T-Mobile G2 with Google Android Phone (T-Mobile)

Feeling the Android/HTC Love (aka: iPhone who?) October 12, 2010

Reviewer:  KBSTN 

This is my first smartphone. I'm not typically a laggard, but I've been waiting for the PERFECT phone. Is this it? No. I give it 4 stars out of 5, but the reasons for the demerit are minor and are not unique to this phone. It's the most perfect phone (for me) out there. I've played with iPhones (3g, 3gS, 4), and other Google phones (G1, Nexus One, Galaxy S, Droid X), and this phone is what I've been waiting for.

I've had it for almost a week now and no regrets.

Pros:
- Android is just #$%&@! incredible. It's so intuitive. I had facebook and gmail up and running within seconds of turning the phone on for the first time.
- The build quality is great. The phone has a really solid feel (especially compared to Galaxy S and VZ Droid X).
- Fast, fast, fast. Web, messaging, apps, downloads, uploads... Just fast. I was worried about the 800 mhz processor, especially with 1 Ghz and dual core's coming out over the next few months, but I can't imagine seeing a noticeable benefit. Also, the HSPA+ (up to 15 mbps) is huge.
- Keyboard is top notch.
- Swype is even better. How did we ever live without this app?
- Navigation makes my Navigon 2090 unnecessary.
- Camera photo quality is better than my Olympus 850SW, not as good as my Nikon D40.
- The touch screen is highly responsive and very sharp and crisp. I like it better than the iPhone 4.
- T-mobile just released an update to allow wi-fi calling, tethering and mobile hotspots from the G2.
- Unlimited data at no extra cost (also unlike iPhone, unless your grandfathered in)

Neutral:
- Battery life. I can't tell if it's because I can't stop using the phone, or if the battery life isn't as good as I would expect. I charge it over night, and I'm down to 10-15% by bed time.
- Screen hinge. If you hold the phone screen-side down, it will slide open. I was pretty worried about this before buying the phone, but who walks around holding their phone upside-down anyway? This is not an issue that impedes usage, but more of a PR problem. Still, it shouldn't happen.

Cons:
- The speaker phone isn't loud enough.
- The ringer isn't loud enough either.
- Why does wi-fi calling still use up my minutes? I know the answer is $$$, but come on T-mobile!
- Only 2 GB internal storage. It comes with an 8 GB micro SD, but I'll still eventually get the biggest possible. 10 isn't enough.

Conclusion:
If you can live with the neutrals and cons, then get this phone. Stick it to Apple and AT&T. Android, tethering and HSPA+ should be reasons enough.

*****
Update (11/20/10):
It's been about 1.5 months since I got it, and I have to up my rating from 4 stars to 5. I love this phone. Google voice actions are just...wow. See for yourself:
[...]

I've learned to stretch my battery by managing apps. I stop running apps after I'm done using them instead of letting them stay running in the background. It's the price we pay for multi-tasking capability, but it's very easy to do and becomes a good habit. Now by bed time, I usually have about 30-40% remaining.

The ring-tone and alerts are louder than I first thought. It must be the default ring-tone that sounds a bit muffled, so just experiment with them.

What's the coolest thing about the G2? Probably the interesting shade of red that comes over the faces of my friends and co-workers who have iPhone 4's when I show them what this baby can do.

As good as it possibly gets October 11, 2010

Reviewer:  Derek Chen 

I've spent hours testing and playing with various smartphones, and my conclusion was that the T-mobile G2 was simply the best. My previous phone was a pretty basic Motorola, and after trying the G2, iPhone4, Evo 4G, Samsung Vibrant and the Droid 2, I decided that the G2 is the best choice out of them all if I were to move up to a smartphone and there's only one phrase to describe why:

User Friendliness.

The Android OS on this phone is as basic as it gets, meaning there's no other software that clutters your interface and slows down your phone. This latest version of Android known as Froyo (or version 2.2) allows the OS to be compatible with almost all of the latest apps on the market meaning there's little worry about compatibility. The buttons and touchscreen are all very responsive, and there is virtually no delay in opening programs/app or browsing the phone. The charger plug is mini-usb, which means it's compatible with many chargers by other manufacturers and that saved me money because I didn't need to buy a new in-car charger. Battery life is also superb, and that's a big deal for me because I hate to worry about my phones running out of juice if I'm in an emergency. I usually last the entire day without needing a charge even with heavy usage.

