Travel Technology - T-mobile G1 "Google Phone"

I don't know why, but I want one.

Discuss :D

I don't know why, but I want one.

Discuss :DMe too

I don't know why, but I want one.

Discuss :D

I only want one if I can access and sort to folders my Exchange mail as well as have calendar functions (meetings, online sync, etc) with Exchange. Im still waiting on the answer to that.

My T-Mobile Blackberry is dying a slow painful death. We're talking OLD here, it is a 7230. It randomly freezes up - neither the scroll wheel of the button does anything and I need to pull the battery out to get it back in operation. I had to do this about 12 times yesterday, and it is getting really annoying.

So, do I replace it now or cross my fingers and wait for the Google phone? I'm about ready to change to ATT to get the iphone unless T-Mobile comes out with something soon.

True Outlook mail on my phone would make me purr like a kitten who got into the cream.

I want one as well. Beyond the coolness factor, I love the "free" Gmail option that has been rumored. I just got an E71 from/for work (my managing partner loves all of the security options) and I am sure I can someone find a way to justify a second TMo line for just me.
:p

Plus, Amazon just confirmed that the G1 will come preloaded with their music store app for DRM-free music. Cool.

This just in:

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39435/145/

It links to a T-Mobile info page at:

http://announcement.t-mobileg1.com/#

Press conference going on right now.

This just in:

http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39435/145/

It links to a T-Mobile info page at:

http://announcement.t-mobileg1.com/#

Press conference going on right now.

Thanks! I have poking around looking for an order page and couldnt find one yet.

Thanks! I have poking around looking for an order page and couldnt find one yet.

There is a link to "Get it First", but it doesn't do anything yet except say:

All site content and information about the T-Mobile G1™ with Google™ will be available shortly after the press conference is complete.

I'm pushing the button about every 30 seconds.

It is a chuckle that the TMo G1 page does not work well with Chrome. :D

I have been reading some of the transcripts and it is impressive that the G Boys flew in from Mountainview for the event. Then again, if I had my own 767 that I paid NASA for a parking spot, I might attend these types of marketing events as well.

It seems, from the snippets I've read, even more locked down than the iPhone, maybe they should've called it the Google Paranoid ;)

I do like the physical keyboard though.

The pre-order page seems to be live for current T-Mo customers or just log in to your account.

It seems, from the snippets I've read, even more locked down than the iPhone, maybe they should've called it the Google Paranoid ;)

I do like the physical keyboard though.

Where did you read that? Their app store for example will let anyone offer any app they want, unlike the censored app store Apple has.

I already have an iPhone 3G and Blackberry 9000 crammed into my front pockets. Now I gotta buy a G1 too? Sheesh!

I already have an iPhone 3G and Blackberry 9000 crammed into my front pockets. Now I gotta buy a G1 too? Sheesh!

Yes :)

I'll be adding mine to my Blackberry, Mogul, Touch Pro and N78 :D

Thankfully my SeV jacket will then still have 18 pockets left for more phones :)

Where did you read that? Their app store for example will let anyone offer any app they want, unlike the censored app store Apple has.
I said it partly in jest, but the no tethering smacks of rolling over to the telcos in a similar way to Apple.

The no tethering, VOIP or Sling are the real negatives for me in the iPhone as it stands. If Google can deliver these, I'd definitely consider switching.

Imagine that, the TMo servers are crapping out. Too many geeks like us!
:D

The pre-order page seems to be live for current T-Mo customers or just log in to your account.

So it is - just not responding at the moment, however. Thanks for the tip!

I said it partly in jest, but the no tethering smacks of rolling over to the telcos in a similar way to Apple.

The no tethering, VOIP or Sling are the real negatives for me in the iPhone as it stands. If Google can deliver these, I'd definitely consider switching.

Also, no Exchange support. Frankly, I think it is a joke with these limitations.

Also, no Exchange support. Frankly, I think it is a joke with these limitations.

The iPhone launched without it, and it was hardly a joke. Sadly, I don't think any aspect of the G1 is aimed at the business user. Then again, the phone is quite "open", so it might just be a matter of time till someone adds Exchange support.

