T-Mobile G1 user reviews
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User reviews8
Tom Disturrbed Jones 6 May 2011
Good: Android, and fast internet
Bad: Out of date Android, slow processor, rubbish Qwerty keyboard and too big.
Comment: My first ever Android phone, I now own a Samsung Galaxy Apollo. I had this phone for a few days, It was an absolute brick to hold, my hand barely fits round it, and not even slightly practical. The android is Android 1.5, which is quite frankly the most out of date Android you can get on a phone. So about 100,000 of the apps on the Android Market automatically won't work, and all you'd want this phone for is Android. Because you might as well look elsewhere if you don't want a phone purely for Android. Slow processor, It's 400+mhz or something, it's very slow and struggles to run the simplest games and apps. My main gripe with this phone is the Qwerty keyboard, I only bought this phone because I knew it had a Qwerty which would help for texting. The buttons are stupid, they stick and are made of rubber so you have to put a hell of a lot of pressure, also you have to open the keyboard to have landscape view, making it extremely difficult to use. This phone on release was worth £400, You can get a Samsung Galaxy S for that price, which has over double the processor and is much better. The good is basically the internet is insanely fast, that would be the only reason I would have kept it, but I decided to upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy instead.
Good: Android, fast internet
Bad: Low Resolution screen, terrible touchscreen, Out of date Android, overpriced, Slow processor, an absolute brick and a horrific Qwerty.
Junaid 'Devs' Bux 29 October 2010
Good: the looks and the QWERTY keyboard
Bad: no standerd 3.5mm head jack
Comment: i want this phone so bad
Carl.W 10 June 2009
Good: Slide out QWERTY keyboard, Cupcake update makes this phone on par with HTC Magic
Bad: Battery life
Comment: I do believe CNET need to re-review this phone now that the Cupcake update has occurred.
The touchscreen is highly responsive, and where I was tempted to get an iPhone, as this phone is massively cheaper and has the luxury of three screens to arrange your favourite apps, it means that the phone is set perfectly for your lifestyle.
I've been waiting and waiting for the right phone that I can live with for 18 months, but a fortnight (two weeks) in I can safely say this will be my phone for longer than that.
The QWRTY keyboard takes a little getting used to if you, like me, have just moved from a conventional key design, but once you do, texting, and emailing is a lot easier.
Every smart phone is suffering from poor battery life when fully used, and the G1 admittedly is no different, but I can survive a whole day without charging, only to do this at home, or at my work's desk.
I love how integrated it all feels. Google are becoming a real competitor in this market and how much longer will we have to wait until we see them compete with the mighty Microsoft for becoming the desktop OS of choice.
I have been an Apple user for the last 5 years, but I can now comfortably say I will be migrating totally to Google in the next few months. The power of mobile phones is a lot more than just making calls nowadays...
Overall, highly delighted with my choice and am comfortable to whip this baby out anywhere and be content that my first smart phone is one of the best on the market.
Cats Whisker 12 May 2009
Good: It has a proper keyboard
Bad: Everything else
Comment: When you sign your life away on a new mobile phone contract I think it says that you believe in and really want to like the phone you're getting. Such was the case when I signed up for the T-Mobile G1 phone from Google. However, I was to be hugely disappointed. The review ratings in the magazines and the websites aren't too bad for this product but I have a suspicion that this is because they only took a cursory glance at it and didn't have to live with the phone...if they had surely they would have found that the G1 is truly horrible.
The G1 is without doubt the worst mobile phone I have ever owned. That's not to say that it doesn't have lots of features that my previous phones haven't had - just that the way they are implemented is so completely frustrating.
The G1 gave me the impression that it was a phone that had been designed but NEVER really tested by real users. The nice keyboard is ruined by the fact that there is a lumpy bit of phone left to one side which makes it uncomfortable to hold. And what does this lump contain? As well as other functions (that the iPhone somehow manages to avoid) there is a strategically placed 'End Call' button which means that when you pull the phone out of your pocket there is a one in three chance of pressing it and terminating the call unintentionally!!!
The software is equally appalling. I just can't list how many things don't work properly or conveniently because there are so many. My greatest regret is that I don't own Google...not because I want lots of money but because I would like to frog march the moron who was responsible for the G1 into my office and (in front of a webcam) fire him as vocally and publicly as possible.
I have got this far in the review and I haven't even mentioned the fact that email doesn't work properly. The T-Mobile people are obviously aware of this because when I made a fuss about not getting an adequate service they kindly allowed us out of our contract.
