Get the perfect T-Mobile G1 smartphone

The T-Mobile G1 is the first of its kind, bringing a full QWERTY keyboard, internet browser and tonnes of apps together around a brand new operating system, known as Google Android.

Now, getting to grips with any new piece of hardware can be tricky but when the OS is as new as Android, making sure the apps pre-loaded can be tricky. Fortunately, help is on hand as we’ve been putting the T-Mobile G through its paces and found the top apps every Android user should download first.

To get the perfect T-Mobile G1 smartphone you’ll install to install a number of extra tools, all of which are free and easily accessible direct to your phone through the Android Market portal. Here we look at the top apps every T-Mobile G1 needs to get fully up and running.

Power Manager
We all need the best battery life possible from our devices, so this app helps extend that life by managing all aspects of your phone’s usage. It’ll allow you to change settings, such as dimming the screen and instantly switching off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

ToggleBlu / ToggleWi-Fi / ToggleGPS
Three different apps but all with the same purpose – helping manage battery life. However, instead of being a power management tool, these three allow you to switch, or Toggle, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or GPS connections On and Off. They can even be set up on your Home page for instant switching.

Profiles
A lot of devices allow you to switch between different user profiles, so if you work from a number of locations and need to switch between settings you can do so from the Home page. Sadly, the G1 lacks this at the moment but this free download makes it possible. It’s easy to use and means the G1 will respond to need instantly.

Rings Extended
Bored with the ringtones your G1 came with? Looking for something a little different? Rings Extended allows you to take the music you’ll downloaded onto the phone and select it as your ringtone.

Ringdroid
We all love to personalise our handsets, either with Themes or ringtones. This is a handy MP3 file  editor that can make new ringtones out of your favourite tunes. Use it with Rings Extended and you’ll never need to look for a new ringtone again.

WikiMobile
We all need information at the tips of our fingers and the best online resource is Wikipedia and you can go straight to it using this little app designed specifically to make the most of the T-Mobile G1. Articles have been clipped to fit on a single screen and navigating around topics makes this one of our most used apps.