Google has no incentive to support Exchange, they already run Gmail just fine without it, and I'm sure they'd much rather see people switch to Google for domains instead.

UPDATE: got through and ordered one. Delivery is scheduled for 10/22.

Unclear as to how they'll handle the cutover from my BlackBerry service.

+++++

I just got as far as the "order" page.

You can get one in Black or Brown, with a 2 year plan it is $179 (full price $399, I think) (I thought they were going to be $199???)

You need a message plan - unlimited is $35. Would this mean I can drop my $59 BB messaging plan, as this substitutes??

But, the system stopped working before I could hit "purchase"

I kept trying, and got my order in :)

Also interested how they'll handle my blackberry cutover :D

I kept trying, and got my order in :)

Also interested how they'll handle my blackberry cutover :D

Deciding that today was probably not the best day to call with questions, I sent an e-mail asking for details - I'll post the response when I get one.

Did you go for "black" or "brown"? I decided on black.

The iPhone launched without it, and it was hardly a joke. Sadly, I don't think any aspect of the G1 is aimed at the business user. Then again, the phone is quite "open", so it might just be a matter of time till someone adds Exchange support.

Google has no incentive to support Exchange, they already run Gmail just fine without it, and I'm sure they'd much rather see people switch to Google for domains instead.

The iPhone looks way cooler and had the built in music aspect. Although I thought it was pretty much a joke too. Complete jokes can sell really well. Just look at elections.

Deciding that today was probably not the best day to call with questions, I sent an e-mail asking for details - I'll post the response when I get one.

Did you go for "black" or "brown"? I decided on black.

I ordered brown :D

Call me shallow but the G1 is flat out UGLY

Call me shallow but the G1 is flat out UGLY

Yeah, it isn't exactly pretty.

Another thing I can't find confirmed anywhere is whether it has GPS. Some sites claim it does, but the official specs don't list it.

Another thing I can't find confirmed anywhere is whether it has GPS. Some sites claim it does, but the official specs don't list it.
There appears to be a couple different websites out there that talk about developing the GPS feature. The Android also isn't being shipped Exchange capable. It'll just have to wait for the open source code to be released.

There appears to be a couple different websites out there that talk about developing the GPS feature. The Android also isn't being shipped Exchange capable. It'll just have to wait for the open source code to be released.

The HTC site confirms that it does come with a digital compass, for using in Street View, that is pretty cool :)

There is an interesting note in the fine print that says for domestic use only. So I can not roam with it? Not that it stopped me of course, but come on now! Or does this mean I will not get 3G out of the TMo network?


**3G coverage is available only in certain markets. See coverage map for details. Data: If your total data usage in any billing cycle is more than 1GB, your data throughput for the remainder of that cycle may be reduced to 50 kbps or less. Your data session, plan, or service may be suspended, terminated, or restricted for significant roaming or if you use your service in a way that interferes with our network or ability to provide quality service to other users. Some devices require specific data plans; if you do not have the right plan for your device, you may not be able to use data services. Some downloads, such as movies, music, and games, not included. Domestic use only.

Nevermind, the FAQS clearly indicated international use is possible.

Found the detailed specs:

http://www.htc.com/www/product/g1/specification.html

YES on GPS :)

Found the detailed specs:

http://www.htc.com/www/product/g1/specification.html

YES on GPS :)

I was just about to post the same. I am having fun with GPS on my new Nokia and never thought it would be as useful as it is, especially when trying to navigate foreign cities. Using it for driving seems to be a stretch, but to each their own.

Loaded with map software? Hmmm. Sounds like Google Maps - I wonder if there will be an option to download maps for those times when you do not have coverage?

Eh. It has a proprietary extUSB headset jack, no 3.5mm or even 2.5mm. So dongle time, which won't be avaialble at launch. Hooray for HTC. Kind of defeats the music aspect, no? And because I use cables that plug straight into my hearing aids, I need a standard audio port.

Also, T-Mobile USA is listing a 1GB 3G data cap. It's a friggin' data hungry phone with gmail and a music store and other apps. They may choose to throttle you to 50kbps once you hit the limit, which is slower than a good 2.5G connection. Only hypothetical so far, but that's still less than Sprint and Verizon's 5GB. Is AT&T capped at 5GB as well?

