T-Mobile G1

Boasting a large touchscreen and scroll ball similar to the BlackBerry Bold, we found the G1 very easy to get to grips with. Its screen is as responsive as the the iPhone's and when you need a bit of extra accuracy the scroll ball comes in very handy. When it comes to its design though the G1 is more practical than it is fashionable. It's not a small device but it does feel very sturdy, although some may find it a little less refined than the iPhone 3G. When you turn the G1 on you're presented with a simple start page that features a large clock, you can add apps by clicking on the menu button and dragging and dropping the desired apps. If you want to add extra apps you visit the Android Market, Google version of the iPhone app store, which features both free and charged apps. The native apps are made up of Google's arsenal of well-known apps such as Gmail, Youtube, Calendar and Google Talk, which work well. One of the most exciting apps in Google Street View, which isn't available yet here but will be in the future. It allows you to see a street in 3D as if you were standing right there and turning your head around to see what's around you. Specs-wise the G1 comes with a microSDHC slot and a 2GB card, which you can the upgrade to 8GB. A 3-megapixel camera sits at the back but surprisingly it can't record video, but we're sure an app will be made available soon that allows you to do it. Equally strange is the lack of stereo Bluetooth that again isn't featured on the iPhone and is more annoying since there isn't a 3.5mm jack as an alternative. News that Amazon will be providing a download service to the US G1 unfortunately won't be echoed here yet, which is dissapointed Indeed our only disspointment with it is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which means you can't plug in a standard pair of headphones. In terms of pricing the G1 will be free on a £40 per month contract and will be made available in November -- there will be no pay as you go option at launch but there might be one later on.