Review roundup: T-Mobile G1

The Google connection

"You must set up the phone with your Gmail account or create one. After that, your contacts, calendar events and e-mail are synced between your phone and computer. Google insists your privacy is protected. But Roger Entner, senior vice president at Nielsen IAG, says, 'It's potentially quite worrisome.' You can use alternative e-mail accounts and instant-messaging programs, not just Gmail and Google Talk. And Google Maps (which relies on GPS) offers a very cool feature I only wish were available in more places: a street-level photograph of your whereabouts. You can get a 360-degree view of the street as you move your hand. It's all synchronized with a built-in compass." [via USA Today]

The Android Market

"The G1's ready from day one with Android Market, a program that lets you choose from a couple dozen miniprograms. It's quite a mixed bag, ranging from useless to marvelous. Does anyone really need a program that turns the phone into a miniature seismograph? If the ground's shaking enough to matter, you'll probably notice. On the other hand, you've got to love ShopSavvy, which uses the phone's camera to take a picture of the bar codes on products. It then uses the phone's data connection to look up the product and search for Internet retailers that may sell it for less. And it uses the phone's GPS location system to see where you are, and try to find nearby retailers that might offer a lower price." [via Boston Globe]

The 3G cities

The G1 can hook up to nearby Wi-Fi networks or use speedy 3G service. While 3G is great for surfing the web while on the go, T-Mobile has only set up the mobile network in certain cities.

"The T-Mobile G1 is the carrier's first 3G-capable smartphone.... As of this writing, T-Mobile has rolled out 3G to 20 markets: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Fla., Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. The carrier plans to expand coverage to a total of 27 markets by the end of 2008, including Birmingham, Ala., Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, Tenn., Sacramento, Calif., and Tampa, Fla. And as we know, T-Mobile has now backed off its initial 1GB data usage cap, after numerous complaints." [via CNET]

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