[mobrien118]

OK y'all,

After using a BlackBerry for the past 5 years, I never thought I'd type this, but I'm thinking of switching to a non-BlackBerry...The T-Mobile G1. (The "google" phone, for those who don't know)

Android looks soooo cool, and considering I won't buy an iPhone to avoid being an apple fanboy, the G1 is the greatest thing on earth, or at least I think it is. 2 weeks ago I though the Bold was the greatest thing on earth.

So, what do you say? Should I get a Bold or a G1?

Anyone think I can move my address book over to the G1 (easily)? I think I have about 450 contacts with multiple numbers, addresses, etc.

What functions can I expect to lose by going to the G1? What will I gain?

Talking about price is not off limits here. I want to know if there are any good deals on either of these out there. Also, who offers the Bold, and when will new carriers be adopting it? I thought T-Mobile was supposed to have it by now...

I really want to know everything, so go ahead and dump your opinion in this thread if you fancy...

Thanks,

--mobrien118

[rambo47]

The G1 is a train wreck!

You cannot sync contacts through anything but Google services. No syncing with Outlook AT ALL!
It's also absolutely LOUSY with getting mail.
If you get an MMS message, you can't save the picture. There is simply no option to do this. Welcome to the iPhone nightmare.
If you're playing music and you get a call, the music keeps playing, right through your call.
Camera is dog-slow and has no flash.
Trackball becomes unresponsive whenever it feels like it. Sometimes a top on the screen will get it going, sometimes you need to pull the battery and reboot.
The keyboard is among the worst I've ever used.
Fugly in general, and quality control is sorely lacking.

Maybe the successor to the G1 will be usable. The OS has monster potential but this implementation is a disaster.

[mobrien118]

Originally Posted by rambo47

The G1 is a train wreck!

You cannot sync contacts through anything but Google services. No syncing with Outlook AT ALL!
It's also absolutely LOUSY with getting mail.
If you get an MMS message, you can't save the picture. There is simply no option to do this. Welcome to the iPhone nightmare.
If you're playing music and you get a call, the music keeps playing, right through your call.
Camera is dog-slow and has no flash.
Trackball becomes unresponsive whenever it feels like it. Sometimes a top on the screen will get it going, sometimes you need to pull the battery and reboot.
The keyboard is among the worst I've ever used.
Fugly in general, and quality control is sorely lacking.

Maybe the successor to the G1 will be usable. The OS has monster potential but this implementation is a disaster.

Wow! That is intense!

I'm not going to lie, though, that is how my first BlackBerry operated (7100t the week of release). Maybe I will wait for the next Android release, based on what you are saying...

--mobrien118

[richard371]

You could not give me a G1. What no standard headphone port.

[mobrien118]

Originally Posted by richard371

You could not give me a G1. What no standard headphone port.

Oh yeah. Didn't even think about that. That is an important one to me too.

[bogman]

Originally Posted by rambo47

Maybe the successor to the G1 will be usable. The OS has monster potential but this implementation is a disaster.

With the possible exception of apple, this is kind of what you'd expect from most manufacturers/software companies? And even apple got it pretty wrong with V2 of their software? And the early OS versions on new Blackberry models are often problematic too?

[rambo47]

No, RIM gets 'em sorted out pretty fast. New software has been an incremental thing for a long time so usually a firmware revision squashes any bugs. Look at the Bold, for example. The original OS, v.125, was pretty poor. But the latest revision fixed tons of little nagging issues, improved battery life, and sped up the OS.

The real test for RIM will be the Storm. A first model with a departure as radical as a touch screen could be problematic and take several revisions to sort out. Hopefully it will only require new firmware, but I always worry with a new technology being adopted by a company that has shunned it for so long. Stay tuned for that one! Of course they could test it sufficiently and release a superb product on the first go-round, but they've shown lately that new products are being rushed out the door quickly.

[andrews240]

I made the switch and I love the phone, but it does have its drawbacks. I agree with some of what rambo47 says, just not with such a passion as with his initial post.

Originally Posted by rambo47

The G1 is a train wreck!

You cannot sync contacts through anything but Google services. No syncing with Outlook AT ALL!

Definite drawback. I did export all of my contacts ahead of time so when the G1 arrived everything was ready to go. I can either manually sync now or let it sync automatically.

