• E-mail this page
• |  Print this page
• | 
• | 
• | 

First User Review Of The HTC G1 Surfaces

Someone in the world has received the HTC G1 Android phone and has seen fit to publish a review of the device. He lists a lot of pros and cons that match with observations made at the device's launch in NYC a few weeks ago.

Official members of the tech press have been told we're not allowed to publish reviews of the HTC G1 Android phone until next week. My review unit is set to arrive tomorrow. Android Community member Kaziko isn't held to the same strictures that the press is and went forward with publishing his own hands-on impressions of the G1.

Here is what he says:

PRO's:

• The device is fairly quick to start up compared to other HTC devices.
• It is very light considering what's inside.
• The slide-out keyboard works well and doesn't have a flimsy feel to it.
• The Android Market works just as well as the iPhone's App Store.
• There are already a lot of useful apps to download from the Android Market, including a free ringtone maker.
• The earpiece is fairly clear when making and receiving calls, you hear absolutely no static.
• The speaker is relatively loud compared to other HTC devices.

CON's:

• The G1 has a big memory leak somewhere, and has to be restarted in order to get it running smoothly again.
• The battery charger makes the bottom of the phone extremely hot.
• No virtual QWERTY keyboard included.
• The phone doesn't run as smoothly as you would think, programs sometimes stutter trying to start up.
• There is no folder system like that found on other HTC devices: finding your files requires you to search around in one of the various programs associated with the file type you're trying to view.
• Video playback is very limited. The G1 would not play .mpg or .wmv files which are pretty much the standard when it comes to videos downloaded off the net.

The demo units I saw at the G1's launch had several applications pre-loaded. I didn't come across any that had active versions of the Android Market up and running. Google did say that the G1 would ship with a beta version of the Android Market, and it is good to hear that it is easy to use.

I am nervous that Kaziko says the device's programs stutter. I noticed that at the launch event, too, but chalked it up to prefinal hardware/software bugs. I hope that HTC, Google, and T-Mobile are able to iron out any remaining bugs in the software via firmware updates.

More end user reviews are sure to flood the Internet over the next seven days as units are shipped. Look for a full review from InformationWeek next week.

« Toshiba Satellite E105's Dull 'Silver' Finish | Main | T-Mobile Nabs A 5-Megapixel Shooter »