G1 - Google Android Phone
Expectations were high a few months back when the launch dates were announced for the G1, the first of Google Android smart phones. And the good news is that G1 has not failed to keep its promises. The multitude of user-friendly tools and applications that the G1 supports provides a clue to the tremendous effort that was put in towards its initial design and development. With its open development platform, we believe that the G1 will add more to its strengths in the coming years.
The G1 has a rectangular body with well-rounded edges and sports a capacitive touchscreen. Measuring 3.2 inches and having a resolution of 320x480, you will find the display screen most useful for watching your favorite movies and videos. Slide up the screen to uncover the QWERTY keyboard that works quite well. On the front panel, just below the touchscreen, you will find the make and end call buttons along with the home, menu and back buttons. The G1 has a 3 megapixel camera and you will find its controls on the sides. Volume controls are also on the sides of the G1.
G1's home screen is customizable and you can add any shortcut or application you want. The touchscreen is responsive, quite similar to the high touch sensitivity offered by Apple's iphone. In the default mode, most essential applications are stored away in a virtual drawer that you can access with a single touch. Everything on the touchscreen can be accessed with your fingers, although you also have the option of using the trackball. We found the trackball quite useful during web browsing, especially for opening certain links that came up in small fonts.
G1's voice quality is extremely good on both the earpiece and the speakerphone. The microphone however tends to attract certain background noises, something that we were not expecting. Pairing with third-party Bluetooth headsets went smoothly and the voice quality on these headsets was also exceptionally good.
Reading emails on the G1 is quite easy, but you may face some problems with your email attachments. You can view common file attachments such as word and excel, but you will not be able to save or edit them on the G1. PDF documents are viewable, but when you open PDF files, you will notice that the original formatting and graphics have been reduced to plain text.
The web browser onboard the G1 is however, one of the best we have encountered so far. When you use the G1's web browser, you will notice that the pages load quickly and are bright and clear. If the text is too small on some pages, you just have to tap the screen with your finger to zoom in on the subject matter. The only thing lacking is flash support, which we think people at Google are currently working on and will definitely make it available in forthcoming firmware updates.
On a 5-star rating system, we will give a 4-star rating to the G1. If you wish to try out something that's entirely new in concept, design, looks and features, then you should definitely go for the G1. You can also have it if you want to experience continuous improvements and additions on your smart phone.