For T-Mobile G1 Owners and Anyone Interested in Android

[NorrisCell]

I gave it a fair shot. I've owned my G1 for 4 months now (A record for me when it comes to phone ownership) and I have tried to like this platform. The fact is that there are too many problems in the software that have not been addressed in even the most recent RC33 update.

Some of these problems are so specific that 98% of users will not encounter them, as is the case with many annoyances I have with phones. If there are other G1 owners with problems, feel free to post them here, as I am curious what other people think.

Problems:

- The email client does not process the "Reply To" information properly. For example, if you have an ebay auction and you receive a member question, it originates from member@ebay.com and has the user's email address as the Reply To address. If I hit reply in the email client, it replies to member@ebay.com and will not use the member's actual email address.

- Certain email links in webpages, most notably Craig's List, do not handoff te email address to the email application. Let's say I find a CL ad I want to respond to. I select the email link on the ad, and the phone asks which application should handle the action. If I choose the email client, it brings up a new email, with no email address filled in at all. If I choose Google Mail (The embedded Gmail application) the phone transfers over the email address, but it changes the sale-0000000@craigslist.org to sale-0000000@gmail.com. As an added bonus, it usually adds the city name @gmail.com and sometimes the post title @gmail.com as additional recipients. This can be worked around by simply modifying the email address, but having it work properly to begin with is the desirable result.

There are a few third party applications that can interface with CL pretty well, but this is obviously a problem of two internal aplications not talking to each other properly. I contacted the Android support team (I work for T-Mobile) and their suggestion was to write down the email address I want from the page and enter it into the address field. Hell, why not just wait until I get home to my computer? That's nice and convenient too.

- No reliable method for tethering. There are third party hacks out there that can do it, but the new software revisions keep taking it away, which shows that it is not something the manufacturer wants people doing. I understand the bigger reasons T-Mobile doesn't want people tethering it, but it's still a shortcoming of the phone.

- If you use IMAP email, deleting messages on the phone doesn't delete them from the server. This means that even though the phone links to the main mail server, you will still see deleted messages when you open Outlook on your computer. This is acknowledged as a "known issue" in T-Mobile's internal system and the resolution is to advise that emails must be deleted from a computer. Translation: You're SOL.

Don't get me wrong. Android has tons of potential and unique features. It's just that Google needs to master the core smartphone/PDA features first before attacking innovation. Maybe in the future it will become a major player in the phone software world. For now, I'm on to my E71

[t140568]

I've had my G1 for about 3 months now. I partially got it because I'm expecting the platform to develop into something great and I wanted to be there from the start, so I've been expecting the bugs to be there. It was also the only phone I could find (not saying there aren't other's out there) that met my criteria: Touchscreen, physical keyboard, bluetooth, WiFi, storage expandability, GPS, a decent processor, and above all... a Linux kernel.

I've had a few problems with mine as well. 1. Upon an arrival of a new pop email, no notification would occur until RC33 happened, 2. Ring-tones: I would set a ring-tone specifically for my wife which would work great, until I removed the SD card. When I would put it back in, one would think the ring-tone setting would be remembered, but it wasn't... until RC33. 3. I've also noticed the email reply-to thing happening. 4. I've been meaning to look into the tethering abilities, but just haven't gotten around to it.

I guess it would be fair to say that my complaints have been addressed. Though, I'd still like to see some more capabilities added in: SD card storage for apps, the ability to add/remove software that came on the phone (like the voice dialer and calendar... Personally, I don't use these, why should I be stuck with them if I don't want them?), also, it sure would be nice to be able to highlight text from an email or webpage and send it in a text message or add it to a note (like I used to be able to do with my 'ol Treo 600), and one thing that drives me crazy: If I turn the phone off with it slid open, and I then slide it closed, why does the screen turn back on? Maybe I should just learn to close first and then turn off, but it's an annoyance.

I love the potential this device has too much to get rid of it so soon. I'm also the kind of guy who will use a device months after the screen has fallen off and keys no longer work quite right.

[dsigma6]

I'm a phone nut, so naturally I had it on launch day. Very unimpressed, but I knew that just looking at pictures. I returned it 3 days later!

I have hope for Android, and wouldn't mind a G2. Hardware keyboards annoy me after having the iPhone for a year and a half (I can't believe I had a phone for more than 6 months!!)...

A co-worker has a G1, and is constantly calling T-Mo about 3G issues, even though we're smack-dab in the middle of 3G coverage. T-Mobile need to step it up, and not with dumbphones like the Memoir.

Did you think that the "G" part of the phone would let you do anything that didn't force a google service on you?

[t140568]

I've been very happy with T-Mobile's service. Granted, I couldn't give a rip about 3G and as such, haven't used it much... kills the battery. EDGE has been plenty fast enough for me, and when it isn't, WiFi has always been available.

Dsigma, you DON'T like physical keyboards? Lord help me if I ever have to do without one!

One more thing I must say: I'm a bit disappointed at the lack of hacking involvement overall. Maybe that just needs time too? Oh well.

[dsigma6]

Haha...nope, I don't like physical keyboards. I had my share of them, but once I got used to the iPhone's keyboard, everything changed. I will gladly take a G2 with on-screen keyboard, even though it's pretty cramped.

The hacking community will certainly grow with Android. There will probably be at least a half dozen Android phones coming soon, so it's tough to be disappointed now with just the one phone (of course Apple didn't have that problem!)...One of the reasons I haven't moved on from my current phone is the dev community/endless hacking.

