First Impressions: The Google Phone (T-Mobile G-1)

Featured | Gadgets
October 22, 2008

During lunch, a buddy and I stopped into the T-mobile store so he could get something fixed on his account, and low and behold they had the G1 in stock and demo units on the floor.  I had to take a peak and see if android could live up to all fuss, and if it was indeed an iPhone killer.  This is by no means a comprehensive review, but just my first impressions after 3 minutes with it in the store.

  • Look and feel – much better than I thought.  Most of the pictures I had seen did not do it justice.  It had a nice weight, and didn’t feel cheap like a lot of the plastic windows mobile phones do.
  • Screen – Was bright and clear.  Touch screen worked well, although I missed the multi-touch like the iPhone, still it was responsive.
  • Keyboard – One of the big selling features of this phone over the iPhone has been that it has a full keyboard, however I didn’t find the keyboard all that much better than the iPhone.  The keys were all flat, and I didn’t think that were tactile enough for quick typing.  Also the lip where the home buttons are was in the way, I couldn’t hold in a comfortable spot for typing.
  • OS – A great first impression for Android.  It was snappy and the browser seemed good.  I would have like a little more visual elements, but I’m sure people will be coming out with skins for it now that it’s available.  It lacks exchange support which would be a deal breaker for me, but I’m sure a developer will be coming out with a solution for that shortly.

Overall it seems like a great v 1.0.  Since it’s an open platform, I’m anxious to see what people do with it.  If you are on t-mobile and need a smartphone, it definitely deserves a looksy.

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