A couple of interesting reviews of the new G1 mobile which is the first for Google.


Of interest to us is the navigation (GPS). I also like that it uses a keyboard as my fingers are too big for the touch screens that are now starting to become more common.

From CNet:

The good: The T-Mobile G1 features a full QWERTY keyboard, 3G support, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. The Google Android operating system offers good integration with Google applications as well as access to the Amazon MP3 Store and YouTube. As more applications become available, the G1 will also become a more powerful smartphone for all types of users.

The bad: The G1 doesn’t include a standard headphone jack and lacks stereo Bluetooth and Microsoft Exchange support. There are some annoying design quirks that make the smartphone uncomfortable to hold and difficult to use. The GPS tracking was disappointing, and speakerphone quality wasn’t the greatest.

From TheAge.com.au:

While it’s far from perfect, the G1 powered by Google’s Android operating system is packed with plenty of consumer-oriented features that may even make iPhone fans take notice.

Made by Taiwan’s HTC Corp, the G1 is being released October 22 by T-Mobile in the US and will cost $US179 with a two-year contract.

(There are no details available yet about any planned launch of the phone in Australia.)

The device, about the size as the iPhone but plumper, will be available in black or bronze. It sports a large touch screen, and the lower smidgen of the device is angled – the curvature seemed more stylistic than functional to me – and sports four buttons and a trackball.

Beneath the touch screen is a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that makes the G1 feel like a grownup’s version of another device T-Mobile sells, the Sidekick. The keyboard will appeal to anyone who, like me, still prefers the feel of physical keys rather than virtual ones on the screen (sorry, Apple).

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