Originally Posted by rambo47

It's also absolutely LOUSY with getting mail.

I have not had any issues with email. It seem to work well for me.

Originally Posted by rambo47

If you get an MMS message, you can't save the picture. There is simply no option to do this. Welcome to the iPhone nightmare.

No opinion here. I haven't received an MMS yet.

Originally Posted by rambo47

If you're playing music and you get a call, the music keeps playing, right through your call.

I don't experience this at all. Maybe you got a defect. Music stops when I get a call and resume when the call ends for me.

Originally Posted by rambo47

Camera is dog-slow and has no flash.

It drives me crazy that it has no flash because it is the one negative that can't be fixed through a firmware update like most other issues. The camera is slow but not as slow as most think or say. I used to think that it was really slow but it has a quirky little "feature" where you have to press the camera button half way down until it focuses and then you get a green light to take the pic. It doesn't take that long when done this way.

Originally Posted by rambo47

Trackball becomes unresponsive whenever it feels like it. Sometimes a top on the screen will get it going, sometimes you need to pull the battery and reboot.

I've never had that problem but the BB's trackball is a far better implementation
.

Originally Posted by rambo47

The keyboard is among the worst I've ever used.

I like the keyboard. The buttons could be a little taller but not terrible at all, I am already used to it. It is my first QWERTY so maybe I don't know what I am missing.

Originally Posted by rambo47

Fugly in general, and quality control is sorely lacking.

Looks is personal perception so I won't comment on it. I find the build quality to be quite good. I don't have the uneven screen or creaking that some are experiencing. Mine is good so far (knock wood)

Originally Posted by rambo47

Maybe the successor to the G1 will be usable. The OS has monster potential but this implementation is a disaster.

The reason I bought the G1 is because of it's potential. Obviously I disagree with the disaster part of your statement.

All this being said, the G1 is NO Blackberry. The issues that I have are few. First is the depressingly short battery life. It has improved with a few recharges but still is less than stellar. And, being spoiled by the sheer number of available apps on the BB for so long, the application offerings in this early stage is very limited but this should change with time.

The other small issues worth noting are the lack of streaming capability. Hopefully there will be an app to fill this need. Also, no way to manually update to a new OS. You have to wait for an OTA update, which I have been doing since last Wednesday. This bothers me more than anything else that has been mentioned anywhere. Like I said, I am spoiled by the BB platform for things like that.

If it wasn't for the unforgivable delay of the Bold, I wouldn't even be having this discussion. I waited so long for it that I no longer wanted it. I still may return the G1 for the Storm though if pricing and availability is announced in the next 7 days but I don't expect that to happen.

Have any questions feel free to ask.

[mobrien118]

Originally Posted by andrews240

I made the switch and I love the phone, but it does have its drawbacks.
I did export all of my contacts ahead of time so when the G1 arrived ...
I have not had any issues with email....
I haven't received an MMS yet....
I don't experience this at all. ...
It drives me crazy that it has no flash...
I've never had that problem but the BB's trackball is a far better...
I like the keyboard. The buttons could be a little taller...
I find the build quality to be quite good...
The reason I bought the G1 is because of it's potential...
All this being said, the G1 is NO Blackberry...
The other small issues worth noting are the lack of streaming capability....Also, no way to manually update to a new OS...Like I said, I am spoiled by the BB platform for things like that.

If it wasn't for the unforgivable delay of the Bold, I wouldn't even be having this discussion. I waited so long for it that I no longer wanted it. I still may return the G1 for the Storm though if pricing and availability is announced in the next 7 days but I don't expect that to happen.

Have any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks so much andrews240 for your comprehensive post. This is all very good information, and I would say that I am in the exact same situation as you. I would love the storm, but not sure of the initial quality, esp. since they have delayed it for so long. I am still leaning toward the Bold, for the reasons you mentioned (update capabilities esp.)

Again, thanks for taking the time to tell me about your experience. It is invaluably helpful!

[BBFanboy]

Originally Posted by andrews240

I made the switch ...
The reason I bought the G1 is because of it's potential. Obviously I disagree with the disaster part of your statement.
...
Have any questions feel free to ask.

I'll cannot understand why anyone would buy a product for it's potential (possibly in another hardware release)
My advice has always been to buy what works for you now... keep an eye out for the product with potential.

