Lucky me, today I got a chance to test the new G1 on T-Mobile almost a month before it's release date. The G1, also called the Google Phone, runs Google new Android OS on new HTC hardware and it is the only other phone that has any real star power next to the iPhone.
First impressions:
Ok, let me start by saying the G1 is NOTHING like an iPhone. It does not feel as refined as the iPhone in construction or function. The iPhone is in a whole other league when it comes to fit, finish and polish of both the HW and the feel of the OS.
That said, the G1's OS "Android" is no slouch, and is the smart phone the Nokia N-Series should have been. But Nokia never got it right with the N-Series S60 OS and Nokia will have trash the S60. Android is the final nail in S60's coffin. Cause unlike the S60 or even worse, Windows Mobile, Android simply works and works well. And with it's solid Linux underpinnings it very well should.
But take a second and note my choices for comparison, I can't help compare Android to more traditional smart phone interfaces cause a direct comparison to the iPhone does not seem fitting. Yes, they are close in functionality, but they are miles apart in execution.
here is the run down of my brief time with the final release G1.
First impressions:
Ok, let me start by saying the G1 is NOTHING like an iPhone. It does not feel as refined as the iPhone in construction or function. The iPhone is in a whole other league when it comes to fit, finish and polish of both the HW and the feel of the OS.That said, the G1's OS "Android" is no slouch, and is the smart phone the Nokia N-Series should have been. But Nokia never got it right with the N-Series S60 OS and Nokia will have trash the S60. Android is the final nail in S60's coffin. Cause unlike the S60 or even worse, Windows Mobile, Android simply works and works well. And with it's solid Linux underpinnings it very well should.
But take a second and note my choices for comparison, I can't help compare Android to more traditional smart phone interfaces cause a direct comparison to the iPhone does not seem fitting. Yes, they are close in functionality, but they are miles apart in execution.
here is the run down of my brief time with the final release G1.
Input methods:
The G1 has 3 modes of input, the flip out keyboard, on screen touch and a tiny trackball very much like the Blackberry Pearl.
Keyboard:
Flick the screen to the right and the G1 unfolds with a confident and soild "SNAP" to revel a full QWERTY keyboard. The keys are set very close to the surface and don't have much tactile "feel", but work as expected and will certainly be one of the biggest selling points.
Touch Screen:
The screen does not support multi-touch "gestures" (pinch or stretch), but swipes and flicks do work. However, I instantly noted the screens sensitivity to not be nearly as responsive or good as the iPhones and on more than one occasion my "touch" did not register at all.
Trackball:
I loved the trackball when Blackberry introduced it, I love the trackball just as much on the G1. I tried to play PacMan with the touch screens virtual joystick and it was instant death by Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. Then I was alerted to the trackball discretely sitting there and in seconds I almost ate all four of them on a single power pellet. The trackball works great, is almost invisible and Apple could take a cue from it.
On Screen Keyboard:
There is no on screen keyboard implemented in this first version Android, and while there was only one time i missed it (I just want to type something simple and found it annoying that I had to flip the phone and open it), I suspect it is something you just accept after a while.
APPS:
I poked around a little in the Market (App Store) but did not have enough time to really try what was available.
However, i did use the "Barcode" app. It is like Shazam, but for products, not music. You simply use the camera to photograph the barcode of a product and the app looks it up on the web and shows you the prices of that product online and in other locations. Pretty amazing little app that will save you serious cash.
And lastly I tested the map feature and the compass. The compass is obvious and worked as expected. A nice touch that will make giving turn by turn directions a reality on the G1, something the iPhone has promised, but is still not here.
As for the google map feature. I opened both an iPhone 3G and the G1 side by side. The iPhone found my location in seconds. The G1 never did get a "lock". I chalk this one up to the iPhones use of aGPS (Assisted GPS). aGPS is the combination of cell, wifi and traditional GPS to triangulate your location and it greatly increased reliablity. Where the G1 relies on GPS alone, hampering it's location capabilities when indoors. (Correction: The G1 does have aGPS, but it does not work as well as it does in the 3G iPhone.)
In Summary:
The G1 does things in a traditional smart phone way and the first thing you instantly recognize is that the G1 is nothing like the iPhone. I liken it to comparing a Ducati to a Honda. The iPhone and the G1 both look similar on paper, but if you have ever been on a Ducati at speed, you know there is something other worldly about the way a Ducati does what it does. The same can be said about the iPhone. This is not to say the Honda, or the G1 for that matter, are not brutally effective, it just means that every once in a while a inanimate object finds a soul. Ducati's have them, Ferrari's have them and iPhones have them.
So there you have it. The G1, a serious bit of kit and contender for your attention, make no doubt about that.
