WMExperts on the G1: Smartphone Round Robin

Dieter, that was the best explanation of the G1's hardware I have heard yet. I actually liked the hardware too, when I played with one, it was sturdy and well "BIG." Great video.

I did like your analysis of the form factor and why this is the right choice, but I think it's also interesting to take the opposite approach - for example, to take a look at Android on Touch Pro hardware compared with WM. While that's not hardware that's intentionally optimized to Android, it's not so far off, either. Surely that port is at least close to being ready for such a comparison? It would be really interesting to just see how the performance compares.

Great take on the G1 Dieter. Personally I have mixed feelings about the G1. My main problem with it is it looks like its made of 3 pieces that don't quite all line up together right.

I think the white one limits that effect....and that's the one I'd get if I could. The OS looks like it gets the job done though, I really quite like it to tell you the truth.

I can't wait until Android has been optimized for the Touch Pro. It will be nice having the choice of operating systems. I played around a bit with Android on my Mogul, and it was quite a bit quicker than WinMo, although the implementation there is still essentially unusable. ( Other than for improving your geek cred. )

excellent points..guess its not as bad as it seems. still have to see it for myself though. i also have to agree that the g1 and iphone are very comparable

Hey Dieter,
You should do more in front of camera videos as we get to know you better, (i like to see who writes the website i read 5 times a day, and listen to all the podcasts), maybe you should record the podcasts on video as well and sometimes when you are talking about something with Malatesta we can see it...(i say give it a try)

now about the G1, i don't think its fair to compare it to the iphone like everyone does...
its a completely different beast.
i always see the iphone as a CAR and Windows Mobile (G1 maybe down the road) as an SUV, doesn't look as nice but can do what the car does better, now its not as smooth and pretty but you can fit more people, go offroading, load big boxes and will get you from point a to point b
now you cant compare a car to an SUV, alot of people will argue with that, but there is certain things you cant do with 1 and cant do with the other
i actually think that the iphone helped in making our (SUV) looking much better, and gave us more options
i think that second generation Android device will be alot better and maybe it will be the device of choice for the people in between, dont forget that T-mobile is much cheaper than AT&T so alot of people that wanted an Iphone dont wanna switch to at&t and will go for the G1, now after all the updates and tweaks they might actually be glad they never left (remember most of these people are stuck for 2 years) so i think the real test for Android is after 2 years from today, so sometime in 2011 is where we will see current android users either leaving T-mobile and Android or they might love it.
so Google and T-mobile have until 2011 to make as much improvements to keep existing customers that will invite more people into the Android platform.

Thanks Dieter, and keep the videos coming..

Moe

That's a really griz-ate way to look at this phone.
It was a hard one for me to classify, and I kept coming back to iPhone versus sidekick. The G1 seems to bridge that gap well, and it'll be interesting to see what Goog does with the platform.

Good review Dieter. I will be interested to see what the next Android phone for the US market will be. HTC did an admirable job making the G1 hardware but the software like most Google version 1 products is still unfinished. I hope Google continues to develop Android and improve it and not let it languish like they do some of their other products.

thank was a good review on the hardware... like it a lot and very refreshing to the others that slammed the hardware

What a great apologia - Google should totally hire you for their PR. I was a confirmed chin-hater and could not see the point of it at all, but once you pointed out the very practical applications (like protecting the screen), I got to looking at the thing in a whole new light. And your points about the sure-to-be-dashed expectations that a slicker form factor would have given rise to are also well-taken. I have a whole new respect for the device now, and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts in the final review.

Having used a Palm and currently a WM device, the G1 is extremely enticing. Can't wait to put one through it's paces myself.

Great video. Hook me up with a front facing keyboard w/ Android and I'd be more than happy to give 'er a go.

My daughter and Son-in-law have G1s and they love them. I played with it for a little while and what it does, it does well. I don't know that I would leave windows mobile for it, but it is a good device and I think the hardware suites the OS simple and efficient.

Dieter,

Great perspective, I never thought of the G1 hardware like that. I've only gotten to play with a dummy phone, but I would be really interested in your thoughts on the keyboard. I am still a proud Tilt user. Coming from that I thought the keys were to soft and lacked a certain tactile feedback. Again, it was a dummy phone, not a real G1. Great hardware review, look forward to your thoughts on the software side.

Great start to the G-1 review. If it had been ATT with the G-1 I may have chosen it over the Fuze. I want to see what carrier picks up the next Android phone.

Was a good video, but I still see that chin bothering me while trying to type.

Great perspective yet again. But yeah, I agree with Dimietriev, I definitely see the chin bothering me while typing.

Very nice perspective that goes beyond the subjective aesthetics of a "chin" and plasticky look. I completely agree that given the context in which the device was launched, I don't know that it could have been better. Sure, people will want other form factors for Android, but as a device to launch the platform, it's gotten me to switch from my WinMo devices.

One thing that I think doesn't get enough recognition as another benefit of the "chin" is that the Menu button, which is used to unlock the screen, is protected from accidental pushes. Pushing it twice will completely wake up the screen and unlock it, unlike my old Samsung SGH-i320 or Nokia E71 which requires hitting buttons on different ends of the keyboard. And infinitely better than how hard to press the unlock button is on my imate Ultimate 9502 or was on my HP 5650.

