How iView the G1: An iPhone owner's take on the Google phone

I've very intentionally kept myself in the dark about Google's entry into the smartphone market -- until today.

It was mostly out of fear that I might find my iPhone in some way deficient by comparison and, as a result, develop a raging case of tech envy.

But as a low-grade geek, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to lay hands on T-Mobile's G1, which was made by HTC and runs Google's Android operating system, and review it for the paper with David Colker.

First things first, though. Someone has to come up with a better nickname for this thing. True, a rose by any other name might smell as sweet. But G1 doesn't exactly roll off the tongue or inspire the gee-whiz cachet that iAnything seems to.

So, was I ready to hang up on iPhone and answer the call of the G1? Here are some things that occurred to this early iPhone adopter....

• Searching for identity: The G1 obviously integrates the best of Google very well -- and it should. Search is part of just about everything the device offers. It's on the home screen, it's in the music player, it's in the maps. It's quite impressive. Honestly, though, none of the mapping or other Google features bowled me over any more than the integrated Google offerings of the iPhone. (If the G1 offered voice directions, I might have said otherwise.)

• Apps: Compulsive purchasers will have to wait a bit. The Android market offerings are a tad anemic by comparison. But, obviously, developers have had more time to create for the iPhone than for the G1. And, for now, everything there appears to be free. Also, man, some of those babies download fast. I wasn't even riding on Wi-Fi at the time. (Downloading a video player took a little longer.) There is an app that folks are buzzing about that lets you take a pic of a bar code and have Google dig up details on the item. I can see a use for that, but it's not enough to completely geek me out.

• Getting your game on: The best thing I found in the store in the game realm was very retro -- Pac-Man. While I'm all about nostalgia, Pac-Man was made for a joystick, not a touch screen or accelerometer. Tilting away from angry ghosts really isn't that much fun. That said, maybe its Spore Origins is still to come. When the iPhone launched in 2007, folks had to wait about a year for any apps to download to their unaltered phones. So, kudos for having any to choose from at the G1's launch.

• Multimedia: C'mon, the iPhone is an iPod with other cool features that can make phone calls. The G1 is a search tool that plays music and makes phone calls.Transfer of multimedia feels a bit easier to this iTunes-trained user. The iPhone is plug and play; the G1 is drag and drop -- that is to say, you have to plug it into either a PC or a Mac, where it shows up as an external drive and you can drag over the music files or folders. I prefer less thinking and activity for my transfers.

• IM/MMS: I'll say it. I'm totally, completely and blindingly jealous about this. First, instant messaging services such as Yahoo Messenger and AIM can run in the background, as on the BlackBerry, without having to reconnect every time you leave the app to do something else like check e-mail or answer a call. And G1 lets users send multimedia messages via MMS. Any basic cellphone these days can do that, but not the iPhone. (This difference did elicit a mostly silent growl from me.)

• Ringtones: The ease of setting ringtones on the G1 is almost enough to make an iPhone owner throw up her hands and think about converting. Pick a song, any song on your phone, and make it your ringtone. Yeah, it should be that easy -- and it is on the G1. (Again, grrrrr! I had to buy a separate program to do this easily -- or convert the files in my iTunes library and sprinkle pixie dust over them. Too many steps for the maker of the iPod.)

• Keyboard: OK, this one's for the FWF -- friends with fingernails. There's a Sidekick-style keyboard that pops out, making typing a tad easier out of the box. But there's a price for this convenience. The only way you can enter info is by using that keyboard -- and it has to be in the landscape mode. And, frankly, my thumb is still crazy sore from playing around with the device. Why? The right thumb has to reach over a fixed set of navigational buttons that are well placed in portrait mode but get in the way in landscape.

• Of portraits and landscapes: Here was something that drove me a little nuts. I want to look at the screen the way I want to look at the screen -- not the way the device insists I do. The G1 won't let you flip back and forth unless you open and close the keyboard. Again, you can enter text only in landscape and only by opening the keyboard. I kept touching the screen, hoping to just be able to tap in anything. Tap, tap, tap -- alas, nothing.

• Cool little features -- sort of: Like the iPhone, the G1 lets you open up to eight browsing windows at the same time. But the way it displays all of them, Brady Bunch-style in the same window, is pretty handy. The trackball is a nice little addition for those trading up from the BlackBerry -- but not particularly necessary. You can let your fingers do the walking. Why would you need to scroll?

• Copy and paste: G1 has it; iPhone doesn't. (Audible earth-rattling growl!)

Ultimately, it's a tale of two smartly developed smartphones: One created by the search-and-information behemoth (Google), the other by the master of multimedia (Apple).

Pick your preference.

So far, I feel smart enough with what I have (don't worry, my precious). But I did get my geek fix from the G1.

-- Michelle Maltais

Maltais is editorial broadcast manager for the Los Angeles Times.

What do you think of the G1? Think you'd buy it, or would you wait for future Android phones?

Photo: T-Mobile's G1 Android-powered phone, the first cellphone with an operating system designed by Google. Credit: Mark Lennihan / Associated Press

Comments

[VENKATAKRISHNA NALAMOTHU]

G1 will beat iphone due to its open source and easy internet features. G phone is all about substance while iphone is all about style. Decide your pick.

[tt]

Everyone seems to miss the biggest improvement.

The iphone is supposed to be a great music player but you can not expand your storage space
with the g1 you have an Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

For 70 you can get a 16 GB card (iphone's larger model)
for 170 you can get a 32 GB

And these prices will only come down and have increase in size.