The best part is that the phone's OS syncs with your gmail/google and Facebook accounts and this makes SET UP A BREEZE. I personally hate to change phones because I always spend hours setting up the device, adding photos of my friends and their emails into my contact list. On startup I had the phone sync with my gmail account and Facebook account, and once I copied my contacts from the SIM card, the phone started to add photos of my contacts from Facebook, and it also added their emails from my email account and consolidated all that into my contact list. It was so easy that I was blown away.

There are many other aspects of the phone that I think make it great, such as the solid build quality and the convenience of a very well designed qwerty keyboard (it has great spacing so it still felt comfortable for my large hand and fingers). A quality qwerty keyboard like this is exactly what I've been looking for in a smartphone that also has a touchscreen. The aluminum pieces and the soft touch plastics certainly give it a premium feel. T-mobile's service is also fantastic, as I basically entered the store, and exited with my new phone in less than 20 minutes. By the time I got home I was also able to use T-mobile's internet network known as HSPA, which was VERY FAST in the LA area. I'm not sure if it's as fast as 4G like T-mobile claimed, but it was definitely faster than any 3G phone I've tried. There were barely any delays when watching Youtube videos and browsing the the web was a snap. The only downside is that the HSPA service is still developing, and it just doesn't reach some suburban areas like my house. It's not a big deal because I have WiFi in the house so I don't really need HSPA at home.

In my opinion a phone should be all about convenience and user friendliness, and this phone definitely delivers in these two categories. This is the most versatile I've ever used and I have good feeling I will be using this phone for quite a long time.

First foray into Android October 9, 2010

Reviewer:  Analysis Paralysis 

Had this phone for a week now, got it at T-Mobile with new service. Stepping up from a Nokia N-Series there certainly is a learning curve but I wouldn't go back now. I'll start by going over some device specific stuff as that's what review readers are probably most interested in, then I'll comment on Android 2.2 and a quick bit about my experience with T-Mobile.

The ability of this device as an app machine is phenomenal, strictly as a phone its not so good as the Nokia or any other phone I've had. The speaker is terrible, speaker phone functionality is a joke, its underpowered and crackly at its higher volume. The screen is a good size, not the portable theater size of some others but I'm happy with it. There is a quality feeling to it and it is certainly quite heavy, but I think thats a good thing. There is an aluminum plate on the back which gives it an industrial feel. This is my first qwerty phone so I have no frame of reference but I will say I'm getting faster at it all the time and like it better than the screen based keyboards as it frees up screen space for content. The hinge opening style of the keyboard is cool, time will tell if it is more or less durable than a slider. I find the real estate taken by the little trackpad on the bottom of the face could have been better spent on a larger screen. As for the 4g capability I don't live in an area with such coverage but looking forward to checking it out and I like having the capability. I don't like the camera/flash as much as my old N-82 but it's descent and certainly processes the pictures much faster. Battery life is good considering the processing power of this thing. With normal use, some browser use, some tinkering and game play, it will last two days. If I glue myself to the thing all day it needs a charge after one day but thats not bad. My wife got the Vibrant and it lasts half as long given the same use, to be fair her screen is better but I like this phone much better over all.

As for Android 2.2, bit of a learning curve but it gets more intuitive with time. It's quite fast. One downer for me is that it seems like because of the availability of aftermarket apps, some of the core features of the system are not very feature rich. For instance the messaging app ensures you'll look elsewhere, its as basic as they come. The browser is fast but very bare bones. Those are minor gripes as of course there are a bazillion apps to replace what you don't like. I've also found that in order to change certain settings I have to look into forums to figure things out because Google doesn't have enough in house resources to help you understand all the settings. The navigation feature rocks, very intuitive with voice input and voice prompts, I was grinning ear to ear the first time I used it, better than my Garmin in many ways. I'm just scratching the surface with Android and I'm having fun so far.

As for T-Mobile, all is okay so far. I've been with Verizon, then AT&T over the years. The store and call center folks have been very friendly and helpful. The availability of a non-contract plan which is significantly cheaper is great. Service is certainly cheaper and allowed me to get more phone and more service for my money as we both have unlimited internet now. The big downer here is the cell coverage. I work in the field service sector and I lack coverage in several buildings around town that I always had service in before with AT&T. As for data connectivity its even worse, the phone loses its connection within ten feet inside most buildings. Honestly I can live with it, just a bit disappointed.

I'm not sure who to blame but I do get frustrated when I can't delete preloaded apps that I don't want just because "the man" wants them there for good. Hoping the good hacker folks out there will find a way to permanently root this thing or some such solution to ease my control freak issues here.