I shall wait for a selection of Android phones to be available before I make my decision to buy.

Eh. It has a proprietary extUSB headset jack, no 3.5mm or even 2.5mm. So dongle time. Hooray for HTC. Kind of defeats the music aspect, no?

Also, T-Mobile USA is listing a 1GB 3G data cap. It's a friggin' data hungry phone with gmail and a music store and other apps. They may choose to throttle you to 50kbps once you hit the limit, which is slower than a good 2.5G connection. Only hypothetical so far, but that's still less than Sprint and Verizon's 5GB. Is AT&T capped at 5GB as well?

To be honest, without using tethering, I've never passed the 1GB mark. I've used many 3G phones, and my average usage is around 500MB/month.

Of course, with a data hungry app like maps and street view, that 1GB could become a problem... It's also quite unfair, since their current data plans do NOT have that limit.

Eh. It has a proprietary extUSB headset jack, no 3.5mm or even 2.5mm. So dongle time, which won't be avaialble at launch. Hooray for HTC. Kind of defeats the music aspect, no? And because I use cables that plug straight into my hearing aids, I need a standard audio port.

Also, T-Mobile USA is listing a 1GB 3G data cap. It's a friggin' data hungry phone with gmail and a music store and other apps. They may choose to throttle you to 50kbps once you hit the limit, which is slower than a good 2.5G connection. Only hypothetical so far, but that's still less than Sprint and Verizon's 5GB. Is AT&T capped at 5GB as well?

I shall wait for a selection of Android phones to be available before I make my decision to buy.

I would also normally wait for the G2 (at least) but with a BB on life-support my choices were to get another replacement phone or go with the G1 - that's why I leapt. But now I'm reading that the G1 will primarily get mail via gmail, and that IMAP or POP will support pull but not push - that's a big step backwards. Sigh.

Found the detailed specs:

http://www.htc.com/www/product/g1/specification.html

YES on GPS :)

This is now giving a "page not found" message. Did anyone happen to capture it?

Hmm
any news about international email plan? :)

Hmm
any news about international email plan? :)

Hmmm. T-Mobile offered me two opions limited messages (400?) for $25 for unlimited for $35. Neither mentioned whether international e-mail would or would not be included, unless I missed it.

After reviewing all the options, the only thing that appeals to me over the iPhone is the keyboard. I really miss that "click" feel. :(

I'm a prepaid customer, and tried to log in to the purchase page using my T-Mo id - the message that came back said "not available for prepaid customers at this time" :(

(I would have expected to pay a non-subsidized price, of course, had I been allowed to purchase).

i've been extremely excited as i'm getting close to the point where i need to pick up a new phone. unfortunately after all the dust settled today the one feature that i needed in order to pre-order it was UMA support. unfortunately, uma isn't supported. so now i'm back to looking at the htc touch pro. i still think as a phone it has a lot of possibilities especially since you can write your own apps in java for it.

now if someone wants to give me one for free, that is an entirely different story. especially since the touch pro i'd have to get unlocked (which is fine).

i'd love to know why there is so little support for uma by tmobile given that it's really a brilliant feature.

i've been extremely excited as i'm getting close to the point where i need to pick up a new phone. unfortunately after all the dust settled today the one feature that i needed in order to pre-order it was UMA support. unfortunately, uma isn't supported. so now i'm back to looking at the htc touch pro. i still think as a phone it has a lot of possibilities especially since you can write your own apps in java for it.

now if someone wants to give me one for free, that is an entirely different story. especially since the touch pro i'd have to get unlocked (which is fine).

i'd love to know why there is so little support for uma by tmobile given that it's really a brilliant feature.

Why not wait for the Blackberry Bold (on T-mobile?).

UMA is a complicated issue, because almost no operator in the world really uses it, except T-mobile, and they really have made it quite successful.

Why get a Touch Pro over the G1? AFAIK, the Touch Pro also lacks UMA (as on all other WinMo devices). I've got a Touch Pro, and I'd have to say that the G1 seems more exciting. I'm tired of WinMo, and a fresh OS with some REAL support would be great. It's like Microsoft has completely abandoned their mobile platform. Also, there is no Touch Pro that'll do 3G on T-mobile yet, so you'd be limited to AT&T.

