Camera Phones Plaza

HTC G1 is running a new operating system called Android. Basically, Android is an OS that runs only on devices  that were specially designed for this. Everything that is designed to run on this OS can be usually written in Java, but must be compiled into a single non-Java system created by Google. Android is an open-source operating system, which means that users have access to everything that was included in the software of the phone, and can even write new applications for it.

This happened until early 2009, when the HTC G1 firmware has been updated to version R30, which prohibits any user access to root commands. Access to root commands was praised, but it seems that T-Mobile decided to not allow G1 users to use these features, probably because of the large number of failures due to use or abuse. However, this is possible with an older firmware R29, so if you have updated G1 and think that you need root access, there is a way to downgrade the firmware.

HTC G1 comes with some preinstalled applications, which, most of them are dedicated Google applications. This means that they offer access to several Google services like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps and Google Talk. Once you activate the G1, you will be prompted to enter your Gmail account information, so if you do not have one, you cannot activate the phone. Then, simply, the device will sync with your Gmail account, so you will have access to email anytime you want. Google Maps application supports the following modes: map, satellite, traffic, and Street View. Another interesting feature is the digital compass that is linked to the accelerometer and because of that you will have the real direction of the phone.

Amazon's MP3 Music Store, which allows users to browse and buy music legally or free of copyright, and Android Market, which allows users to download new software from third parties developers who are often free, are 2 other important applications included in the smartphone. Even if you will need to pay for these applications, they have a demo or a test version, so you will be able to test the products before paying for them. Downloading and installing third parties applications works perfectly and will greatly help you to customize HTC G1, the way that suits you best.

There are three screens available for G1, which can be used for various purposes. In all three can be added shortcuts to any application available on your phone: contacts, applications and games. If you drag the main screen to the left, you will see the Google Search Engine, while dragging it right, you will reach to a clean screen that can be customized and filled with various shortcuts and widgets. This is possible by keeping your finger pressed on the screen, until a sub-menu that displays various options appears.

HTC G1 is fully compatible with GPRS and EDGE class 10, and the HSDPA network. Unfortunately, the device is capable of reaching speeds of 7.2 Mbps in the T-Mobile network only, and just 2 Mbps on the rest of the networks. We did some tests and the device has reached a speed of  130.8 kbit / s download and 40.1 kbit / s upload on EDGE and 539 kbit / s download and 52.9 kbit / s upload on Orange 3G.

The phone has an integrated browser called WebKit, which reminds me of the Safari and Chrome browsers. The engine on which WebKit runs will soon be updated or replaced with Chrome. However, the browser displays any Web page, regardless of how many image that page has. It is one of the best web browsers with which I worked, no doubt about it. You can zoom in / out, move, or open many windows that can be closed after you finished with that page. WebKit is also the only application that can be closed, so do not forget to do it, because it uses a lot of memory.

Another feature included is the Bluetooth 2.0 connection with EDR, but only with support for normal headset and not with support for A2DP. You cannot transfer files via Bluetooth, because the OBEX protocol is missing. This is another serious shortcoming that this smartphone has, but it will probably be corrected in the future through firmware updates.

HTC G1 is compatible with all email clients and with all the protocols (POP3, IMAP) and with the Push e-mail function, even if just for your Gmail account. The other e-mail accounts can be set to be checked at different intervals (5, 10, 30 minutes). The phone is also compatible with SMS, EMS and MMS.

The Instant Messaging includes features such as Google Talk, AIM, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. The interface is pretty simple and easy to use. The Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g connectivity, is another option that will reduce the costs for those who are using powerful browsing or data transfer.

The built-in GPS and the digital compass work together with Google Maps, so you will not get lost.

If we were to compare the HTC G1 and the iPhone in terms of musical experience, I would certainly choose the iPhone. HTC G1 simply does not have yet, but perhaps, future Android devices will be able to provide a better musical experience. HTC said from the very beginning, that the G1 will not have too many options for music and that this phone does not target music lovers. Thus, we find a miniUSB port instead of a standard audio jack for the headphones. The package includes a pair of headphones with microphone, a volume and an option button to answer / reject a call. The phone supports informed audio files to MP3, AAC, AAC +, WMA, MPEG4, WAV, MIDI, Real Audio, Ogg, and the viewing of the album and listening to music in the background.

The phone does not have an equalizer or any other setting options that will allow the users to change the sound of the music. The sound is mediocre, but this may change if you add better headphones. The loudspeaker is also mediocre, so I do not recommend using it too often. However, I was impressed with the video playback of this smartphone. At least, every movie on YouTube that I watched was amazing. The G1 supports playing H.264 video files, streaming, 3GPP, MPEG4 and 3GP.

Even if it is the first phone with the new Android operating system, HTC G1 is sufficiently interesting to be an option for those looking for an iPhone rival or a HTC Diamond rival. The stumpy appearance makes it not to be a very agreed phone at a first look, but my opinion is that it represents the new generation of smartphones with an very easily customized and very innovative operating system (compared to Apple and Windows Mobile). I have to tell you that I really miss the TouchFLO 3D from the HTC Diamond, but G1's 3 interfaces make me easily to forget about Windows Mobile.