T-Mobile G1 First Review From Community Member

[kaziko]

I'm writing this review as I go while I explore my new G1.

I'll break it up into a pros and cons sort of review and these are unbiased opinions, so no flaming me for any of my personal views.

I'll start with the
PRO's:

The device is fairly quick to startup compaired to other HTC devices.
It is very lightweight considering what's inside this beast.
The slide out keyboard works real well and doesn't have a flimsy feel to it.
The market works just as well as the "iphone"
Alot of usefull apps to download from the market including a free ringtone maker
The earpiece is fairly clear when making and recieving calls you hear absolutly no static
The Speaker is relatively loud compared to other HTC devices

CON's:
Has a big memory leak somewhere I find I have to restart the device in order to get it running smoothly again.
The battery charger makes the bottom of the phone extremely hot.
No virtual keyboard
Phone doesn't run as smoothly as you would think. Programs sometimes stutter trying to start up
There is no folder system like the one found on the other HTC devices so finding your files requires you to search around in one of the various programs associated with the file type you're trying to view.
Video playback is very limited. Would not play .mpg or .wmv files which are pretty much standard when it comes to videos downloaded off the net.


More to come...

[GrimShadows]

Now show us pictures to prove you have the G1!!!

[ickyfehmleh]

CON's:
Has a big memory leak somewhere I find I have to restart the device in order to get it running smoothly again.

What are you doing on the device? Third-party apps? Apps running in the background? Normal web surfing?

The battery charger makes the bottom of the phone extremely hot.

Electricity will do that :P

No virtual keyboard

Did you miss the large, non-virtual keyboard present on the device? :P

Phone doesn't run as smoothly as you would think. Programs sometimes stutter trying to start up

Is there some splash screen that comes up while the app is loading? Can you provide a video of the stutter?

There is no folder system like the one found on the other HTC devices so finding your files requires you to search around in one of the various programs associated with the file type you're trying to view.

That's disappointing

Video playback is very limited. Would not play .mpg or .wmv files which are pretty much standard when it comes to videos downloaded off the net.

So recode those videos using an h.264 encoder. I think it's pretty well established that Android supports the h.264 standard. I'm reasonably certain that, on OSX at least, iSquint (free)-encoded videos will work under Android when encoded using the 'iPhone' setting.

[mrgoodson06]

yeah where is the pic and video playback of the stutter?

[moooseman]

im not to happy about the folder system either. how are we supposed to manage our stuff. hopefully they can develop something later......Looking forward to more updates!!! HUUURRRYYY!!!!!!

[GrimShadows]

And again!! I call Shenanigans!!

[embrace LB]

Eh, the start of the disappointments and flaws. Bummer. Was hoping the t-mobile G1 would be a hit, but for the 1st of its kinds, got to work out the kinks. Highly debating what else is to be discovered. Then i'll make my move on whether to get the phone or not.

[embrace LB]

So recode those videos using an h.264 encoder. I think it's pretty well established that Android supports the h.264 standard. I'm reasonably certain that, on OSX at least, iSquint (free)-encoded videos will work under Android when encoded using the 'iPhone' setting.

In my eyes, if i have to do all that, not worth my time. Simple, make the player be able to read all those formats... Not trying to be lazy, but give me what i paid for...

[Stanovoy]

Not to sound overly suspicious... it appears that most of your claims are either wishy washy or mere restatements of well articulated facts. For example, all of your "pros" contain weasel words, i.e. trying to use purely subjective descriptions as objective facts in eliciting a response. As another example, half of your "cons" are so well-known that they do not warrant mentioning, i.e. no virtual keyboard and limited video playback.

Some of your claims are grossly under-supported. How often does the "big memory leak" happen? Under what condition does it happen? How long between recurrences? How big is "big"? How is the phone's usability affected? If it severely limits usability, how are you managing to "review" the phone?

Finally, your claim about the inability to create folders, i.e. no folder system, is wrong. See T-Mobile G1 User Manual, pages 23, 98 and 106.

If you are telling the true, then sorry for the doubt. But for now, I'm going to assume that you do not have a G1.

[Skatturbrain]

Video playback is very limited. Would not play .mpg or .wmv files which are pretty much standard when it comes to videos downloaded off the net.

Specs clearly states that .WMV's, .MPG, and the like are all supported on the G1. It makes me wonder if T-Mobile lied to us in the specs!