I'm a prepaid customer, and tried to log in to the purchase page using my T-Mo id - the message that came back said "not available for prepaid customers at this time" :(

(I would have expected to pay a non-subsidized price, of course, had I been allowed to purchase).

It will be available unconnected (on the 22nd I think) for $399, but you won't have access to data services anyway, because T-mobile only has prepaid data on their sidekick prepaid plan.

Why not wait for the Blackberry Bold (on T-mobile?).

UMA is a complicated issue, because almost no operator in the world really uses it, except T-mobile, and they really have made it quite successful.

Why get a Touch Pro over the G1? AFAIK, the Touch Pro also lacks UMA (as on all other WinMo devices). I've got a Touch Pro, and I'd have to say that the G1 seems more exciting. I'm tired of WinMo, and a fresh OS with some REAL support would be great. It's like Microsoft has completely abandoned their mobile platform. Also, there is no Touch Pro that'll do 3G on T-mobile yet, so you'd be limited to AT&T.

Thats incredibly easy, Exchange.

I don't know a thing about phones, but my BB Pearl is near death and this looked interesting. It's only $200 to cancel early, and with the $25/month plan, I'd have significant savings in only a few months compared to my current plan.

I reviewed the specs provided (thanks ScottC!) and I have questions:
1) Could this replace my ipod, provided I put a large enough memory card in?
2) I'm confused about using this internationally, for both phone and email (I rarely need to web browse on a phone outside the US). Will we have to wait and see?
3) My current residence is not on the 3G list. I assume the default will be EDGE, and the major implication is slower internet connection times. True?

I don't know a thing about phones, but my BB Pearl is near death and this looked interesting. It's only $200 to cancel early, and with the $25/month plan, I'd have significant savings in only a few months compared to my current plan.

I reviewed the specs provided (thanks ScottC!) and I have questions:
1) Could this replace my ipod, provided I put a large enough memory card in?
2) I'm confused about using this internationally, for both phone and email (I rarely need to web browse on a phone outside the US). Will we have to wait and see?
3) My current residence is not on the 3G list. I assume the default will be EDGE, and the major implication is slower internet connection times. True?

1) Yes and no. Storage won't be an issue, 8GB microSD cards are not very expensive, and it'll probably support the new 12 and 16GB cards too

2) It will work just fine abroad. It has quad band EDGE and dualband 3G. The 3G will work in Japan and Europe as well as T-mobile in the US (though it will NOT work on AT&T in the US).

3) Indeed; EDGE is what the previous iPhone operated on, it is slow, but perfectly usable for web and email.

Thats incredibly easy, Exchange.

:D

OK, in your case that is a deal breaker. But it was fine for the millions that purchased the first gen iPhone or the millions using a Blackberry without a corporate server.

IMHO the REAL loser here is Microsoft. The G1 will eat away at marketshare from Windows Mobile users AND Sidekick users. At $179 it is in the same price range as the more modern Sidekicks (and MS owns Danger nowadays!).

Thanks so much for the information. I'll email you on Oct 22 when I can't find the on/off button. :)

I shall wait for a selection of Android phones to be available before I make my decision to buy.

I think this is the key that a lot of people are missing. This is just the first of many great "Google Phones." It is like saying if IBM came out with the first Windows PC that it is the Microsoft PC. No, Google's involvement here is the OS. It is up the carrier and the manufacturer to design a unit that fits the needs of the consumer. Hopefully the G1 will work as a proof of concept and that we will see many more great innovations down the road built on top of Android.

I think this is the key that a lot of people are missing. This is just the first of many great "Google Phones." It is like saying if IBM came out with the first Windows PC that it is the Microsoft PC. No, Google's involvement here is the OS. It is up the carrier and the manufacturer to design a unit that fits the needs of the consumer. Hopefully the G1 will work as a proof of concept and that we will see many more great innovations down the road built on top of Android.

