SBA

The Google Phone

Like many technologists, I enjoy gadgets. So when the man who supplies our phones in the UK, Simon Davis of Business to Business Telecoms, asked if I would like to try the new T-Mobile G1, the first phone to use Google's Android software, I jumped at the chance, and a few days later I had a brand shiny new G1 in my hands, with Simon's apologies because it was in "drug dealer white" !

I didn't care, I have tried most forms of smartphone over the years including Palm and Windows Mobile, but for the past couple of years I've stuck faithfully to a Blackberry Pearl, the first Blackberry I've actually liked. All smartphones are inherently compromised, they're either too bulky, or their screens and keyboards are too small, so I'm still searching for the perfect phone / email / PDA device. 

And this is it. With a large touch-sensitive screen and a very few buttons. The screen slides across to reveal a keyboard, and automatically switches into landscape mode when the keyboard is open, but for most purposes except web browsing and writing emailsthe G1 works very well in portrait mode. It has three "desktops" which you can move between by sliding a finger across the screen, allowing you to segregate your application icons, a pop-up tab of icons foraccess to the full set of features on the phone, and a drop-down tab to view your latest emails, text mesages and other notifications. 

 

 

 
 In telephone mode the screen displays a "dialler" with large clear buttons to press. The two telephone keys at the bottom are used to star and end calls, just like any other mobile phone. Contacts are automatically synchronised with the contacts in your GoogleMail account so maintaining your address book is easy and the phone is always in synch with the address book on the Internet.Call sound quality seems as good as it comes, I find the phone very clear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Displaying a list of emails complete with GoogleMail labels . You can display the list in portrait or landscape format, the amount of title shown is shorter in portrait but you see more lines. Mail received on your GoogleMail account is immediately synchronised to the G1 via IMAP Push, so as with a Blackberry there is no delay in receiving mail. When you read your GoogleMail it is automatically marked as read, and any mail you send is copied into the Sent Mail folder on your GoogleMail account, so for GoogleMail purposes the G1 is fully integrated. I chose to set my "proper" email to forward to my GoogleMail account so that I get instant notification of that too, but the G1 has a normal email application that allows you to use it with other email accounts, and you can set the frequency at which it checks these accounts for new mail.

 

Writing an email, the screen is very clear, there is no need to peer or change spectacles as with many smartphones, email addressing uses autocompletion from the addresses in your GoogleMail contacts,  and navigating from field to field is smooth and easy using the trackball. Other text communication also works well, the G1 is very good for SMS text messages, and it contains a built-in Instant Messaging application allowing you to IM other GoogleMail users who are online.

 

As you would expect, searching the internet is a doddle. The G1 has a dedicated Google gadget so you can search without opening a browser, and the results are automatically displayed in a browser.

The G1 also has a dedicated client for Google Maps, including map, satellite and street views, and will find your approximate current location from the mobile phone signal. For more accuracy you can turn on the built-in GPS receiver (normally off to save battery) so it will locate you accurately to within a few feet, and provide directions to where you want to go.The first time I switched the GPS on I was delighted to note that it found me immediately, with no delay in acquiring a GPS signal. It is the "fastest" GPS I've used.

Multimedia is strong on the phone. It has a dedicated YouTube video player, an iPod like Music Player with stereo headphones, and other video and music applications can be easily downloaded fom Google Market, the download source for Android applications. The built-in Camera is only 3.2 megapixels, but it has autofocus, is faster than many phone cameras, and seems good in low light conditions.

 Overall, it's very difficult to find fault with the G1. It's very intuitive to operate, much easier than any other smartphone I've use. Reading emails is a joy after the limited abilities of a Blackberry, writing is likewise easy, with all the special symbols being accessed on the keyboard via an "Alt" shift key. Searching or browsing the internet is quick and easy, with web pages being displayed "properly" and a good instantaneous zoom feature to show more or less of the page, battery life is a useful 2-plus day, and the phone is not too big. Here it is next to my car key. I suspect this will prove to be a very long "loan"!