T-Mobile G1 Review
I’ve been using the T-Mobile G1 now since launch day, and *finally* I’m getting around to writing my review.
I’ll start with the downsides:
- Applications only install to built-in memory
You can only install Marketplace applications to the built-in memory, so even if you add an 8-gig MicroSD card, you can still only fit a handful of applications on the phone because of the small amount of internal memory. This means if you want to try out apps you have to consider their size carefully and routinely have to play a game of app survivor when something new comes out you want to try.
- Tethering
Still no tethering. I was really expecting to have that by now, so I’m fairly disappointed.
- Keyboard not as good as I would have liked
The keyboard is pretty good, but not great. After having it a few months now I’m still not touch-typing with it.
- Battery life
The battery life isn’t great, but with my normal use I can get a full day out of it. Anything heavier than the occasional chat, web page, or map use will cause you to want to charge it mid-day as well.
And the upsides:
- Back-grounded Apps
Hopping around between applications is great: someone IMs me a link. I click the link, see the page, and then I can copy that link and switch right over to IRC and paste the link in there. All of those are constantly running, receiving data, and operational while I’m doing anything else on the phone.
- Built-in Gmail
The gmail app is great. Well built, well integrated, does everything you’d need it to. It is effectively push, I always get alerted to new messages on the phone before anywhere else.
- Google Talk
Google talk (IM) is seamlessly integrated. People have no idea I’m using it from my phone rather than a computer, it just works. And since it runs in the background, it is a decent replacement for most of the SMS messages I would typically send.
- Openness
While as of yet the openness of the platform is relatively unexploited, I can see how this will be a major benefit in the future. Having the platform rolled out to multiple devices, having the ability for people to tweak things however they want, and not having a draconian overseer approving all of the applications are all potentially huge wins.
I’m definitely keeping the phone, and for the most part I’m pretty happy with it. For now I will miss some aspects of the iPhone, most notably the larger audience and the attention that gets from developers, but I think that the G1 ends up being more like a portable computer and thus more useful to me. The first week I had it I found it remarkable how much more useful a phone like this is than a normal cellphone for marginally more money.
There is certainly room for improvement, but luckily most of my complaints about the phone are software issues. I’m looking forward to seeing what Google, handset manufacturers, and the developer community do with the platform.
