October 15th, 2008
Review: Over 260 images and 5 videos of the T-Mobile G1 Google Android device
The biggest mobile news of 2007 was definitely the Apple iPhone and I think the biggest news of this year is the Google Android. I enjoyed my trip out to see the T-Mobile G1 launch last month and have now had the opportunity to use the T-Mobile G1 for almost a week. As a long time T-Mobile customer I am pleased to finally see a 3G device and one as functional and powerful as the G1. The G1 is not perfect, what mobile device is?, but after getting to spend time with it I am very pleased and happy I pre-ordered my own for delivery next week. You can check out my hardware image gallery with 57 pictures and my other image gallery with over 215 images that show every screen on the device, including pop-ups and options that appear with tap and holds on the display. I also have included 5 YouTube videos that show the device in action. The T-Mobile G1 is the first Google Android device and as I state below, the future success is largely dependent on developer ingenuity and involvement.
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| Image Gallery:Take a walk around the hardware of the T-Mobile G1 in this hardware image gallery. |  |
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Box contents: The G1 comes in attractive white box with G1 and Google prominently displayed. Inside the box you will find the T-Mobile G1, SIM card, battery and A/C adapter, Stereo headset, USB to miniUSB cable, 1GB microSD card, slip carrying case, manual, tips and tricks pamphlet, and warranty/terms and conditions book.
I am disappointed with the use of the HTC proprietary port for the headset. While T-Mobile does include a wired headset I want to use my own headphones for listening to music and watching movies. I ordered my own 11-pin miniUSB to 3.5mm adapters, but also heard that T-Mobile may include such an adapter with the G1 devices in the future. HTC and carriers should include such an adapter with every device that uses this port for the headset, especially those like the G1 that do not support A2DP with Bluetooth. I do like the use of this port for syncing and charging though.
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| Image Gallery:Just about every screen of the T-Mobile G1 is shown in this image gallery of over 215 images. |  |
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Out of the box first thoughts: I spent a couple of hours with the device in New York at the launch event so I wasn’t really surprised by the hardware of the G1. However, without the security tether attached to the device I was able to get a better feel for the device in your hand and overall construction quality. The soft touch back is comfortable and even though the device is a bit long the width is narrower than the iPhone and feels more like a phone. The trackball works very well and the textured finish of it keeps it from slipping under my thumb like my BlackBerry Curve pearl trackball does at times. The device is very responsive and switching between portrait/landscape and between applications is virtually instantaneous. The display looks fantastic and the touch capacitive display senses touch perfectly. The keyboard is quite usable, but I’ll talk more about it in detail below.
I was sent a brown (called bronze) one for evaluation and at the launch event they showed a black one (this is the color I ordered for myself), brown one, and white one. In the press materials I received with this eval unit it states that there are two color options for the US and that the white one is not an option.
Specifications: The T-Mobile G1 has most of the same specifications as other higher end devices today and it isn’t really in the specifications where the device stands out from the crowd, but in the operating system. The technical specifications of the T-Mobile G1 are as follows:
- Google Android operating system
- 528MHz Qualcomm 7210 processor
- Quad-band GSM (850/1800/1900 MHz)
- Dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (1700/2100 MHz)
- 256MB ROM and 192MB RAM
- 3.17 inch 480×320 high resolution display
- 1150 mAh battery
- 3.2 megapixel camera with geo-tagging functionality
- Integrated GPS receiver
- Integrated 802.11 b/g WiFi radio
- Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 radio with EDR
- microSD card slot with support for SDHC cards (1GB microSD card pre-installed)
- Dedicated 5-row QWERTY keyboard
- Dimensions:
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Length: 4.60 inches
- Width: 2.16 inches
- Thickness: 0.62 inches
Walk around the hardware - internals: The 528 MHz processor seems to be just about perfect for the device since the device is very responsive and the battery life is decent. I haven’t felt any heat in the device, even when watching movies and movie playback has been fluid and flawless so the process appears to handle graphics just fine. I am sure we’ll see more applications that push the limits of the processor so we’ll have to see how it performs then.
Check out more about the hardware –>
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 10/17/08
