Digital Trends

T-Mobile G1 October 19th, 2008 | by Stewart Wolpin

Features and Design

With its slide-up 3.17-inch screen and full physical QWERTY keyboard beneath, the G1 resembles a Sidekick: Fairly clunky and heavy compared to the iPhone. But its lack of MOMA-worthy aesthetics is off-set by more convenient, if pedantic, physical navigation aids.

Inside the G1 are a host of now-familiar 21st century cell phone amenities: An AAC/MP3 music player (no WMA), full POP3 and IMAP email support (including, of course, push Gmail, since Google designed the Android OS) as well as text and picture messaging and several instant messaging options. 

While Gmail is automatically pushed to the G1, you have to tell the G1 how often you want it to check any other email accounts you set up on the device. You can import your Outlook contacts into Gmail, then import them into the G1.
Android further offers user control over auto-correct word processing functions, a welcome option that iPhone owners have been clamoring for but have yet to receive.

In addition to 3G HSDPA accessibility, Android includes easy-to-use WiFi connectivity (no annoying security or DNS configuration necessary, just a password), A-GPS navigation with surprisingly speedy mapping, search and routing capabilities, a 3MP camera and direct access to YouTube.

Like Apple’s App Store, there's an Android online application Market (for downloading games and programs wirelessly on-demand) accessible from the G1, along with a connection to the Amazon MP3 Store for digital music. The Market currently has around 40 applications and 10 games, all free (so far), but T-Mobile execs expect the store to fill up quickly. 

Unlike Apple, T-Mobile and Google don't vet every application submitted for digital distribution – anyone can write and upload an application to the Market, as long as the program meets specific code developer identification requirements that should make it unlikely for any dubious viral or worm-laden programs to get uploaded.

As noted, there is no comprehensive iTunes-like syncing software that would include linkage to Amazon's Music and Video stores, a major missed opportunity for both Google and Amazon and a major disservice to G1 users. You'll have to mostly drag and drop, or use Windows Media or some other workarounds to get content and PIM data onto the phone, a potential obstacle for less facile PC users. 

Form Factor

As noted, the G1, built by HTC, is quite Sidekick-like. Rather than using an accelerometer, which automatically reorients what's on the screen when you rotate the device, what's on the G1's screen rotates from portrait the landscape mode only when the screen is slid up. The G1 measures 4.6 x 2.16 x 0.62 inches, around the same surface area, but a bit thicker than the iPhone, and weighing in at 5.6 ounces, it's nearly an ounce heavier.

The G1's screen is beautifully bright, crisp and colorful and all text is rendered in smooth, highly readable fonts.

Under the screen is a QWERTY keyboard. If you have a choice, get the black version of the G1. Both the brown and the white versions of the G1 have silver-gray keys with dark gray alphanumeric icons and white backlighting set against a silver-gray surface. With no great contrast between key color and the icons, keys are nearly impossible to read except in direct room light. The black G1, by comparison, has black keys with white icons set into a black surface, which are far more readable as a result.

Even if they are readable though, the QWERTY keyboard keys are nearly flat to the surface instead of rounded like they are on a Sidekick, and provide inadequate tactile feedback.

The phone's hefty Jay-Leno-like chin is angled slight forward and is chunky enough to make tapping on the QWERTY with your right thumb awkward. The degree of thumb-typing difficulty is raised when a USB cable or headphone is connected at the bottom center of the chin – in other words, typing while listening to music presents an annoying ergonomic challenge.

The phone's chin also includes the microphone and the microSD card slot compartment, along with six handy physical controls: Send, Home, a nipple trackball, Back, End/Power, and a Menu bar button.

Other than these keys, the G1 is relatively unfettered with buttons. On the phone's smooth rear are located the camera lens and a small speaker. You'll have to wipe the lens periodically, since you'll likely smudge it with your finger while handling the phone. On the right side is a camera activation/shutter release button; on the left is the volume up/down toggle. 

Ports & Connectors

Unfortunately, the G1 has just one jack – an all-purpose HTC miniUSB jack on the bottom of the phone's chin. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, a tremendous drawback for discriminating music listeners who might want to use their own headphones or choose from the growing number of iPhone-specific earbuds with in-line microphone. You can buy a USB-to-3.5mm adapter that includes an inline mic (which Amazon sells for $12) if you don't like the included headphones.
On the left side of the chin is a snap-open compartment for the microSD card slot; a 1GB card is pre-installed. You'll need to slide the screen up to get to the dimple that enables you to pry it open. T-Mobile officially says the slot can accommodate up to an 8GB card, but unofficially I was told it could handle a 16GB card as well.

The G1 includes stereo Bluetooth as well.

Image Courtesy of T-Mobile