Hands on with the Google G1

Users who have been following me on twitter for quite some time would be aware of the fact that I recently purchased the Google G1 phone on my trip to Dubai, which happens to be the first ever phone being powered by Google Android.

After a series of attempts to hack the phone and activate it with my local carrier, I was finally able to test its features and completely analyze the Android OS. A detailed review of the G1 can be read below.

The Google G1 is basically a combination of two smart technologies one of which is the HTC Dream while the other is Android. HTC Dream is the hardware part of the phone whereas Android is the operating system which runs on it and provides all the functionality to the user.
Android failed to impress me when it comes to the boot timing, just like the iPhone. Symbian has a clear win over this case as the G1 takes approximately three times the time of a Nokia N-series phone to boot itself into operation.

As the phone boots up, the user is presented with a setup wizard to link his/her Google account to the phone to sync contacts, mail and calendar.

Logging into G1 is like stepping into a world of awesomeness with less resources around. Although the features are awesome, the G1 has got a poor battery life and hardly makes out a day without a full recharge.

As for the OS, Android is very responsive and fun to use. I really loved the multitasking features of the phone and the ability to control and navigate through the trackball, instead of just the touchscreen.

The G1 also features a full non-virtual Qwerty keyboard which reveals itself as soon as the screen is slided onto one side. Everytime you have to type something, you have to slide the screen to one side which is actually a big turndown but as the rumors say, a virtual keyboard is on its way in the new firmware codenamed Cupcake for G1.

The 3.2MP camera in G1 has pretty good results but it is unable to record video unless you use a third party app from the Android Marketplace. The browser is quite fast in rendering web pages but still not as good as Safari on iPhone. As for the storage memory of G1, it offers a microSD slot which can go up to 16GB maximum.

I really loved the experience of using Google G1 and am loving it so far. I shall be posting more on some unlocking techniques and firmware updates for the G1.