Jennifer Chappell

I just put up my video review for the T-Mobile G1.

I apologize ahead of time for the stopping and starting in the video. I had way more than the 10 minute time limit and had to cut it down quite a bit. I had a hard time deciding which parts to cut out. And as always, I'm nervous and stammer quite a bit. I wish I could be cool and quick like the other editors.

One of the parts I cut out to stay within the time limit was about the camera. I was very disappointed with the quality of the photos. No matter what type of lighting I was in, the photos always came out grainy and washed out. I was very surprised since the G1 has a 3.2 megapixel camera. I saw no options to change, so I don't know what the problem is. My Centro takes better pictures than what I've been getting with the G1. I also find the camera button on the right side of the G1 to be difficult to press.

The keyboard layout is great but I have a very hard time seeing the keys. I've read that the keys on the Black G1 are much easier to see. That's good to know. If I were to ever buy a G1, I'd certainly go for the Black model.

This is an Official Round Robin Contest Thread!

Good luck everyone!!!

jaytee

Thanks for the review! My son is looking at a G1 for his only Christmas present. He's quite the computer geek, so he's likely really enjoy the G1. It's also the platform I'm starting to look at as Palm slips slowly under the waves.

Developing for the G1 could be a blast. It has the feel of the earlier days of the visorphone/treo.

P.S. Can you post some of the example pictures?

jhauser3

The good news with the G1 is that there is a trememdous upside for the hardware and the OS. Right now, the phone is just kind of "blah," but it will catch up. Andriod is really in stage 1 as well, so after a few years and different additions, this will be pretty cool.

pmjohnson99

G1- Meh? needs to mature a little bit more. Seems like a kid phone, ala sidekick-y.

T-ulk

I m excited for android 2 coming out next year. I only wish they come out with treo like form factor as sliding kb is always a deal breaker for me.

Geo-Treo

Australian customers will get the Treo-like Angora next month. I'll bet somebody comes up with one for the U.S. soon.

Pamina

I tried typing on a G1 and that chin part that juts out is just awful. It prevents you from gaining any rhythm on the keyboard and just makes it awkward to hold and type at the same time. I have small hands and fingers, and there is just too much space for my fingers to reach across comfortably. The OS sounds great, though, so I'm waiting for them to spruce up the hardware in future versions. Plus that bar code reader is super cool!

reyza

Cool review. I was actually really impressed at that price scanning tool. It actually recognized something as small as Jello. I thought it was only for bigger things like electronics.

jhauser3

Still, there is a tremendous amount of upside with this OS. It's not quite a productivity tool, but it's neat.

amdxmania

Android just started its life i'm pretty sure it'll get better in quick enough time.

as opposing to gadgetgirl, i do not like dedicate number line.. i alway make mistakes on that even on computer lol. yes, the extra handle on right makes it difficult to type too

3.2 megapixel camera takes terrible quality? yeah sure! because megapixel doesn't have much to do with picture quality. i believe 0.3MP camera can print 4x6 pictures fine if i'm not mistaken

i really like the phone and want to give it a try but unfortunately T-Mobile doesn't work well here. i wish T-Mobile works at my place

jabbb

"don't just a book by its cover" definitely true in this case
even though the ANdroid platform is pretty neat stuff, wow the phone is just too odd to look at

Pamina

One of the other round robin reviewers (maybe Crackberry Kevin? I've lost track of who said what at this point...) made the interesting comment that perhaps the G1 form factor is so lame/industrial so as not to take focus away from the OS, which is meant to be the "wow" part of this device. If that's true I think it wasn't the best strategy, because people are still talking about the form factor anyway, just not in a positive way. But on the other hand, putting such a great OS in such a weak package will probably spur others to try to incorporate the OS in their own phone models, so maybe this strategy will make the OS spread faster across multiple devices. Sneaky!

sivan

The chin doesn't get in the way of typing. You just have to hold it with the right hand slightly below the chin so the thumb is reaching the keys directly.

The visibility problem with bronze keyboard occurs under dim lights. The backlight minimizes the contrast between the letters and the key background. Not a big deal to me as I quickly got to memorize the keyboard layout. In bright light and dark, the keyboard is fine. But the black model is a sure bet if this is a concern.

__________________
Palm Vx > Treo 650 > Centro > G1 > Pre

Geo-Treo

Since the G1 has been taking it on the chin a lot I had to see for myself. Not so bad for typing. After years of using the Treo's cramped thumb keys, I find the keys on the G1 easy to reach and I like having the trackball next to the keyboard. I can hold the G1 by the fingers of both hands and type with my thumbs, or hold it in the palm of my left hand and use the fingers of the right.

Love the dedicated numbers, too. The keys are rather flat and not as easy to feel as the Treo but that's another issue.

T-ulk

i m waiting for a front qwerty android.