The reviews are piling up as the launch date of the G1 approaches. ZdNet has a great review and I’ve copied some of the salient points below.
Here’s some basic info to help you evaluate the phone. The T-Mobile G1 has most of the same specifications as other higher end devices today and it isn’t really in the specifications where the device stands out from the crowd, but in the operating system.
The 3.17 inch 480×320 high resolution display looks crisp and sharp on the G1. Althought he resolution is the same as the Apple iPhone, the pixel density is great because it is smaller so you get a really good image. I have always been bothered by fingerprints and the smooth plastic casing surrounding the display is the same color basically as the back so it does a good job of hiding fingerprints and smudges.
There is 192MB of RAM which is used for running applications and you will be able to run multiple applications and let the device manage the memory dynamically. Bluetooth is fairly lame on the G1, just like it is on the iPhone, and only lets you connect to a Bluetooth headset. This means you cannot use Bluetooth for a keyboard, voice dialing, or file transfer to another device or PC. Good news is that it is extremely easy to switch between a Bluetooth headset, speakerphone, or the device by tapping on the display after pressing the Menu key.
The technical specifications of the T-Mobile G1 are as follows:
- Google Android operating system
- 528MHz Qualcomm 7210 processor
- Quad-band GSM (850/1800/1900 MHz)
- Dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (1700/2100 MHz)
- 256MB ROM and 192MB RAM
- 3.17 inch 480×320 high resolution display
- 1150 mAh battery
- 3.2 megapixel camera with geo-tagging functionality
- Integrated GPS receiver
- Integrated 802.11 b/g WiFi radio
- Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 radio with EDR
- microSD card slot with support for SDHC cards (1GB microSD card pre-installed)
- Dedicated 5-row QWERTY keyboard
- Dimensions:
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Length: 4.60 inches
- Width: 2.16 inches
- Thickness: 0.62 inches
So far the worst thing universally is that the port used to charge the device is also the same port for listening with a headset. this is absolutely the dumbest and most annoying inconvenience i have seen on a few phones recently and i still can’t understand how a technology company could screw this simple thing up.