What's So Great About The Tmo G1 Android

**Queen4111** · 09-24-2008, 07:36 AM

Hello everyone.
What's so great about TMO's G1 Android?

What are the pros and cons.
Also, how does it compare to BB?

Thank you for your comments.

**Shivers** · 09-28-2008, 05:10 PM

1 big thing that google is hooking lots of people on is the cool factor. stuff like being able to put homescreen icons and the clock anywhere you want by just unlocking the homescreen, trackball, touch screen, and full qwerty keyboard.

another pro is the 3g speeds, android os, and google browser that has fast google searches. google maps is implemented and it seems they have some sort of 3d view for major cities or something.

being a "casual" user(maybe 5 emails a day, 100-150 text messages on an average day.) im seriously thinking about switching. but if you are a "abuser"(200+ texts and emails or thereabouts) it still doesnt seem to compare to the blackberry.

bottom line: its new and different and has cool features that attract people who arent going to be emailing and messaging primarily.

hope that helps

**rjgonza** · 09-29-2008, 03:07 PM

additionally, the g1 will have access to the android marketplace, the answer to the app store. This marketplace will only have free apps, in the beginning, and after a predetermined time, I forgot when, they will allow developers to start charging. To add to that, the apps that are there already compare, and in my opinion are better, than some of their counterparts in the app store that cost much more.

Moreover, the andriod os allows develops to access EVERYTHING, there is no abstraction that these guys need to worry about. They will be able to remove and replace system apps, supplement them, run in the background, send notifications and everything great like that, which apple does not allow. Furthermore, the apps developed for android do not need to go though the "acceptance" policy that apple puts developers through. Also, the android or is made for a huge array of devices, so it will not be limited to devices with touchscreens, multitouch, and/or keyboards.

I for one like android a lot, and hope it succeeds, for the sake of competition.

**dshearn** · 10-14-2008, 05:46 PM

I dont know all the ins and outs...but what i find fantastic .....

Keyboard and Trackball

the touch screen is a bonus

**Duvi** · 10-14-2008, 10:58 PM

One word: Google

**Twin00** · 10-16-2008, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by dshearn

I dont know all the ins and outs...but what i find fantastic .....

Keyboard and Trackball

the touch screen is a bonus

from the little bit that I got to play around with it, the trackball kicks ***. Very nice feature.

**editguy** · 10-18-2008, 02:10 AM

Does anyone else think the clock is goofy looking? And does anyone know if if you can change to a different clock? It may be a silly thing, but it's the first thing I noticed.

**Tooking_mcknn** · 10-23-2008, 01:56 AM

Two words. Open source. Despite what everyone says about it being ugly it is actually quite nice.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**editguy** · 10-23-2008, 02:15 PM

Looks like it could have a virtual keyboard come the Q1 2009:

HTC Source - Android Virtual Keyboard coming on Q1 09

I think that would add to the attraction of the device. You wouldn't have to slide it open for minor text entries.

**gregerator** · 10-23-2008, 03:28 PM

I thought the Storm should have had a trackball. Just for the "Berry-ness" of it. A lot of people felt it would be redundant. but it seems to be used on the G1 eh?

**jrau13** · 10-24-2008, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by editguy

Does anyone else think the clock is goofy looking? And does anyone know if if you can change to a different clock? It may be a silly thing, but it's the first thing I noticed.

I haven't seen where you can change it as of yet but just give it some time and someone will have an app that will fix that in no time. Beauty of the open source.

**dshearn** · 10-24-2008, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by Twin00

from the little bit that I got to play around with it, the trackball kicks ***. Very nice feature.

i played with it too,

man...i dont think the Trackball can be pulled out to be cleaned.

that is a deal killer.

I know how often i have to clean blackberry balls at work...i would never own a trackball phone were i could not pull the trackball.

**adamthedad** · 10-31-2008, 11:40 PM

My sister bought one and had it for a week. It is on its way back to Tmo and her new Curve is enroute to her house. It lacks the customizability that the Crackberry Nation has become accustomed to. Lack of options in message threads. Doesn't support MMS without data plan. Icons aren't rearrangeable. Don't get me wrong...it's impressive and at a fair price for sure....but a Berry it will never be.

**cracked_reality** · 11-25-2008, 07:05 AM

The icons are definitely rearrange able, plus it gives you three virtual 'desktops'. The reason the BB have so many customization options as opposed to the G1 is the time that BB's have been around. Android is brand new to the public, ppl will get the apps out there as the need becomes apparent. There have been some awesome software pushes in the month its been out and we're going to see a lot more Plus its not meant to be a berry. Its meant to be a G1. That being said, I use both. I like the support and features of the BB but the open ended nature of android made it too tempting to pass up on.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**benzworm** · 11-27-2008, 06:34 PM

i really like the app store...

**The Blackberry Veteran** · 11-27-2008, 06:38 PM

Should I bother going to TMO to try it out?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

**virgocrush** · 11-28-2008, 03:46 PM

Give the G1 to refine itself, and you'll see some cool things on it. Until someone has a better email setup, I'm sticking with the Berry.