I beg you not to get this phone. Please, don't make the same mistake as we did. Get any other make but not this piece of poor design.
renatak 6 April 2009
Good: Free apps
Bad: Who decided to put the delete button right above the enter button? That can lead to some major embarassment.
Comment: In order to use the G1, you must have a Gmail account. "No problem", I thought. I've had Gmail for years so I couldn't wait to type my email address into the phone and watch it do wonders. Unfortunately, the very phone that is built around and runs on Gmail, could not sync my gmail to the phone. For close to 2 months, I never received 1 gmail message on the phone. In addition, I spent countless hours on the phone with those insipient a-holes at T-Mobile and I had to file 5 tickets to document this error. Their entire engineering department couldn't put their heads together and figure out the problem. Hmmm, that's funny. You built an entire phone around 1 feature, and you can't get that feature to work? Sounds like they have a grade-A team working for them. Additionally, the phone's design leaves me scratching my head. The genius who decided to put the delete and enter/send buttons on top of each other should re-evaluate his or her career choices. All that time spent in engineering classes couldn't teach you common sense?! If someone is trying to delete something, they sure as heck don't want to slip and accidentally send it. Rumor has it that these "High Achievers" are coming up with a new version of the G1. And I meant "high achievers" in the sense that these idiots must have been high when they designed the phone. That's the only acceptable excuse I can think of.
Ashydoodle 25 February 2009
Good: Everything
Bad: Nothing
Comment: I actually feel like I underpaid for this product. The T-Mobile G1 is absolutely amazing. It beats the iphone by far with looks, applications, sturdiness, and pretty much everything else.
The G1 owns the iphone. Even my boyfriend who has AT&T wishes he could get the G1 or something similar and despises the fact AT&T only offers the iphone. Constantly using a touch screen keyboard gets annoying. They’re not easy to use when you have stubby fingers like a lot of people or girls who have long nail. Having the full keyboard there is so awesome. The keys are just the right size for the tiny millions of nerve endings in your fingers to feel.
There are so many free applications, it's not even fair. If I could only download them all without feeling like it's such a steal every time I probably would. In comparison with the iphone, the T-Mobile G1 basically has all the same applications as iphone and more. The two coolest ones I have found so far the iphone doesn't have is the "ShopSavvy" which allows you to use your camera as a scanner. What's the point, you ask? Well, it looks up the price of the item you scanned in comparison with the store you scanned it in, offers reviews, and the average price you will find locally. It's just awesome. The other application is actually a game. It’s called “Zombie, Run.” The most effective way to play this game is when you’re making you way somewhere in your car. My boyfriend and I had so much fun with this. GPS finds you on Google Maps. You then pinpoint your destination on the map. You have a choice of four different kinds of break outs : “Controlled Outbreak, Early Local Infestation, Late Local Infestation, and Total Pandemic. Then you pick the type of Zombie you want to go against (which also includes the speed of those zombies): Night of the living Dead (2mph), Resident Evil (5 mph), and 28 Days Late (8 mph). You basically try to get to your destination without running into any zombies. They tend to stay on main roads and sometimes like to hang out on your destination, which will require you to get really close to them so that you can lure them away and sneak around really fast.
I can't get over how nice it is. It feels so much sturdier in my hand than an iphone. I had only had the T-Mobile G1 for about two days, went to Best Buy, and they happened to have an iphone on display. I picked it up and felt like I could snap it in half. The G1 is built stronger. My friend from work has an iphone he dropped once on concrete and the screen shattered. I highly doubt that I G1 would just shatter. I’m not going to test it, but I’m almost certain it’s going to take a lot more than an accidental drop on concrete to crack the T-Mobile G1’s screen.
billpeos 20 January 2009
Good: android platform
Bad: the size
Comment: very good and very friendly use it
yvette gillespie 6 November 2008
Good: Google search, maps
Bad: Unable to forward texts or save MMS pics to phone
Comment: I received this phone free as an upgrade. Not a phone I would have chosen, but I love it. It's so easy to set & use. I love the feel of it and the QWERTY keyboard takes some getting used to but it's easy once you get into it. The only things I can't do are save pics sent in an MMS to my phone or forward a text. I have looked at the (202page) user guide but can't find anything that relates to these. On the whole, a really good phone and if you normally use your WAP on your mobile a lot, like me, you'll love the easy Google search and the quick response once you enter a search item or go to one of your bookmarks.
Not sure how it compares to the iphone as I've never considered one of those, but all I can say is that if you get the opportunity to get a G1 - then get it.