New phonage
So the year has finally progressed enough that my previous T-Mo contract aged to the point where I was once again eligible for a new phone with discount.
W00t!
The contenders were the two “Google” phones (the G1 and the myTouch 3G) and the HTC Touch Pro2. The Pro2 is a truly cool phone, but it is $350 with the discount, so it is out of my budget.
That leaves me with the G phones. Hardware-wise, the two are basically the same, with the exception of the keyboard. They also run the same OS, so it really comes down to getting my hands on them and seeing which one is easier to use. 30 seconds of trying to type the word “this” (and failing miserably) told me that the myTouch was simply not for me. My thumbs are just not designed for these touchy keyboards.
The G1 has a physical keyboard and is $50 cheaper, so there really isn’t a contest here. I chose a black one, of course.
I’m diggin’ on it so far. One of my main complaints about my last phone (a Wing) was the lack of cool apps for it – sure, it ran Windows Mobile so there were a lot of apps out there, but nothing cool like you hear about for the iPhone and the Android phones, and hardly anything worth having was less than $20.
So, I spent a good chunk of the weekend browsing through the Android Market and trying stuff out – like the wpToGo app that I used to write most of this post. (Highly recommended for those of you wanting to update your WP blogs on the go. It even has picture uploading, as you can see below.) I think the most useful app I have found so far is a WiFi analyzer package that tells you everythnig there is to know about the wireless networks in your vicinity. VERY useful in my line of work!
The camera is an improvement over my last phone, but even with 3.2 MP it lacks some features – like a flash and image stabilization. You will need LOTS of ambient light to get any sort of decent picture quality, and you should really practice your Zen to get a stable pic. Here’s one of Trouble in his favorite box:
So, here’s the skinny after 3 days of using the phone:
Pros: It works well as a phone, with good call quality and volume. Lots of apps and more are added every day, with a large number of them being free. Decent resolution on the camera, and built-in GPS.
Cons: GPS will eat your batteries if you leave it running for too long, camera lacks a flash and stabilization. Web browser always returns to the last page visited, and not the home page.
Overall: Worth it, in either the G1 or myTouch 3G.
Hollerings