[j-dawg]

Man, I really want the G1 to do well. If they could equip a G1 with the same camera my N95 has got I'd be all over it like white on rice. I like the OS way better than Symbian and there are time when I really wish I had me some QWERTY, though I've gotten pretty dang good with T9. But I use that camera pretty often, and I wouldn't want to give it up.

I also feel the same way about the E71: probably better in every respect than the N95 except for the camera. Oh well, such is life..

[t140568]

I've now had the phone for ~7mos now. There have been notable improvements in the device and OS. The v1.5 release is SO much more responsive than 1.0 and 1.1. Aesthetics have been improved with transitions when moving between apps and menus. Functionality has been improved with more options, widgets, and checkboxes in the email apps (allowing you to delete more than one email at a time...Thank God!). Stability has definitely improved notably as well. Additional features like the camcorder are also very welcome.

I'm currently using the JF1.51 build which has more options and abilities built-in... like root access. If anyone here decides to get this phone, get root access. It really makes a difference and it's completely worth the 30min-1hr of your time.

Also... I've had the opportunity to flash the G1 with v2.0 "Hero" of Android. While it's notably sluggish, it shows incredible promise from camera options (which are completely absent from v1.0-1.5), to the VERY sleek interface.

[NorrisCell]

I've now had the phone for ~7mos now. There have been notable improvements in the device and OS. The v1.5 release is SO much more responsive than 1.0 and 1.1. Aesthetics have been improved with transitions when moving between apps and menus. Functionality has been improved with more options, widgets, and checkboxes in the email apps (allowing you to delete more than one email at a time...Thank God!). Stability has definitely improved notably as well. Additional features like the camcorder are also very welcome.

I agree. The 1.5 build is infinitely better than the previous ones. I'm happy to say that almost all of my gripes were addressed in the newest update. I still see an occasional Force Close error, but not nearly as often.

I ran TheDude's Cupcake version prior to the official one coming out, but the voice quality was horrible. Now I'm back on the official build, which has been awesome.

Android is turning out to be a solid platform after all. There are a few "wants" for the next revision, such as Turn-byTurn directions in Maps, but those are not essential to the function of the phone.

[dsigma6]

I will gladly take a G2 with on-screen keyboard, even though it's pretty cramped.

Now I'm just waiting for the release date for the MyTouch 3G...

[NorrisCell]

Now I'm just waiting for the release date for the MyTouch 3G...

Pre-order starts tomorrow. We've had the store demos for a couple weeks now, and I must say it's one sexy beast. OS is identical to the G1, but a much slimmer package. No features were cut either, despite early rumors. I can answer any questions you have on it too.

[j-dawg]

Bump for a question: Should I buy a G1 with a broken screen (though apparently the touchscreen still works, it's just cracked) so I can try it out? The guy is asking $65 and it's an hour-long drive to get it at about (from CL Chicago). If I really like it I can buy a screen kit on eBay for $50 and come out a good $50 under what I'd pay for an unbroken G1.

Does it seem worth it? I've heard so much about the G1 (well, Android) lately that I figured I should give it a shot and $65 is a pretty low entry fee. If the cracked screen doesn't totally wreck the experience, I think it would be worth a try. (It would also get me access to T-Mo 3G, which I cannot get on my Nokia). I really like the idea of an open-source phone with a touch screen and a keyboard and if it's to my liking I can fix up the screen and have a good phone for cheap; if not, I can just sell it off again later. They go for more than $65 on eBay.

Good deal or no?

[NorrisCell]

For $65 bucks, it's worth it if everything works. Replacing the screen is far from an easy task though, so keep that in mind. I've seen several G1s with cracked glass that still work flawlessly. There's more and more useful applications getting released, which will grow even further now that the MyTouch launches next week.

[t140568]

Has anyone tried the latest Cyanogen build, 2.2.1? I've noticed a huge difference. MUCH more responsive, with much lower CPU usage.

[loyukfai]

How about the battery life? The initial reports were almost universally bad, I wonder if the latest firmwares have brought an improvement or not.

I'm seriously considering getting a G1 at the moment. Since Pre is not (officially) coming to Asia anytime soon. And although there are quite a few Android handsets right now, I prefer one with a physical keyboard and, of course, GSM/WCDMA-based.

Besides, the specifications of the newer Android handsets, aside from the camera, seem to be more or less the same as the G1/Dream afterall.

[t140568]

How about the battery life? The initial reports were almost universally bad, I wonder if the latest firmwares have brought an improvement or not.

Battery life is better, though not completely and in all honesty, it really depends on how you use the phone. I keep 3G off (not available in my area and EDGE works just fine for me), WiFi & GPS off (turn them on when I really need them), and BT off (I have no BT stuff), the screen on it's lowest setting, and light cell usage, and I can get a few days use out of mine. It's still possible to drain the battery in a few hours with some Youtubing or gaming.

Another thing that seems to help with it being rooted is "Advanced Task Manager", an app in the Market. Having it set to close programs that run in the background automatically (I think mine's set to close automatically every hour or so.) not only saves battery, but makes the device more responsive.

So, while the battery is not GREAT, it is completely livable even without having spare chargers everywhere. I keep one next to my bed and plug in when I sleep.

As for the physical keyboard, it IS quite nice and IMO far better than the Virtual KB. Though it's nice to have the Virtual KB for convenience if only typing a few characters.

[dsigma6]

I pre-ordered the MyTouch and returned it a few days later, just like the G1. Smashed my old 2G iPhone and got a 3G. Still happy.