Customer Reviews

T-Mobile G1 Android Phone, Bronze (T-Mobile)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I seriously considered the iPhone 3G, but decided against it based on Apple's business practices. After 1.5mo of use, I have no regrets at all. There are a few trade-offs in favor of either phone, and the G1's interface may not be quite as polished as the iPhone, but in all I think the G1 is a better value. If you're a user of Google services (Gmail, calendar, contacts, Picasa, etc...) this phone is for you.

The good:
- I've gone through several generations of PDAs (no previous smart phones, however). With the G1, I finally feel like I have the internet in my hand, wherever I am. Google has made the transition to a mobile platform almost completely seamless.
- Range is far superior to my previous T-Mobile phones.
- Keyboard for a smartphone of this class seems essential.
- Performance under EDGE is better than I expected, and good enough to be useful.
- 3G and Wifi performance is outstanding. WEP was easy to configure.
- Service price is far more reasonable than other carriers, and T-Mobile support (what little I've needed) has been outstanding.
- Great UI - very intuitive, responsive, and attractive. Screen response is great, as well. Compared to the iPhone, it's missing multi-touch, and it is far better than Windows Mobile 6. Cross-app integration is superior.
- Shop Savvy has already saved me more than the cost of the phone and monthly service.

The not-so-good:
- T-Mobile coverage service is nowhere near as broad as other carriers in the US.
- The web browser does have problems rendering some pages - craigslist, for instance.
- I've never run out of battery during a single day, but with heavy use it won't go two days. Limited use, it will last me three days.
- Video recording is due out shortly (next firmware update, I'm told). Nice to have feature, but not what I want a phone for.
- Current phones are shipping with a 1/8 headphone adapter with a mic built in (for hands free calling with your headphones). Not bad, though I'd rather have a built-in 1/8 vs. the adapter.
- Need better handling of attachments - but I have no doubt it's coming.
- While there is a 3rd party Exchange client right now (haven't tried it), I'd like to see this as a core Android application. Weboutlook performance is similar to Weboutlook under Firefox or Chrome.

The Bad:
- The lettering on the bronze keyboard (both bronze and white phones) disappears when the backlight comes on in dimly lit conditions. I haven't evaluated the Black keyboard, but I also haven't seen any complaints about it.

vs. iPhone:
- Physical keyboard
- Better camera - it can read a bar code (for Shop Savvy), whereas the iPhone can't focus closely enough
- Open platform
- Slightly thicker (keyboard) but not as wide - fits in my front pocket, even in its soft case.
- Smaller screen than iPhone - not as bright in comparison, but bright enough.
- Cut and paste between apps.
- Trackball for fine cursor control - don't use it much, but sometimes it's essential.
- Better Google integration.
- About half the battery life, but it is user replaceable.
- Expandable memory via microSD cards.

I have TMo, so when they were announced to be the first carrier to have an Android phone, I was psyched. Apple is WAY too restrictive for me to buy any of their products and Google's Android platform represented exactly the kind of advanced mobile OS I was looking for. The phone has its ups and downs, but if you read nothing else, I'm happy to be a G1 owner. I'll mark the PROs and CONs with G1 for the phone's actual hardware and AND for Android points.

