Google Android catch-all

The engadget review sums it pretty nicely I think: If the G1 was using WinMo it would only be a small footprint in the history of HTC. Everything, the phone and Android seems to be a good first effort, but the design of everything simply isn't as cohesive as it should be. Is there no style guide for developers to follow?

So it sounds like it does almost everything the iPhone does, but doesn't do it as elegantly?

I still like the hard keyboard.

I'll continue to see what people say about them, but it needs to be at least as good an experience as an iPhone. I'm not sure how much I want to have to hack my phone to get it to do what I want. I hack my PSP, and I'll hack either phone, but it really needs to do all the important stuff right out of the box.

I wouldn't hold the iPhone as your example of perfection, because if that's the case, only the iPhone is likely to meet it.

I'd be willing to trade off a bit of slickness for the ability to use it like I actually own it. With the iPhone, I'm just a tenant. It's a marvelous device, but I want a marvelous device I can change.

Thats my main gripe with the iPhone. But I really don't like carrying both my zune, phone and PSP. I feel the iPhone could replace all that.

I've been using a iPod touch lately and have been enjoying it. But I need at least 30g of memory since I like videos.

The G1 just seems a bit to bulky to me, but I'll have to actually get my hands on one first.

My only real hope out of all of this is that someone takes the open source Android apps and ports them to iPhone.

He's talking about hacked iPhones, I reckon.

So it's supposedly out today. Anyone got one? or at least played with one in the store?

As a warning I need to mention that I have had only a small exposure to the iPhone so I may be incorrect in some of my comparisons.

After playing with my G1 for most of the day I feel I made a good perches. The G1 does not have many of the bells and whistles the iPhone has but it meets my needs. First as I stated before the keyboard is the number one selling point for me. As with my sidekick it is easy for me to send out an email, respond to an IM or add a calendar entry quickly. The calendar kicks ass compared to that one on my sidekick. I feel much more comfortable typing on actual keys then with the touchscreen. Another advantage over the iPhone I feel is the trackball. Browsing throughout the day today I used a good mix of the touch screen and trackball. Some sites have links that are very close together and are easy to fat finger and hit the wrong one with the touch screen. The trackball feels very natural and is convenient when selecting links.

I am not too happy with the battery life but this is the 1st day I have had it and the device has seen a lot of extended playtime. I will make my final call on whether the battery life is sufficient or not after a few days of normal use.

I also looked at the marketplace a little but did not see anything I really felt I needed to download. I know the iPhone has a ton of apps and games but for me I don't need that in a phone. I like having the browser and map so I can look stuff up if I need to but I really don't have too much use for all the media functions and games on either device. I do have to state that I did listen to the GWJ podcast on the G1 while it was charging it today. Just because I could.

I find it is off by a couple of streets most of the time when I use the my location finder. But using it for directions is good enough. Finding little differance from using google maps on my pc. It is not like a car gps that will read you directions as you drive. (At least I have not found the functionaiity to do that yet)

I had not turned on GPS, thanks. I still have not sat down with the manual to see what I can play with.

I finally got the G1 as well - decided to bite the bullet and get a "version 1.0" Google phone. I really like what I'm seeing. Some initial impressions:

- App Marketplace just started, and only has a few dozen items (eg. the obligatory "scan a barcode to compare with prices on the interwebs" app, or the "make your mp3s into ringtones" app), but the SDK is very good, and you can see the potential for fast growth. Personally, I'm waiting for one of the several SSH clients that are currently in development.

And you don't have to use the Marketplace either. For those who are impatient and willing to put up with beta software, you can always just download directly from the developer.

- A real keyboard is a huge plus. It's so nice to have actual tactile feedback, and know which letters you're hitting! I don't think I've made a single typo on that keyboard yet.

Having context-sensitive screen overlays (eg. zoom buttons), and several dedicated buttons ("menu" that brings up the app's menu, "home" which brings you back to the desktop, "back" which is self-explanatory) makes for fast navigation through the various apps and their screens.

And as Arovin says, the trackball is a very useful backup option for those tiny tiny links.

- Built-in apps (calendar, etc) are exactly what you'd expect - solid and don't get in your way.

Maps and directions are standard Google apps, and GPS mode makes them an order of magnitude more useful - but the GPS also gobbles up battery like candy. Also, it's not a navigation system, and doesn't do step-by-step announcements, so using it while driving by yourself is out. I don't miss multitouch, though; zoom buttons work fine.

- Transparent coordination with Google services (mail, contacts, etc) is also excellent. I really like that I can store and edit my contacts on the web, and they sync transparently to the phone. Makes desktop sync unnecessary.

- I have not used the music/media capabilities yet - my media collection barely fits my 30gb ipod, so that's where it's going to stay. But I did copy a few mp3s from my computer to use as ringtones.