Also you never mentioned the headphone jack - is the G1 not a regular headphone jack? That was the one thing I really hated and I do mean hated about the 8800 previously - if the 8800 had a proper headphone jack I would not have upgraded to the bold so soon. Though the camera and video recorder are definitely a bonus, but it would not have been enough to make me jump so soon.

[andrews240]

The lack of a headphone jack doesn't bother me as much as others. The music player functionality is cool to have but I have my PMP for that.

The potential that I speak of is on the software side. The hardware, other than the lack of a flash, is cool in my opinion. Only time will tell if the Android platform lives up to it's potential.

[qronos]

My Tmo contract was up for renewal so I bought the G1 on the presale (I had a Pearl 8100). I kept it for a week, then I eBayed it and bought a Pearl Flip. Here's my thoughts on the G1:

Strengths:

Browser: The best. Fast, smooth, loved it. Much better than a BB.

Call Quality: Superb. Sounded like a land line phone.

Apps: Easy to download, many available.

Weaknesses:

Dialing Interface: No keypad without opening it, and dialing on the touch screen is a bear. Especially when driving. This phone is a death trap when driving. Try using a touch screen, driving a stick, and smoking a cigarette. Almost killed a few cyclists (I drive a lot for work).

Voice Recognition: Barely worked at all. Never recognized my voice, and didn't work with my Blue Ant headset.

Email: It's not push email. It's exactly like the downloadable Gmail client for the Blackberry. Compared to a BB, this was a complete joke.

Google: I like Google, but I wasn't totally comfortable with having to sync my work calendar and contacts to google to get it to my phone. We don't have a BES, but at least with the BB I can sync it over USB to Outlook and get my contacts and calendar securely.

Creaky: The goofy slider keyboard made the screen creaky as you held it to your head.

Keyboard: Overall good, but the bottom of the phone blocks your right hand when typing. Suretype is better than that arrangement.

Big: It's big. It's not going in your pocket, and it doesn't look slick. Yea, I know, superficial - whatever. The Pearl Flip looks pimping.


PS: The Pearl Flip rocks, except for 2 things:

1. Laggy. Anyone who says it's not is lying, I tried out two, took one back, and upgraded to the latest and greatest OS. It's not much lag, but it's way more than my Pearl or 7130 used to be.

2. Tinny Speaker: The speaker up in the flip is tinny compared to any other BB.

Otherwise, I love it. Looks great, all the usual positive BB stuff (great contacts, flawless email, easy sync, etcetera). Plus when it's open it sits on your shoulder perfectly because of the drop hinge.

And the HUGE keys are killer - I type FAST AS HELL on this thing. I couldn't recommend it enough. If they could speed up the interface just a touch and up that speaker quality, it would be perfect.

(music player sucks too, but now that they realeased that iTunes sync it's definitely more tolerable).


Hope that helps. If you use your phone for the 'net alot, the G1 might be your deal. If your an email/txt junkie, or if you drive alot, forget it. The BB owns it completely in that arena.

I'll have to say I wish they made a premium version of the Pearl Flip, with a metal body, glass crystals, and a better build (the bottom's a bit plasticky, but solid).

[tag824]

Bold > G1 all day long.

I've used the G1 and didn't like it at all. It was a bit slow and felt like an unfinished product, but then again I didn't expect much from a 1st gen device. I also thought the touch screen was not as nice as the iPhone. It also lacks the polished interface of the Bold or iPhone so the G1 looks dated to me.

If you really want to know for yourself get your hands on one and play with it for a while. I guarantee you will stick with your BB.

[Drewdatrip]

When i went to SF i played with a live demo from about 10 to , i have to say i walked in it with some high hopes and kinda open minded but i have to say i was somewhat disappointed. The screen quality seemed clear but the touch was not too accurate and required several attempts to click icons and bring on the side dock thinger. I didn't really like the KB, just felt uncomfortable in my hand and not as intuitive as the blackberry. the web browsing experience was decent but i was using 3g there which most people would not experience with tmobile
The phone has tones of potentional and the OS is a great fontation..i really hope we at att will be jumping on the bandwagon and carry Andriod next year, i think it would be a good option as we are watching Palm die a slow death and we need an option for PDA users