[Michelle Maltais]

Actually, tt, according to the company's information, the G1 is expandable up to 8GB with a microSD card. That would bring it up to the iPhone's current smallest-storage model.

[ArtInvent]

Finally we can get past the stale question, is it as good as an iPhone. The reality is, no one device is going to be ideally suited to all people. Android phones look like they are going to be flexible enough to become whatever you want them to be, and the G1 is just the first example. There will be other phones that are more media savvy, and yet other phones that do video or camera stuff better, or have better keyboards for the IM crowd, or have bigger screens, or are smaller. Hopefully Apple will also tune in and make some other phones that have better keyboards or better cameras for these people too. Ain't competition grand?

[Solrac924]

Actually, the T-Mobile G1 phone is already ready for the SanDisk 16GB microSDHC card. A Google spokesperson confirmed it. It can read/write data to the card with no problem at all.

There's also the point that the user can change out (or even upgrade) the battery on the G1 without sending the unit in.

[ArtInvent]

Not sure that an iPhone owner is a relevant barometer for this new phone. This is really a phone for people who don't like Apple's extremely closed, proprietary way of doing business. Beyond this first example of hardware, Android is promising as a phone ecosystem precisely because it turns Apple's old and tired and annoying strategy on its head. Open software, open hardware access, open development, open networks. Anyone can install the OS, any hardware maker can use it, any wireless operator can use it, any software can be installed, any mods . . . This is a huge difference and this one particular phone is just the first step.

[The Shick]

In case none of you know, you can get your iPhone "jailbroken". That means it will be able to accept 3rd party apps. As far as the memory goes, being able to expand up to an 8gb mem. card is fine and all, but that means you have to spend more money to get more memory. The iPhone comes with at least 8gb built in. I myself am a T-Mobile customer, I have been for 6 years now. But I am going to be buying an iPhone off of ebay, rather than buying the new G1 from T-Mobile. The G1 is a great phone, but it's just the 1st phone like this since the iPhone. I'm sure other phones will be made that will supercede both the iPhone and the G1. Until then I believe that the iPhone is a much better phone.

[Kyle Yochum]

This is a great, unbiased review. I myself am a G1 owner, never had an Iphone, but had plenty of opportunities to use it. Its all about preference, both phones are very fun to use, each of them take getting used to.

If theres anything i disagree with, even though i've heard other people complain, I dont feel the fixed buttons get in the way during landscape mode, I do have big hands, perhaps thats it. However, I do agree, that everything should work either in landscape and portrait, whichever you like, and it seems it all does work either way you position your phone (with the exception of some games prompting you to switch to a specific layout), however, if you need to enter any info, you HAVE to switch to landscape to access the keyboard. Otherwise, everything seems to let you tap through in both modes (again, except if you have to enter any text-information)

Great review, its nice to see someone with an iPhone can provide a good unbiased review without un-righteously defending their mobile device of choice. (And also very interesting, to see the features you were in envy about)

I'd say bottom line, if you buy either one of these phones (iPhone or G1) you are going to be happy, have fun, and able do your business on the go. (And most likely have a secret [or also likely, highly outspoken] hatred for the other, just because its not the phone you have)

Thanks for the good read.

- Kyle

PS. there are some cool things that the iphone has that the G1 doesnt, and i silently grunt about them as well ;]

[Guillermo]

Hey guys, one question, do we have to pay for internet monthly basis to make this new G1 work?

[Cedar]

This is a great review that will help me decide what phone to try next.

[steve h]

I myself have the g1, my girlfriend who is alseep next to me has the iphone, she swears by her phone as I by mine, i've. Caught her a few times leaning over watching me play on my g1, although she has a look of beeing unipressed on her face I can tell she is jealous of some of the features my new g1 has that her old iphone doesn't and at the same time I am a bit jealous of a few iphone features that the g1 lacks, like an on screen keyboard and the cool tilt function, but access to the web is much faster and easier with my g1, it connects and downloads way quicker then her phone, plus with tunewiki and ringdroid apps I can create my own ringtones in seconds, I do play games on her phone since apple currently offers better free games then android does, but I'm sure that will change with time, either way both phones are great and you can't go wrong with either, happy downloads.

Steve h, g1 owner.

[Dave]

Not even remotely interested. The iPhone is the most innovtive phone ever made.

[Danielle x]

The G! is fabulous!

not quite as good looking as the i-phone but apart from that its better
but there is one small downside THE SATALITE!
you can trace a g1 phone by going to instimaper.com and typing in there name and phone number.
SCARY!, good for parents, good for peadophiles!!!

anyway... the thing that someone should make is a goodlooking smartphone with atleast a 5megapixel camera and a video camera. (maybey the G2,...)

[iphoneftw]

Clearly the smartest personin here lol...i have both and my iphone is jailbroken....its much more responsive and once jailbroken does anything g1 does better and does more IPHONE IS BEST PHONE OUT SORRY... still love the g1 tho In case none of you know, you can get your iPhone "jailbroken". That means it will be able to accept 3rd party apps. As far as the memory goes, being able to expand up to an 8gb mem. card is fine and all, but that means you have to spend more money to get more memory. The iPhone comes with at least 8gb built in. I myself am a T-Mobile customer, I have been for 6 years now. But I am going to be buying an iPhone off of ebay, rather than buying the new G1 from T-Mobile. The G1 is a great phone, but it's just the 1st phone like this since the iPhone. I'm sure other phones will be made that will supercede both the iPhone and the G1. Until then I believe that the iPhone is a much better phone.

Posted by: The Shick | October 21, 2008 at 03:42 PM