Tuesday
Nov042008
G1 Update -- 6 days in.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 8:05AM
These are a few more of the good, the bad and the ugly that I've found with the G1 on my quest for finding the perfect phone.
- The keyboard feels a little wobbly if you're pressing against it. I know, you're not supposed to do that but still, I have a fear it'll snap off. It should be okay as I have the $6/month TMobile insurance if it does.
- Only one Google account can be logged in at one time. This can be a pain as I use 3 separate accounts at any given time. Personal, webby goodness and consulting. For now, I have to check the other two account either via IMAP or the mobile Google site.
- The camera does not offer any options while snapping pictures. While the auto-focus works well, there is no digital zoom, white-balance settings or themes to apply to photos.
- Strangely enough, while on a phone call, the phone can and will timeout and lock the display. While it does not hurt the call, it does force me to have to unlock the phone when I get off the phone call. It's a bit strange.
- In addition, while on a call, the screen times out and goes black. To bring it back on, you need to press a button. A nice addition might be to recognize if the angle of the phone changes dramatically it turns back on. I believe the iPhone does it already.
- Updating applications is as simple as one click (not to be sued by Amazon's 1-Click) but there does not seem to be a global updater. On a Mac or a PC, there is an updater that lets you know that new applications/fixes are available. I haven't seen this automatically pop up yet.
- While streaming a video from http://6abctogo.com, I turned the phone on it's side and the video flipped orientation. This is a nice feature that the iPhone does in most applications that would be a nice addition to the rest of the Android OS.
- The integration with Google Talk is incredible. When I am signed on with the G1 and my desktop and receive an IM, I get alerted on both devices. If I read it on my desktop, it gets marked as read on the phone and the alert disappears.
- Google has said that they will be releasing an Input Method Framework so that an on-screen keyboard can be released early next year.
- Google Street View on the G1 is one of the slickest implementations I've seen on any device. Using the compass and the accelerometer, you can walk around in circles and see what you would see on the street. While this is not amazingly helpful when it comes to navigating, it is very cool to show your friends.
Reader Comments (1)
I plan on heading into the TMobile store before my 14 days are up and to switch to the black one anyway. Maybe this one is defective. Or maybe I'm a bit OCD.