Relevant links:
PC World G1 phone review (Oct 16th, 2008)
The G1 has 3 modes of input, the flip out keyboard, on screen touch and a tiny trackball very much like the Blackberry Pearl.
Keyboard:Flick the screen to the right and the G1 unfolds with a confident and soild "SNAP" to revel a full QWERTY keyboard. The keys are set very close to the surface and don't have much tactile "feel", but work as expected and will certainly be one of the biggest selling points.
Touch Screen:
The screen does not support multi-touch "gestures" (pinch or stretch), but swipes and flicks do work. However, I instantly noted the screens sensitivity to not be nearly as responsive or good as the iPhones and on more than one occasion my "touch" did not register at all.
Trackball:
I loved the trackball when Blackberry introduced it, I love the trackball just as much on the G1. I tried to play PacMan with the touch screens virtual joystick and it was instant death by Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde. Then I was alerted to the trackball discretely sitting there and in seconds I almost ate all four of them on a single power pellet. The trackball works great, is almost invisible and Apple could take a cue from it.
On Screen Keyboard:There is no on screen keyboard implemented in this first version Android, and while there was only one time i missed it (I just want to type something simple and found it annoying that I had to flip the phone and open it), I suspect it is something you just accept after a while.
APPS:
I poked around a little in the Market (App Store) but did not have enough time to really try what was available.
However, i did use the "Barcode" app. It is like Shazam, but for products, not music. You simply use the camera to photograph the barcode of a product and the app looks it up on the web and shows you the prices of that product online and in other locations. Pretty amazing little app that will save you serious cash.
And lastly I tested the map feature and the compass. The compass is obvious and worked as expected. A nice touch that will make giving turn by turn directions a reality on the G1, something the iPhone has promised, but is still not here.
As for the google map feature. I opened both an iPhone 3G and the G1 side by side. The iPhone found my location in seconds. The G1 never did get a "lock". I chalk this one up to the iPhones use of aGPS (Assisted GPS). aGPS is the combination of cell, wifi and traditional GPS to triangulate your location and it greatly increased reliablity. Where the G1 relies on GPS alone, hampering it's location capabilities when indoors. (Correction: The G1 does have aGPS, but it does not work as well as it does in the 3G iPhone.)
In Summary:
The G1 does things in a traditional smart phone way and the first thing you instantly recognize is that the G1 is nothing like the iPhone. I liken it to comparing a Ducati to a Honda. The iPhone and the G1 both look similar on paper, but if you have ever been on a Ducati at speed, you know there is something other worldly about the way a Ducati does what it does. The same can be said about the iPhone. This is not to say the Honda, or the G1 for that matter, are not brutally effective, it just means that every once in a while a inanimate object finds a soul. Ducati's have them, Ferrari's have them and iPhones have them.
So there you have it. The G1, a serious bit of kit and contender for your attention, make no doubt about that.
Relevant links:
PC World G1 phone review (Oct 16th, 2008)
Your info on the G1 not having aGPS is incorrect, it does have it. Please do your homework before writing a review.
look out iPhone, here comes your master.
well, at the time of my review, the G1's spec sheet said nothing about Assisted GPS, it only said "GPS". So, while you may be right and i thank you for the the correction, the fact remains, the G1 does not have the same GPS accuracy as the iPhone. and my early observations have been collaborated in a recent PCWorld review of the G1, where they state:
"The [G1] phone has both assisted GPS and GPS. The Google Maps app built-in uses both, but in my casual tests in San Francisco, it didn't exhibit the same level of accuracy in picking up my location as an iPhone 3G's Google Maps app did."
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/39727/review/g1.html
as for the G1 proving to be the iPhones "Master", i am not a G1 hater, i actually like the G1 and hope it does well. however, with over 10 million iPhones sold and sales channels and support in 57 countries around the world, i would reserve your G1 exuberance until it is at least available for purchase 1 country.
Well i just got my G1 and I love it. The best part being the simplistic use. It is a smartphone for those who want one with out all of the Iphone hype. I saw it played with ti bought it and have found it to be an amazing toll/toy. I am not sure why I waited this long other than they hype and horror stories. In short the android rocks! For the I phone users I am sure they love thiers just as much so, Who wins? Who cares they are both great phones it is all about what you want and like.
You mentioned that the G1 doesn't support "multi-touch gestures". Is that a hardware or software limitation? Do you think future releases of Android (or a patch since it is completely open-source) would have the possibility of changing that?
Zack, The ability to do multi-touch gestures requires a combination of hardware and software. However, neither of those aspects are what is preventing the G1 from having multi-touch gestures. No, I suspect the reason the G1 is missing multi-touch gestures is because Apple has the concept patented six ways to Sunday.