I got a sneak peak at the new T-Mobile G1, which hits stores Oct. 22 for $179 after a two-year contract. And I really fell in love with this phone for the few days I got to spend with it. It was really simple to understand. Navigating through the menu was like second nature to me, and my friends said the same thing when they picked it up. I can't say the same for the first moments I picked up the iPhone 3G -- it took a little more playing around before I felt comfortable with the iPhone.
It doesn't have a motion sensor like the iPhone does... but who really cares about that? It doesn't make or break a phone for me.
And for those that rather not do everything with a touch screen, there's a mouse-like trackball to help you scroll and select (helpful on websites) and a full QWERTY keyboard.
The iPhone 3G has a better way of zooming in and out of webpages with finger motion. On the G1, you have to hit a (+) or (-) icon to zoom in and out. But it didn't bother me.
It has great applications specially made for navigating through YouTube, Wikipedia, Google maps and has an Amazon MP3 store. There are not many applications to choose from as of yet, but there are some goodies in there that include a way to use your camera as a barcode scanner to compare prices of that item in nearby stores. You can also connect it to your computer with a USB cord and open it up like a drive to transfer music and other files.
But a word of caution: You'll want a fast connection to get the most out of this Google-centric phone. You can tap into a nearby Wi-Fi network for a fast connection speed, otherwise you will have to use the T-Mobile 3G or EDGE network. The 3G is its fastest network, but it's not available everywhere yet in South Florida. I live in South Broward and all I could get was the slower EDGE network, which is no fun at all when you're browsing through the Web. If you are switching to T-Mobile to get this phone, be sure to check T-Mobile's 3G coverage in your area. Because what fun is having a Google-fied phone if it takes forever to load Google?
Read my full review at MiamiHerald.com and watch the video below to see some of the phone in action:
no fair! they're already sold out! I want I want!
Posted by: brayden | October 16, 2008 at 04:12 PM