• 3.7 inch WVGA capacitive touch screen
• 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash
• Qualcomm MSM7230 800MHz processor
• 4GB ROM
• 512MB RAM
• GPS/aGPS
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• Android 2.2
• Runs on T-Mobile’s 4G/HSPA+ network
• Slide-out keyboard

I was a little concerned about the 800Mhz clock-speed, but after doing some research it turns out that the phone more than makes up for it with better hardware acceleration. Either way, it’s not like I can’t overclock it .

For having a slideout keyboard, the phone is actually not very bulky. It also looks very slick and clean (no where near as bulky as the G1). I’ve been using the on-screen keyboard on the MyTouch for little over a year now and I have to say that I haven’t gotten used to it (I missed the physical keyboard on the G1). Even after a year of using it, my typing is still error-prone and not as fast. That’s why I was pretty excited about the slide-out keyboard on the G2. I tried typing on it and it doesn’t feel too bad. The keys seem to be slightly more widely spaced than is comfortable and so there might to be opportunities for fat-fingering. But I think it’s a matter of getting used to it.

I haven’t turned on the thing yet and so I don’t have any pictures of it turned on. I’m going to wait until they have some GhostArmor for it. Until then I’m keeping it safe in its box and I will be using my MyTouch. Apparently the G2 runs stock Android 2.2, so it shouldn’t be any different from any other devices that run stock Android 2.2 (like the Nexus One). Without further ado, here are some pictures (you can click on them to get a larger version):

The G2 in its box

The G2 and its box, side-by-side

Front of G2 - I

Front of G2 - II

Back of G2 - I

Back of G2 - II

G2 with keyboard exposed - I

G2 with keyboard exposed - II

Note: The white patches on the keyboard are not a defects; they are air bubbles under the protective plastic-cover

G2 and accessories - I (L-R: charger, USB cable, Stereo headset)

G2 and accessories - II (L-R: USB cable, Stereo headset, charger)

Anyway, so once I picked up the phone I opened up the package and carefully laid everything out. T-Mobile sent me another SIM card with it, which didn’t work; I guess you have to activate it. But that really wasn’t a problem since I have my old SIM card. Once I put it in the phone and hooked up the new battery, I started up the phone. When it firsts starts up, it asks you for your Google account information so that you can sync everything with your phone. As soon as it synced up (which happened within a matter of seconds), I was good to go. I started off by trying to import my contacts from the SIM card. This is where I came across a problem. Apparently (I could be wrong, I was too impatient to explore more options) you can’t import all your SIM contacts in one go. You have to do it one by one. I found that a little annoying. You can either import your contacts one-by-one, or import them all in one go by hitting the Menu button and then choosing the Import all option. As soon as I had my contacts imported, I started exploring the other options. The home screen is pretty sweet. You can drag and drop icons on there, and swipe left and right to either add more icons or run google search. In addition to GMail, you can add other POP3/IMAP accounts and you can also use other IM networks in addition to GTalk. The G1 also has a music player and a bunch of sample tracks (including Flight of the Conchord’s “The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room”). The phone doesn’t have a headphone jack, so you have to get a USB to 3.5mm converter. The Bluetooth works fine and synced up to the Hands-free Link in my Acura without any problem. Although, like the iPhone, you can’t transfer files via bluetooth. I imagine that they will fix this eventually. The phone also has a feature where you can set up a “pattern” to unlock it. You have to “draw” a pattern on the screen connecting nine dots (laid in a 3×3 grid pattern) to unlock the phone. The other cool thing was the “Compass Mode” in the Google Maps street view. The phone adjusts the street view based on where you’re pointing it, and so the scene on the phone actually moves when you move the phone. It’s pretty neat!

So, my opinion? As far as a phone (or PDA) goes, I think that the G1 is pretty solid. I know that some reviewers claimed that they didn’t think it would really appeal to most people. However, I think that it will. It has a pretty slick interface and a lot of neat features. Additionally, I think the demographic it will appeal to most, is people like me – developers and people who like to play with neat gadgets. I know that once I get some more time on my hands, I’m going to try and develop stuff on it. iPhone killer? I don’t know. But I think the G1′s strength is that it is completely open. In effect, it is the antithesis to the iPhone, or the anti-iPhone. Google doesn’t control the G1 (or Android) as strictly as Apple controls the iPhone, and especially with regard to the SDK. Google seems to want to encourage developers whereas Apple seems to want to encourage them only as long as they play by Apple’s rules. Consider also the fact that if you do want to develop for the iPhone, you can only do it on a Mac. Whereas you can develop apps that will run on Android on Windows, Mac, or Linux. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But for now, I’m just happy to have a cool new toy er… I mean, phone!

Update

I’ve noticed a lot of queries to this blog post regarding the importing of SIM contacts into the G1. The process is quite simple:

• Swipe the dock at the bottom of the screen upwards to access the G1′s menu.
• Select Contacts from the menu.
• Hit the Menu button and then select Settings
• You should now see “Sync Groups” and “SIM contacts importer”
• Select SIM contacts importer. You should now be able to import your contacts.
• If you want to import them all in one go, hit Menu and then select Import all

As a general rule, if you’re having trouble finding (extra) options, hit the Menu button. It should show you a few more options.

The G1′s outer box

The G1′s inner box

The G1 inside the box

The G1′s accessories and manuals. The accessories you get are a carrying case, battery, headphones, USB cable, and charger. Oh, and you get a SIM card too (if you ordered through T-Mobile’s website)

The G1 inside the box

The T-Mobile Android G1

G1 side view

G1 keyboard flipped out

G1 keyboard flipped out

G1 menu

G1 dialer

G1 displaying Google Maps

G1 displaying Google Maps (side view)

G1 displaying Google Maps Phoenix Satellite View (side view)

G1 displaying Google Maps Street View

G1 displaying vivin.net

The G1 in its case