PROs-
>> [G1] Good touch screen, capacitive, no stylus! I hate the PDA-ish screens that companies continue to use.
>> [G1] QWERTY keyboard is nice to have, you may notice that onscreen keyboards are...squished... Easier to use if you'll be typing.
>> [G1] Call quality is very nice. Much superior to my Sidekick III (whose quality was *much* less than stellar. Better signal reception.
>> [G1] 3G is nice to have if you're in a covered area, makes web browsing and YouTube streaming that much better.
>> [AND] Home screen is done well, much preferable to the iPhone's app icon list.
>> [AND] Screen automatically reorients quickly when the keyboard is opened (see cons for the caveat)
>> [AND] Marketplace for Apps is a good tool to find something if it isn't built in. Growing selection at the moment though, all apps free at this point
>> [AND] Android interface is fairly pretty, not Apple quality, but pretty.
>> [G1] Screen sliding mechanism to reveal keyboard is functional and cool, slightly swings in an arc movement. 2 months and no problems yet...
>> [G1] If nothing else, I appreciate the 3.1MP camera quality. Much better than most cells, including the iPhone
>> [AND] Browser is great! Never had the opportunity to have such a great web experience on a phone.
>> [G1] Made by HTC, a company which I have been impressed with in the past. Although it might not be the prettiest phone available, the G1 feels sturdy and does what's advertised.
>> [AND] And of COURSE one of the best things about this phone is that your entire life can be essentially sync'd if you use Google's line of products. Contacts, calender, email, etc are all woven into the service in perfect tandem. Some services are left out for now (Docs), but some have been recently added (Picasa). Great for me after using GMail since 4 years ago when it started in private beta.

CONs (To be honest, most are with the evolving Android platform...)
>> [G1] This is nit picky, but after being in a household with Sidekicks and Blackberry Pearls, the trackball NOT lighting up is kind of boring and hard to see.
>> [G1] Bronze lettering on the keyboard is extremely difficult to see in some (most?) lighting conditions. Memorize the keyboard fast!!
>> [AND] Android just does not seem ready to be a mainstream product yet. It definitely works, but around most corners you'll notice little quirks that could be fixed or improved upon. Some functionality was even cut from this release to make sure it got out the door. (Onscreen keyboard...)
>> [AND] That last point about the onscreen keyboard is a big one for me. I HATE having to open up the keyboard, I just want to quickly reply to texts with one hand and not have to swing the damn thing open. It annoys me that a touch screen phone does not have the ability to enter text through the screen... Not to mention not all Android phones will have QWERTY keyboards.
>> [G1] Phone 'hangs' sometimes when you push the home button while it loads your icons/whatnot. This could be an issue with memory allotment from the Android platform, may or may not be related to the G1's processing power.
>> [G1] Camera button is mushy and you don't always know if you pushed it because the camera app takes ~5secs to open. This is an annoyance to me.
>> [AND] Google syncs your contacts, but since I have many whom I only plan to email and not CALL, I have a dedicated "G1" group that only gets sync'd to my phone. Sadly though, when I create a new contact I can't choose their group! So while I add them, they're unavailable from my phone until I go online and switch them over to my G1 category...which must be done from a PC. Can't do it from included web browser.
>> [AND] A lot of the faith I have in my phone comes from the simple fact I see Google's name and I know they'll follow through with fixing Android's tiny bugs. It'd be better if I just had faith because they delivered a first class product right away.

So, if you want to take the dive into the AndroidOS, I say go for it. If you've only been using a regular cellphone and just want a *phone* I'd wonder why you were even considering something with so many frills. If you're considering the G1 I'm going to assume you have the knowledge to get around some of the shortcomings to enjoy a quality phone that can only get better. Especially now that Google has gotten tons of handset manufacturers onboard.

Hope this helped somewhat =] Like I said, the phone is worth the buy and worth the money. Not as polished as the iPhone, but has much more potential.

I pre-ordered the G1 last year and now that the Cupcake update has arrived (bringing a soft keyboard, better camera, better battery life and video!), I can honestly say it's perfect! I used a first gen iPhone for about a month and the G1 blows it out of the water.

I've owned this for about a month. It gets used fairly constantly for data (email, web browsing, etc) and fairly often for voice.

* It's a little bulky, but not unbearably so, and unlike a lot of phones, it's easy to hold and use when making a call. Call quality is excellent.

* Battery life is pretty good, much better than the Windows Mobile device it replaced. Assuming I remembered to plug it in before I went to bed, it'll last the whole day, even when using it as a music player during the commute.

* Interface is exceptional, although I really wish it had a soft keyboard for quick IMs and such. Having to flip open the keyboard and rotate the phone to type a single word for a website form and so forth gets old.