I know it's minor, but it's something that might be the most frequently done sequence on a phone. The chin makes it easy and still prevents the accidental presses.

Good or bad, 20 years from now we can say we were there when Android was born, as we bow down to it's greatness as human slaves to technology. Thats me now...

Hmm... while I can certainly see how the chin helps avoid screen damage and accidental input, I just don't see that as an advantage. Maybe its just me, but I don't know anyone that puts there phone face-down. Two of my closest friends have G1's that I frequently try to get used to... but that chin positioning makes typing so awkward. Its bad enough that the keys are so incredibly shallow, but I feel like I'm always reaching around the chin with my right thumb to reach the right-half of the keyboard. It does make using the trackball easier in landscape mode, but I quickly discovered that my personal habit is to just touch the screen in that kind of situation rather than use the trackball. ...this probably comes from me being a longtime Treo user (300 -> 600 -> 650 -> 700wx). Put Android on a front-facing QWERTY device with a system-wide cut-and-paste (not this "it works in some apps" crap that only seems capable of "select all" instead of choosing exactly what you want) like Windows Mobile, and I'll jump the WinMo ship in the blink of an eye.

I haven't had a chance to play around with a G1 yet, perhaps I should stumble into a T-mo store and give one a whirl.

Very thought provoking, Dieter. The "chin" makes more sense, but it still looks kind of goofy.

I'm curious to find out about the call quality on the G1, and whether that has more to do with the hardware or the carrier. I've always heard T-Mobile is pretty lame when it comes to service, but I'll be interested to hear others' perspectives on the matter.

Android has a lot of promise with it being "open" but its not ready for prime time. People often complain about wm but its the one os that can do everything and has a huge community of developers (xda) that create solution to almost every problem. I can't use an os that can't simply cut and paste or have A2DP!? Are you serious! Android gets a pass because it just came out but apple touts this media device thing which it has a lot of positives but no A2DP! Come on! WM has some faults but it's the only os that can do everything and people create great workarounds ie. TF3D or panels! It seems people are afraid to say they like wm well I'm standing up to say its the best and I'm a fanboy! What!!!!

Interesting take on the G1.
The Sharp Zaurus PDA with verticle slider and Linux from around 2002 was way ahead of the G1. Unfortunatly it was just ahead of it's time and died from lack of love from any one other than a Linux Geek..

If Google could take the Zaurus and merge some of it's DNA and features into the G1 they would have a great device..

Remember when it was reported that Sprint decided to wait on Android because it "wasn't ready yet"? It seems that they were right. I love the *idea* of android and am even ready to jump ship from to it if it reaches its potential. I'm a huge huge huge winmo fanboy too... but I'd definitely give it a shot. IF it gets there.

What a thoughtful review. Nice to see someone really thinking about the design choices. It really makes me appreciate the G1 more.

interesting observations.. i may have to reconsider my thoughts on g1's hardware

interesting observations.. i may have to reconsider my thoughts on g1's hardware ;)

very interesting, very new perspective of the G1. it'll be interesting to read how typing would be with the chin there, or may be just try it myself in one of the tmo stores around.

Great review, interesting device. Now how can i win the fuze :D

Cheers

Cant wait on different hardware types to come out of Android. :)

Very interesting review. Well thought out with a quite positive twist. I must say, I agree 100% on your thoughts regarding the hardware fitting with the device maturity level.

Keep the great information coming! I'm really enjoying this round robin!

Dieter:

I have to say I never thought once to compare the G1 with the sidekick. I guess if you think in that respect the hardware of the G1-a phone designed strictly with t-mo in mind-makes perfect sense.

I am also glad that someone showed us the benefits of the chin as well.

Look forward to your take on the software.

Good review, sticking with WinMo for now, but looking forward to Androids future.

wow great review! i have to agree with your analysis that going with a totally novel appearance has helped stave off some of the comparisons, but regardless, every smartphone is gonna have iphone and blackberry comparisons. just like the new touch screens being called the potenial iphone killers, etc.
but overall great review!

meh

I still don't know how I feel about the "chin"

Hi Dieter, Merry Christmas,
What unvelibable comparison of the G1 with the AppleII!! right on the head.

Maybe a lot of young people around today won't understand what you meant, but I was there 29 years ago and i remember it was a different computer that was so simple that every one at school, home and work had one.

And this at a time the personal computers were "foreing" for the masses, and despite that there were other "Real" computers like the Radio Shack 80, and later the first IBM PC.

For people that doesn't what it means just see what APPLE is today.

I enjoyed your review; it seemed very fair, pointing out a couple features that might be nice on my Tilt. For one, the great hinge design (though I do love my phone's tilt feature, something that for some reason not even the Fuze has). More importantly, the chin. Not only do I forget to lock my phone at times, but when the phone starts dialing and is still in my pocket, I sometimes accidentally answer as I'm pulling it out. With a chin protecting the answer button, this could be prevented.

I look forward to the Android OS review, including how likely it would be to get mono running on it so I could write .Net apps for the G1.

It just doesn't seem as pocket friendly as a flat device.

Well Dieter, we do know that Android is just starting off and already the cupcake branch has been merged into trunk so updates are happening. The hardware being ok is exciting for us nerds but I dunno if I could convince my mom to use one.

Although if I got my hands on one I'd have to take up java - there's no way I resist making at least a 'hello world'. :)

Here's my entry!