I checked out a lot of phones before I picked this one and I would still pick this one in retrospect, I give it four stars really for the significant fail of the speaker, it really is awful. Otherwise great phone with great capabilities.

Excellent phone with a few minor setbacks. October 14, 2010

Reviewer:  Michael Wright  (Denver, CO USA) -

My previous phone was the AT&T Tilt, also made by HTC. It's about 2 years old, and it was a Windows Mobile phone. I've had the G2 for almost two weeks now and I have to say - it's the best phone I've ever used. Android blows Windows Mobile out of the water, no question. I've also experience with other Android phones, but I've noticed that most of them have some kind of manufacturer "overlay" on the OS. Even HTC puts their HTC Sense add-on onto most of their phones. The G2 is the pure Android OS without any of the extra software covering it up - and trust me...that's a good thing.

Pros:
-Pure Android OS. I could go on for hours about how great Android is. Let's just keep it short and sweet: It's fast, very user-friendly, and very customizable. You can set the G2 up in whatever way you'll be the most comfortable using it.
-Extremely fast hardware and software. There is no wait time for ANYTHING on the G2 that doesn't involve downloading something from the network. There is zero delay in switching between apps, launching new ones, loading pictures, playing vidoes, nothing.
-Great size, weight, and feel. It's rather heavy, which I actually prefer. To me the weight gives it a sturdier feel. It's extremely thin for having a full QWERTY keyboard, and the length and width measurements are just the right size as well. The screen is glass, which feels very nice. The back cover and the frame around the screen are made of metal, which gives it a very sturdy, industrial feel.
-Good camera. 5MP camera, with a bright flash. I've taken pictures outside, inside with a window, and in a basement with no windows. All of them have turned out really well. I've only tried the video camera inside, but it was pretty good quality.
-Great QWERTY keyboard. Not as great as my old HTC Tilt (best keyboard I've ever layed my thumbs on btw), but still very good. Very comfortable to use, good key positioning, responsive buttons that you can actually tell you've pressed. Certainly much better than on the Motorola Droid (that keyboard is a nightmare...).
-Very responsive touchscreen. As good as the iPhone. Picks up every swipe, flick, tap, etc. It also supports multi-touch.
-The SWYPE keyboard. I've always been a huge proponent of full QWERTY keyboards on phones. I'm a huge texter. That's why I waited so long for the G2 to come out - I can't stand touchscreen keyboards and refused to buy anything without a QWERTY keyboard. There's no tactile feedback to let me know what key I've just pressed, and where it's at in relation to the other keys. But now that I've tried the SWYPE keyboard, I've barely been using the full keyboard on the G2 at all. SWYPE is extremely fast, and you don't have to be too accurate when using it. I'll misspell a word, or I'll miss a letter or two, and it will still get the word I was trying to type. The biggest difficulty is with short words like "or" and "of", but those are very minor annoyances compared to how quickly I'm able to type everything else. For my next phone, as long as I can get the SWYPE keyboard on it, I won't care if it has a QWERTY keyboard or not. And that's saying a lot.

Neutral:
-The optical sensor. It's probably better than a trackball, but I feel that a d-pad may have been easier to use. Sometimes when I'm texting I just want to go back a letter or two to correct something, and the optical sensor is a little touchy. The cursor will end up going too far or not far enough. But it's a touchscreen phone and I rarely use the optical sensor, so it's not a big deal at all.
-USB charger. The mini-USB plug for the G2 may be standard for a few other phones, but not a lot of them, and certainly not for any other type of device. I like that my last phone used the same USB plug as my camera, and my mp3 player, and one of my other old phones. I had charger cords that would fit my old phone everywhere. But this one is pretty non-standard, and as much as I have to charge this thing (see the Cons section) it's a bit of a pain that I'm going to have to buy at least one more charger for it.

