The hoopla surrounding the world’s first ever open source Android OS-fuelled phone, the G1, may not have reached the blockbusting proportions of the Apple iPhone but with the all-pervading internet giants Google pulling the OS strings and HTC designing the handset, hype-levels were always going to be cranked up to critical.
But can the G1 survive the crippling weight of expectation? Judged on first impressions the answer is a resounding no. The phone looks like it’s been shipped straight in from Toy Town/Early Learning Centre. We could slap the blame on HTC but rumours suggest Google’s design input was greater. It’s clunky, unwieldy and we have to admit a major turn off. Just one minute in its presence and you’ll long for the iPhone’s sleek stylish torso.
Luckily, the damage is only skin deep because the G1 is revelation to use. Although not strutting multi-touch skills, the touch screen is every bit as fluid as the iPhone, ably abetted by a spacious pinkie pleasing QWERTY and a responsive BlackBerry-esque track-ball for one handed operation.
The Android user-interface is equally slick with the sliding three panel homescreen open to endless widget, direct weblinks and shortcut customisation. Sweet touches like the pop up main menu, the drop down new message window pane and the prolonged finger press to summon a sub menu just heighten its ultra intuitive user-friendliness.
With a web browser based on Google’s impressive Chrome desktop model, surfing the full fat internet is iPhone Safari smooth. Its expansive 3.2-inch display is a great platform for skimming around web pages using your finger and with HSDPA and Wi-Fi onboard, pages load whip-smart.
Naturally, navigation is based around Google’s own mapping software and getting a satellite fix via A-GPS was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quick. The G1 also sports a motion-sensor compass but until the UK gets Google’s coming soon Street view mappage this feature lies frustratingly dormant.
The greatest strength of an open source OS, and in particular Android, is that developers from all walks of life can devise apps and software to spice up the G1. With its Android Market stocked with over 50 apps, there’s lot of useful and fun apps to start downloading.
Elsewhere, the camera set-up is criminally rudimentary with the 3.2-megapixel lens shorn of photo mods while bizarrely, for a company that has YouTube in its company ranks, video recording skills have gone AWOL. These shortfalls make for solid, rather than spectacular, start to the Android dynasty.
Verdict
It may be the ugly duckling of the heavyweight smartphone crowd and lack certain key features but the G1’s touch dynamics, web browsing and user-friendly interface are impressive enough.
Best features
Fluid touch dynamics
Stunning three-inch display
Thumb-friendly QWERTY
Superb for web browsing
High speed connectivity
Not so good
Ugly design
Basic camera
No video capture capabilities
No support for Stereo Bluetooth
T-Mobile G1 full specifications >>
T-Mobile G1 gallery
Closest rivals
Nokia N96
Nokia’s class-leading Symbian smartie seemingly has it all. Its N95-esque feature-set is bolstered by a monstrous 16GB dollop of internal memory and a BBC iPlayer TV app.
LG KU990 Viewty
LG’s impressive touch phone is photographic and video ace with a Xenon flash-led five-megapixel camera and VGA quality and slow mo video capture capabilities.
Samsung F480 Tocco
Samsung bijou touch phone plays the style card to brilliant effect but backs up the dapper looks with a widget-friendly homescreen and an autofocus-firing five-megapixel snapper.
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