Today, I got my hands on the new T Mobile G1, also known as the HTC Dream, which runs on Google’s new mobile platform, Android. I got it from https://www.dfydaily.com/ online store. I must say, it is an extremely well designed phone, with many features and functions.
Physical Design
The G1 has a very unique design, the bottom portion of the phone juts out at a slight angle. This, I assume, is to facilitate better pick up of the user’s voice during calls. To some, this unique quirk may be unsightly. But I found that it allowed the G1 to fit snugly in my hand.
On the lowest portion of the phone are six buttons. One for answering calls, one for hanging up, a menu button, a back button, a home button, and a trackball. This brings me to another interesting feature of the phone, the trackball. Most phone users will be used some kind of directional pad, so this comes as a big change. Fotunately, this user found the trackball userfriendly and responsive – better than some directional pads currently available in the market.
The touchscreen of the G1 uses the same static technology as the Apple Ipod, so the tactile effect is almost the same. I did notice that there was a minute lag in the scrolling interface, but I could get used to it. The screen of the phone slides outward in a sort of eliptical motion, not straight up, to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. They key size, though small, is adequet for most users. I could type out short messages with no trouble at all.
User amp; Phone Interface
Google Android’s interface is a breath of fresh air after using Windows Mobile and Apple Ipod interfaces. It capitalises on the best of both worlds. It has a home screen similar to that of the Apple Iphone, with its various apps displayed for easy access. By sliding my finger upward from the bottom, I was able to access the full menu. I will run through apps available on the Android Market in a later section.
I tried making calls with the phone and discovered that the call quality is surprisingly good. Compared to my current phone, the HP Mobile Messeger, the G1 performed like a dream. Perhaps the design of the angled microphone actually did improve the quality of the reception.
Android Market
The Android Market is Google’s response to the iTunes Store and Windows Marketplace. Although the applications available are not as prolific or exciting as those available to the Apple Iphone, there are a load of good and useful apps available. The silver lining of this cloud is that Google has licenced the production of new apps for Android, and we expect to see much more apps by the end of 2009.
Bottom Line
Buy this phone if you want a companion that rivals the Iphone I functionality, but is much more customisable. This is definitely the right phone for anyone hoping to get first dibs into Google’s Android interface.