* An abundance of third-party apps for almost any need, mostly for free, and an active developer community.

* Solid construction. It feels well made. Time will tell how durable it is, but based on past experience I think it'll be almost indestructible.

I'm very pleased with the G1, and I'm confident that it's utility will only increase over time as the software is refined and third-party developers learn the platform.

The Bronze (early on, this color was called "brown") G1 has a medium light colored keyboard with dark letters. The keyboard back lighting lights up the letters. In normal, indoor lighting, the room light and the back light balance, making the keys impossible to read. The keyboard is only readable in very bright light or very little light. In bright light, such as sunlight, the sun overwhelms the back lighting and the keyboard is easy to read. In darkness, the back lighting works fine, because little room light is reflecting off the keys.

Get the G1 in Black. (I haven't seen a white G1. I don't know if its keyboard is legible.)

this device set the standards for android devices. for its 1st attempt it was bad. when they designed this they made it completely updateable. really good buy for me kept me entertain for months on in.

On my previous cell phone I used the calendar feature to send me reminders for every little thing as I forget EVERYTHING. Since this syncs with Google Calendar, I can now update my calendar on the computer and on the phone. Very nice!

After some update, touch-screen keyboard came out. There is just no comparison with the hard keyboard: the TS keyboard is WAY too slow compared to the hard one. That is probably the one reason I would not upgrade to a new Android for a long time, despite the fact that this phones majorly lags in Browser.

Plays Doom, text messages, has a decent camera (no flash though), tons of great stuff in the marketplace. I would recommend it to pretty much anyone.

Most importantly, it has a slide out full qwerty keyboard!

if any one knows me, this is the gazillionth phone that i have changed over times....

it was an anniversary gift for my Hon, with the condition that it goes in pair. so I flipped a coin so to speak and got the bronze one, while Hon got the white.

in the couple of days that I have had it up and running, i have to admit, i simply love it.... thou certain aspects could had been better, primarily the Battery life. it maybe because I use the WIFI for date instead of the 3G network, but even so be it, the battery life is still horrible. it could definitely been better. if you intend to use it for talking as well, i strongly suggest that you get a car charger and an extra power charger, or a couple of spare batteries to go ... cuz you will sure need it.

now i read some remarks that says it has No camera, thats a shocker ... cuz maybe I have gotten a different one, but both of my units do have cameras.

i was considering updating my current Iphone, but decided to go with the G1. i am not going to degrade the Iphone compared to the G1, sure the screen is smaller, and the internal memory is lesser, but the memory can be upgraded or supplimented with microSD cards, and as far as the screen is concerned, the difference is so minimal that it is not even worth mentioning. the benefif with the G1 compared to the Iphone, and even the MyTouch (G2), which came out the same week I bought the G1s is the Physical keyboard that the unit has. as both I and my Hon uses the SMS and IM more than the voice, the typing is essential for us, and the touch screen keyboard, no matter how effective, just won't do the trick. that's my own opinion, everybody is entittled to have one.

the availability of software for this unit is amazing, use the Market Place in the phone, and you can find tons of applications "Free", that's something neither the Iphone nor the Blackberry offers. not to degrade the blackberry in any way ... i simply Love my blackberry curve 8330. but for the couple of days that I have had the G1, i been able to find both games and applications for the unit, right there on the phone itself ... whereas with the blackberry, one have to surf for a while before you can find anything, and the Iphone ... well they availale via iTune, but not in the same expand as it is with the G1.

I've owned this phone for about 4 months and I like it less and less every day. The simple fact of the matter is, in certain lighting conditions the keyboard is completely unreadable. I'm looking to replace it ASAP but don't want a black g1 as newer, better options are becoming available.

I actually switched to tmobile just for the g1. The phone itself is fine, just this particular model (along with white) has terrible backlighting issues with the keyboard - there is no fix. I've researched it extensively.

If you are looking at getting a G1, do yourself a favor and get the (ugly) black model. It might look clunkier but at least it is usable.