Official Thread: T-Mobile G1 Q&A - Your Questions Answered

[stopcrazypp]

Well, I just got my G1, after pulling some strings to get it.

Unlike what kaziko said, I'm not able to use the phone whatsoever. After half an hour on the phone with T-Mobile, they told me that there is a specific data plan for the G1, and it won't be available until Oct. 23rd (release date is the 22nd, I know)

I put in my SIM card, the phone starts up, asks for a Google account. I punched in my account. The phone says "Your phone is communicating with Google servers blah blah" Then "There is a problem with the servers ... your SIM card may not be provisioned for data services ... "

So that's all I can do with the phone. Is there a way to get past the setup screen just so I can play around with the non-network functions?

Kind of worrysome. People made a big deal over at the Tmonews forums about the data service requirements to activate and maybe even just to use the phone day to day (ie. without a data plan even the dialer will not work). What kind of options are in the setup menu, is there even a way to activate the phone using wi-fi?

[DDM123]

By the way, my G1 came with USB headphones with a microphone like the iPhone has. It didn't come with any instructions for some reason.

I'm really let down by all of this. I realized activation might be an issue, but I had high hopes.

[tread]

the one i saw worked fine, probably just need the old plan

[birdtales]

Have you tried adding a data plan to your account online? Then you could just change it on the 22nd to the G1 plan if that's what you want. You would probably have to put your SIM card back in your old phone until the Data Plan is active.

Or have you tried setting it up in a WiFi environment?

Also wasn't there a DVD in the box top under a flap with the manual on it?

[DDM123]

I found the G1 on t-mobile.com and added it to my account. There's no internet option available, except for a T-Zones Pro thing " Unlimited t-zones for $4.99 includes unlimited Internet e-mail and Mobile Web content. Unlimited t-zones Pro for $9.99 includes unlimited access to corporate e-mail, Internet e-mail, and Mobile Web content..."

I have a wireless router here, there is no option to add a connection.

The flap on the box was empty, no DVD or anything.

Can any of you T-Mobile employee people help a guy out?

[Swimm12984]

then switch the phone to any basic internet phone on the site and the plans for that device will be available for you. I have a Nokia e90 and I have it setup on tmo.com as a blackberry curve so i could activate the blackberry email services for my phone. its really very simple...just change the phone and choose a regular T-Mobile internet data plan.

[DDM123]

I changed it to a Blackberry curve a few mins ago and got the $19.99 plan. Hopefully it will activate soon.

[DDM123]

Went down to the T-Mobile store down the block just for the hell of it. The guy said Android phones are incompatible with the other internet plans. Seems like it's just a marketing thing rather than a real incompatibility.

Anyway, my very limited impressions:

The touch screen works very well, but I'm also excited about the trackball. The trackball also works to select and act upon menu items. You have to press surprisingly hard down on it to get it to act on a button, but that's not a big deal.

It's lighter than I expected, slightly heavier than an iPhone. Construction feels decent, although you all will find yourselves deathly afraid of dropping it, especially while the keyboard is exposed. I'm sure a 4 foot drop to a sidewalk would damage it pretty bad. I'm also concerned that the USB port cover will snap off someday, it's not exactly solid.

Speaking of USB, I connected it to my computer, and the SD card is available. Refreshingly, there are 11 songs already on the phone, and in nice, standard DRM free .mp3 format (I love this part, since iPods are awful in this regard). There is a folder called albumthumbs, and it has a few files with numbered file names. Copying a file to my computer and giving it a .jpg extension made it into a viewable image. Not surprisingly, it was an album cover.

So if any of you have any questions that haven't been answered about the basics of the phone that haven't been asked/answered yet, I'll reply.

[Swimm12984]

Swimm12964, I see us Symbian Freaks are everywhere. :-) Glad to see someone with high end superphone taste. I think Symbian users will provide Android users with alot of foresight in how their devices can be used.

Now unless you can put all of your fingers on the home keys, you can't type as fast on the bulky E90 as I can on my N95 8gb (unless you use the external T9 keypad)! Lol! And I got TV out, higher quality camera and image capture, and an accelerometer! (You should come by Symbian Freak and give a wave sometimes, jealous.) But seriously, T9 has been proven faster than mini QWERTY with predictive text many times on various sites. Its the corporate community that refuses to learn T9, preferring the comfort zone QWERTY provides. I'm currently reviewing the E71, and I actually put it above the E90, since its more portable and still as powerful. But I like the E90's gracious screen... (by the way, if you're using the Handy suite, your task manager is lacking, too. There's a better free option called JBak Taskman, and it beats all the other apps that charge you to use them. Check it out.

I think the first thing any smartphone platform should provide is task management. I'm wondering if perhaps Android doesn't really multitask, but just puts the apps on standby until needed again. Regardless, I'm dissatisfied with Android's switching limitations in comparison to Symbian S60. I'll be pushing my developer friends to create a task switcher for Android before I give it consideration. I'm too much of a power user to go without one.

I know developers will provide the tools to make it great, but all smartphones have a task switcher out of the box. Its the centerpiece of all smartphones. I'd have thought that was the first app after the web browser.

As for the browser, I'd thought they'd said the browser was Flash enabled? Are you sure it isn't? Like can anyone say what DOES happen when browsing to YouTube? Post a screenshot or photo so we can see it. But don't confuse Flashlite3, a mobile technology, for full desktop Flash9 and Silverlight, which is what Opera Mobile and Skyfire, respectively, utilize. And Flashlite3 is installed, but that isn't what makes the videos in the browser play. It is integrated into the Nokia Webkit browser code. When Flashlite3 first came out, the videos still didn't play until the browser was updated.

Google's YouTube app is merely an .flv player with YouTube server access, nothing special. The browser experience is better, because you can discover new content, ads, and related stuff the viewer misses. I'm no fan of special apps to do what desktop browsers do. I'm used to my mobile browser being desktop compatible, and expect it of any smartphone today.

Yes sir....it only makes sense that an open OS would attract symbian users since we're used to an almost open OS. lol. You make some very valid points..wish I oculd expound more right now but I'm running through these pages being the Android addict that I am lol...

Oh and I type DAMN fast on my e90 and I guarantee you I can outtype you...it will just be full of typos cuz I dont know if you can tell from my posts, but accuracy is not my forte....and I t9 ont eh outside all teh time...im a straphanger (bus/train rider in NYC) so im usually standing on a crowded bus or train typing with one hand lol....

And you just taught me quite abit about the flash implementation in S60...lets hope for an Android implementation soon. And I'm grabbing a copy of JBak Taskman as we speak.....

I'm by Symbian Freak often...just moreso as a visito becasue I'm one who alwasy learns mroe than they are able to contribute...

Lol! Crashdamage, I know being in America means limited access to Symbian devices, and most users don't know about them, but the multitasking prowess of the N95 8gb is well documented. Nothing is close or capable of actually running as many resource intensive apps. I think Swimm19284, who uses the flagship S60 device, can attest to what I mean.

Yeah s60 is the OS of all OSs (well hopefully android can take it down and fuel that competition)....I currently have 21 apps running on my e90...flawless.....

[Swimm12984]

I changed it to a Blackberry curve a few mins ago and got the $19.99 plan. Hopefully it will activate soon.

cool hope it works out for you...be sure to let us know if it does or not

Went down to the T-Mobile store down the block just for the hell of it. The guy said Android phones are incompatible with the other internet plans. Seems like it's just a marketing thing rather than a real incompatibility.

I hope it ends up working for you....seems their trying to set it up like a sidekick and give as little control over their plan tot eh user as is possible/necessary