web browser are largely built on open source software (BSD and Webkit respectively). Then, just as Google is doing with Linux, Apple placed a fancy user interface on top of both BSD and Webkit. The only real difference is that Apple restricts the mechanism by which we can install applications onto the iPhone and nobody controls the mechanism by which applications are installed on the G1.
10.24.2008
Well I suppose the root of the problem here is that it’s hard to tell if they are reviewing the G1 phone or the Android platform in general. If you parse the article carefully I think it’s fair to say that the G1 is not a great phone. It may be slightly less fair to say that Android software is very good but lacking a little polish (and by polish I don’t just mean nice little things like consistent fonts throughout the system, but also consistent user interface metaphors.) While it’s fair to take note of the future potential of a platform, I think a gadget review ultimately must review the device itself. That is what I, as a consumer, really want to know. If the iPhone 3G came out with buggy GPS, slow browsing, and an 11 hour media playback life.. I doubt the tech press would be so kind. My other point was that much was being made of the system being ‘open’ which is a bit strange. Sure there are some nice advantages to an ‘open’ system, especially for geeks.. but people seem to imply that this would naturally lead to a better end user experience. I brought up Gimp to point out that although very functional and useful, Gimp is nowhere near as good as Photoshop. In fact I can’t even think of an open platform that produced a good end-user experience. (and by end-user I mean an average consumer.. not a geek) Remember OpenMoko? Wasn’t that supposed to be everything the iPhone was not? Can anyone think of an “open” system that produced a great end-user experience?
10.24.2008
The difference is that private developers can mod Android, and any phone manufacturer can make a better phone for the operating system. With the IPhone, what you get is what you get. There is not room for growth except whatever Apple puts out.Whatever immediate problems there are with the current hardware and software for Android will be rectified relatively quickly and cheaply. This is only the first example of what will soon be many different versions. There is no such luxury with the IPhone.
10.24.2008
Lets hope it is not just T-Mobile releasing the phone, but KPN, Telford, or what ever has them to offer aswel. Would be pitty if it is like that.
10.24.2008
look *****
10.24.2008
grammar whate?
10.24.2008
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10.24.2008
costs 3 times as much as an iPhone and twice as ugly as Nokia’s effort. Fail.
10.24.2008
So to recap from the article:1. “quirky” design (another way of saying ugly).2. Hard to type fast due to chin.3. GPS not really working4. 3G coverage not so good.5. Browser slow in loading pages.6. User interface spotty (long press, not long press).But overall… “shows good promise”.
10.24.2008
7. No headphone socket
10.24.2008
HTC stated they expect most people to use Bluetooth headsets, but headphones can work with android over the ExtUSB port. No standard headphone jack is a complaint, but how many phones force a proprietary jack anyway. The iPhone’s jack is even recessed and won’t work with most standard headphones as a result.
10.24.2008
8. I’ts through T-Mobile
10.24.2008
Well, in order to show promise you have to be deficient. If all were great, then it would have been called “delivered”.
10.24.2008
google cell phone, I like it. batteries-charger.com
10.24.2008
There’s a great video review of the device here too: mobileindustryreview.com/2008/10/mobile …
10.24.2008
Gotta love the cheesy morning radio announcer and sound effects. Overall a good little show. I like how he asked random people about their phones and what they like/dislike about them.
10.24.2008
lots of in-depth stuff here. phonedog.com/tags/g1.aspx
10.24.2008
One comment on the review pretty much hit the point:’The G1 is definitely being treated with kid gloves so far. I’m not sure why there are so many “not bad for version 1,” “we’re sure it will get better,” “we can’t wait to see what the future holds” comments in these reviews. Would Apple, or even Microsoft, have been shown this kind of tender mercy with a release of device of this magnitude? No way. Google certainly commands an amazing amount of goodwill.’Even though i’m pretty excited about the Idea of an unified, free, open source platform for mobile phones, more realism in critics is necessary for ongoing advancement.
10.24.2008
it’s because you aren’t paying for the OS, and Google has some history now of working hard to keep improving their products. I do think of Google as a company who listen, more so than Micro$oft or Apple.
10.24.2008
But you’re accessing the OS through the hardware … I have no doubt there are gonna be some killer Android phones, but the G1 may not be it.
10.24.2008
How about the fact that it’s so cheap compared to the iPhone? That’s a mitigating factor here.
10.24.2008
You’d have thought the latest, supposedly greatest phone would look a little better than something from the 90’s. Whatever the advantages it has over other phones (a fair few to be fair) that’s still a sticking factor for too many and sometimes doesn’t get mentioned enough. And that’s one thing that could prevent it from taking off like the iPhone, maybe even the Nokia 5800.
10.24.2008
Install wisbar advance + desktop on a WM phone and you can make it much,much,much more functional than the android homescreen can ever be.
10.24.2008
The downside here though is that you have to install it on a WM “phone” – not as long as my feet point 180.
10.24.2008
This is Google’s first-ever attempt. Just wait a few more years and this phone will be godly. I always wait a few years before buying something like this.In the long run, this is going to dominate the iPhone, mainly because of the SD slot which is going to allow massive data storage. The cloud computing aspect is also amazing.
10.24.2008
While I agree that Android could be good in a few years, I don’t think it’s going to dominate the iPhone. The vast majority of people have no problem with limited storage space on their phones. The cloud computing is cool as long as you’re gung ho for Google. I think the lack of UI uniformity is going to piss a lot of people off.
10.24.2008
Funny to see the Apple crew here nitpicking the review because they gave the phone some leeway for being new, when OSX and it’s bundled software still doesn’t have key bugs ironed out(and is constantly getting new ones) after years…and when those updates release, they praise them as if they’re a value add out of the kindness of Apple’s heart…/written ona macbook/start burying
10.24.2008
Did I miss the part where they talked about Java support?
10.24.2008
So basically, its a great phone but it sucks at connectivity…so its a PDA?Damn, i was hoping to buy the G1. I was playing with the UI in the Android Simulator and i loved it (altho there isn’t multi-touch). Why the hell does the hardware have to suck? ARGH!!!
10.24.2008
I’ve been waiting for this! can’t wait for mine in a few weeks…
10.24.2008
wtf no flash?
10.24.2008
Gee, the G1 sure looks a lot like a SideKick.
10.24.2008
Man, look at those fat tolerance gaps!
10.24.2008
Anyone who already bought one actually pay the $179 advertised price? I didn’t