Funny thing, I was working at YouTube Live in SF last week and noticed more people were pimping their Blackberries than any smart phone. It was cool seeing people typing away on their Berries. I rarely saw the G1 in action.

**benzworm** · 11-29-2008, 02:37 PM

the battery life on the g1 is pretty bad though...

**patrick.butler** · 11-30-2008, 08:21 PM

There is an app that allows you to take a picture of UPC's on products(in certain stores i think) and the android goes online and compares prices for you....something like that, i saw it on the Jimmy Kimmel show one night

**benzworm** · 12-01-2008, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by patrick.butler

There is an app that allows you to take a picture of UPC's on products(in certain stores i think) and the android goes online and compares prices for you....something like that, i saw it on the Jimmy Kimmel show one night

i have it, it is called compare everywhere...

**kevinwa** · 12-08-2008, 06:07 PM

If you have a grandcentral account you can get the cheapest calling plan and have unlimited calling for free like I did. I love the phone, drove 2 hours to the Atlanta market to get mine. Boxing up my storm to take it back as we speak.

G1 can do so much more than a BB or an IPhone. I have had both and I love this phone much more. Don't take my word for it....go play with it.

O- I forgot to mention Google Maps...FLAWLESS...take that Verizon!

**adnans** · 12-09-2008, 02:42 AM

1) Market Place. I've already installed more apps (that actually work great and look good) then I ever did in the year I had my Pearl.

2) Open(ish) and Linux-y. Having a mobile bash shell is wonderful.

3) It feels more stable then my Pearl ever did. I always felt that a new OS for the 8130 would fix one or two bugs, but introduce two or three new ones. So far, Android has never bottomed out on me. The only reason I reboot it is because I haven't made a script to turn off iptables+dnsmasq for me when I want to turn wi-fi adhoc off.

I haven't regretted forsaking my 8130. That being said, there are two things that really bother me with the G1. When you're surfing away on wifi or 3g, don't expect your battery to last long. Yeah, big surprise, I know. The other thing is the lack of the 3.5mm jack. When I'm at work, I like to listen to music (oh yeah, this phone has proper shoutcast support. no silly re-encoding solutions. just open a .pls with the stream you want in it), but since the audio and charging is handled through the same port, you have to get a splitter. Not a huge issue, as you can find them for 10-15 bucks online, after shipping.

The one thing Google needs to get going on is releasing an SDK with support for the widgets (the search bar, clock and picture frames = widgets).

On a parting note, you can customize the icons. Put a finger on one and hold it. The phone will vibrate really quick, and you can then drag it off to another screen or down to the trash can. You can put new icons on the desktop the same way, or send icons from the pull out menu to the desktop.

**InsightGoalie** · 12-25-2008, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by editguy

Does anyone else think the clock is goofy looking? And does anyone know if if you can change to a different clock? It may be a silly thing, but it's the first thing I noticed.

It's not silly. Why would I want to waste my time reading an analog clock when I could have a digital clock? Yeah, I'm that lazy.

Originally Posted by Tooking_mcknn

Two words. Open source. Despite what everyone says about it being ugly it is actually quite nice.

Definitely the biggest draw for me to that phone.

Originally Posted by patrick.butler

There is an app that allows you to take a picture of UPC's on products(in certain stores i think) and the android goes online and compares prices for you....something like that, i saw it on the Jimmy Kimmel show one night

I've been looking around and a lot of phones seem to have picked this up to. Nokia has an app that can decode UPC's and WinMo has an app to. Barcorama

**lin05075597** · 01-20-2009, 09:10 AM

i considered getting it but i have two friends who dont know each other and they both said that is PANTS! i then showed them my bb bold and they said there gutted they didnt get that aparently they can only go on youtube no other sites like vimeo etc and that the touch screen is unpredictable! it might just be an english thing but i dont think that england is ready for a phone like this on the market. people are only just realising the wonders of the bb and thats only coz the storm came out and it was claimed to be the "iphone" killer. i dont think its going to be a big hit here because not many bb's are sold and i dont think that people are going to go beyond the trusting samsung's nokias etc to a quite rankly lets admit it ! HUGE phone made by possibly one of the worst networks in england!

Sorry to bable on i just feel strongly on this!

**derekflint** · 01-20-2009, 09:52 AM

Open source is all well and good, but then again, there are 3 or 4 price comparison apps, and then there's all the gimmicky stuff.

Android has a lot of potential, sure, but the sticking point is that nothing seems to be happening. If Android is to make inroads, they need handsets in the hands of consumers, not sitting in R&D labs waiting for T-Mobile's period of exclusivity to end. For something so major in the tech world, it really does feel like the OHA are dragging their heels.

Also, I remember reading the Android Central Round Robin on the BlackBerry Bold, and how the BlackBerry OS was perhaps at its limit... Well, my BlackBerry plays videos out of the box, and has office document editing out of the box, on top of the internet access and best email service on a mobile.

And with WebOS on the way, Android needs to start making some serious dents in the marketplace, otherwise developers will wander off.