I'm well aware of that. That's why I stated I would wait for a selection of phones to choose from. I have no doubt I'll want the Google OS. Any complaints about initial software shortcomings should be resolved as 3rd party developers are free to create anything they wish - Exchange interface, POP and IMAP client for people not wanting to rely on Gmail, a video capture application, etc.

It's the (relatively minor to some) hardware issue of no standard headset jack. I need a 3.5mm or 2.5mm jack for my direct connect hearing aid cables, I'm loathe to use dongles. Those are just something else to break. Plus, the dongle for the G1 won't be available at launch anyhow. So I just want a choice of hardware configurations and perhaps a CDMA / GSM global variant for the Verizon network, since I don't fancy giving up my 24% corporate discount. One can only hope VZW doesn't SIM lock it though or at least that it's easily unlockable, the jerks!

I'm well aware of that. That's why I stated I would wait for a selection of phones to choose from. I have no doubt I'll want the Google OS. Any complaints about initial software shortcomings should be resolved as 3rd party developers are free to create anything they wish - Exchange interface, POP and IMAP client for people not wanting to rely on Gmail, a video capture application, etc.

It's the (relatively minor to some) hardware issue of no standard headset jack. I need a 3.5mm or 2.5mm jack for my direct connect hearing aid cables, I'm loathe to use dongles. Those are just something else to break. Plus, the dongle for the G1 won't be available at launch anyhow. So I just want a choice of hardware configurations and perhaps a CDMA / GSM global variant for the Verizon network, since I don't fancy giving up my 24% corporate discount. One can only hope VZW doesn't SIM lock it though or at least that it's easily unlockable, the jerks!

FWIW; the Dongle IS available, as it is the same one used on all other HTC phones.

I tried a preproduction version of this and it's really really nice. Surprisingly so. Very fast, responsive and no doubt will capture the minds of lots of developers who can write cool stuff and not be locked down to the rules of the Iphone store. My only complaint is that while I love the keyboard, it's a little too clunky. The keys are spaced out and rounded such that it's not particularly easy. In order, I prefer Blackberry's keyboards, then this one, then an iPhone (after 2 months, I gave up - my fingers are just too wide i guess). The Bold will get my use for 6 months then I'll reevaluate the newest Android phones.

:D

OK, in your case that is a deal breaker. But it was fine for the millions that purchased the first gen iPhone or the millions using a Blackberry without a corporate server.

IMHO the REAL loser here is Microsoft. The G1 will eat away at marketshare from Windows Mobile users AND Sidekick users. At $179 it is in the same price range as the more modern Sidekicks (and MS owns Danger nowadays!).

Well, it seems like I can get my Exchange and Google calendars to sync after all ;). So mail is the only problem now. Im not sure Microsoft is the big loser here, as much as I would like that to be the case. There is too much of an Exchange base built. Similar for Blackberry I think. I suspect the real losers here are Symbian, and by connection Nokia, and possibly Apple. Lots of people use Symbian on smartphones because they dont want WinMo. Maybe most users of that OS. Now they have another, probably better option than Symbian.

The bigger short term losers are the GPS manufacturers, like Garmin. With a strong device like this, why would anyone pay a few hundred bucks for a separate device that can't even get fresh information over the air?

Thats incredibly easy, Exchange.
i would have to agree. at the end of the day, its tmobile, and you can swap your sim card between devices. but since i got the mda just before they stop selling it last year, the g1 is actually $340.25 for me. at that price point its not worth it as another "toy" because honestly, that's what it would be. i can (and should) flash my mda back to the original installed os again. i've run it overclocked for at least a year now though (and numerous other things to void the warranty). i don't know why i do it, it just happens.

i did download the development environment for android the other day for entertainment. its just a matter of time before someone writes something to interface with exchange. it is after all an open os.

but for now, the cost is more than i'm willing to pay for a new toy.