Cons:
-Battery life. By far the biggest negative to this phone. When my HTC Tilt was new it would last two days of heavy use without dropping below 25% battery. Even after I owned it two years with the original battery, I could still text and talk heavily on it and it wouldn't need to be charged until I went to bed. I was hoping that since the G2 is also made by HTC it'd be similar in that respect. Unfortunately...no. In the last two weeks I've only made it through one or two days without having to charge it in the middle of the day. Today, for example, I had a text conversation that lasted maybe an hour and the battery was down to 40 percent. I had to put it on the charger because I know it won't last the rest of the day if I spend much time using it at all. Plus the charger cord is only about 3 feet long, and when you have to charge it so often, it gets to be a pretty big hassle to have to sit so close to a power outlet.
-The hinge. I love the WAY that it slides out, the z-hinge. It's pretty unique, and it feels pretty slick. But the hinge itself feels pretty flimsy. I went to the T-Mobile store after I bought the G2 to buy insurance for it, solely because the hinge feels very toy-like. The rest of the phone feels very sturdy, but i dropped it (and I've never broken a phone before) I'm very worried that the hinges would snap like a twig. I'm even worried about putting any kind of pressure on them because they don't feel like they could stand it. The hinges on my HTC Tilt were rock solid, and I'm disappointed that they're not keeping that same standard on the G2.
-Bloatware. The G2 does come with a ton of great Google apps. Some of them are extremely useful (Maps, Voice, Places), some are cool but will probably be used rarely (Goggles, Shopper, Skymap, Translate), and some will never be used (Finance, MyTracks). The problem is that you can't uninstall these apps. A bigger problem is that some of them, and other apps (Photobucket, Amazon MP3, QuickOffice, TMobile's MyAccount)run automatically in the background, and as soon as you stop them they just start automatically again. The phone is still extremely fast, but I can't imagine how much quicker it would be without all this crap running in the background. I have Advance Task Killer, but as soon as it kills the extra tasks, they just start again. The G2 gives you control over everything else that goes on with Android, why not let you uninstall the crapware you don't want that is just taking up space and slowing down your phone?

Overall the G2 is an excellent phone, the best one I've ever used. I'd recommend it to anybody. It has a couple of problems with the hinge and the battery life, but otherwise it's a great phone.

my saviour from Windows Mobile! October 29, 2010

Reviewer:  TravisNH 

I recently have switched from Verizon to T-mobile, due to dissatisfaction with Verizon's customer service. First off, the folks at T-mobile have been very helpful and friendly over the phone and in the store, as opposed to the majority of the people I dealt with at Verizon who tend to treat you like you don'k know what you are talking about.

I've learned one VERY important thing, and that is not to order a phone without trying it first. I was blown away by the specs at the HTC HD2, and didn't think Window's Mobile would be a big deal due to the fact the Windows market place has "thousands of apps" and the beautiful 4.3" screen. That and the fact that I have Windows on my computer and don't have an issue there, what could go wrong? Well, after having a Droid on the Verizon network for over a year, I realized how much I truly enjoyed the intuitiveness and overall enjoyment of the Android experience. My wife doesn't mind Windows Mobile, so she took that phone and I proceeded to get another one for the account. I decided to go into the local T-mobile store to get a hands-on experience with their top two Android phones, the Samsung Vibrant and the G2. I've read good and bad things about both, most of it based on user preference. I first tried out the Vibrant, which at first glance is completely stunning. Easily the best screen I've seen on a phone (including the latest iphone). But the user interface Samsung put over Android seemed to mar what Android was supposed to be about. Why change something in itself that is already great? Next I went to the G2, and instantly the heavier weight and overall quality build set a good first impression. Next I opened the phone a few times to see what all the fuss was about the hinge, and I actually like the smooth motion. It didn't do any of the weird hanging I've been hearing about. Within seconds I was right at home moving between screens, opening apps, moving stuff around. Feels very similar to the Droid except on steroids! All the apps I've downloaded (20 or so to this point) have worked almost flawlessly. Everything opens almost instantaneously, the camera takes sharp, precise pictures with virtually no lag, and the screen has a beautiful, bright display. All good so far!

So after purchasing the phone, some minor issues have crept up, that will hopefully be addressed by T-mobile. The known problem of calls being dropped and 3G being erratic are true. I can be sitting in one spot, and be at 3G/4G to having absolutely no signal within seconds. It just doesn't make any sense. Also, the battery life is not good what so ever. I manage the programs that run in the background and keep the screen off when not in use, yet I seem to be charging the phone twice a day. I'm going to look in to a longer-life battery for this item. Seems like they aren't that expensive, so it may be worth a shot. That and the only other minor gripe is Mabilo ringtones doesn't work nearly as well on this device as it did with the Droid, as any ringtone I assign seems to skip like a scratched cd. If anyone has a fix for this, I'd love to hear it!

Overall if you are a T-mobile customer looking to switch to Android or upgrade, you simply can not go wrong with this phone, unless the most important thing to you is a screen over 4" and watching Avatar on your phone. I'm looking forward to the exciting things coming our way from Android and T-mobile!