The specs page is back up, I'm copying them here:

Processor Qualcomm® MSM7201A™, 528 MHz
Operating System Android
Memory ROM: 256 MB
RAM: 192 MB

Dimensions (LxWxT) 117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm
(4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in)
Weight 158 grams (5.57 ounces) with battery
Display 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution
Network HSDPA/WCDMA:
Europe: 2100 MHz
US:1700/2100 MHz
Up to 7.2 Mbps down-link (HSDPA) and 2 Mbps up-link (HSUPA) speeds
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:
850/900/1800/1900 MHz
(Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)

Device Control Trackball with Enter button
Keyboard Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
GPS GPS navigation capability with built-in GPS receiver and map software
Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus

Audio Built-in microphone and speaker
Ring tone formats:
AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MIDI, MP3, WMA, WMV
40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 1150 mAh

Talk time:

Up to 350 minutes for WCDMA
Up to 406 minutes for GSM
Standby time:
Up to 402 hours for WCDMA
Up to 319 hours for GSM
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features Digital Compass, Motion Sensor

Note: Specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

The bigger short term losers are the GPS manufacturers, like Garmin. With a strong device like this, why would anyone pay a few hundred bucks for a separate device that can't even get fresh information over the air?

Actually, the GPS is almost enough, and may be enough; for me to buy it. I have to give it some thought.

The iPhone launched without it, and it was hardly a joke. Sadly, I don't think any aspect of the G1 is aimed at the business user. Then again, the phone is quite "open", so it might just be a matter of time till someone adds Exchange support.

Google has no incentive to support Exchange, they already run Gmail just fine without it, and I'm sure they'd much rather see people switch to Google for domains instead.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if someone does write Exchange support (but I don't expect it to be a free program) - the G1 isn't going to see too much penetration in big companies unless there's Exchange support. How many F500 companies are letting Google run their mail now?

As soon as they announced Exchange support for the iPhone, our IT group allowed people to hook up their personal phones to the Exchange server, and the 3G iPhone was added to our approved device list at launch.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if someone does write Exchange support (but I don't expect it to be a free program) - the G1 isn't going to see too much penetration in big companies unless there's Exchange support. How many F500 companies are letting Google run their mail now?

As soon as they announced Exchange support for the iPhone, our IT group allowed people to hook up their personal phones to the Exchange server, and the 3G iPhone was added to our approved device list at launch.

I agree and wouldnt mind paying, and even paying a premium price, for a program. The same thing happened with us with the 3G iPhone.

I have a Verizon phone and a BB from work. My TMobile phone is used for a combination of personal use and consulting by phone. I do use Google for things but would like to be able to snag my work mail on my personal phone as well.

The 1GB cap is gone now too :)

All the more reason to pick one up :D

FWIW; the Dongle IS available, as it is the same one used on all other HTC phones.

Interesting. Know what else is annoying? According to Engadget, the dongle will be included with G1's, but not initially in the first batch going out next month due to supply / production issues.

Interesting. Know what else is annoying? According to Engadget, the dongle will be included with G1's, but not initially in the first batch going out next month due to supply / production issues.

Knowing T-mobile, they will send them out for free to all first batch customers. I'm guessing they simply did not realize how much people HATE the stupid USB connector on HTC phones.

Sorry, although I am usually an early adopter of these toys (ok, with the exception of the IPhone...) I just don't see any real reason to rush out and get this.

-Only works well with Google (who has been cited as one of the worst offenders in term of user privacy)
-UGLY HTC phone (after using the Shadow and the MDA, I am convinced that they do about 3 seconds of useability testing before releasing a product)
-non-standard headset jack (what were they thinking????)

The only upside I see is the open source platform, but that's not nearly enough to make up for the rest.

So I guess I'll stick with my blackberry and iPhone. At least for now ! :)

Mine has shipped. I can't wait :D

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/16/android_kill_switch/

I'm liking it. It doesn't have the slowness of WinMo and it has a pretty yet efficient interface.

So far, so good. All we need now is some hot apps.

So far, so good. All we need now is some hot apps.

I recommend blueBrush. Very cool interactive painting features and shows great potential with Maps and photos.

I recommend blueBrush. Very cool interactive painting features and shows great potential with Maps and photos.

Looks like the apps are slowly returning to the Marketplace. I just installed Locale and ShopSavvy...

Day 2 with the phone, and I'm liking it more and more. GPS still sucks and battery life makes the iPhone look like a nuclear power plant, but it's been rock solid and a pleasure to use.

I received my G1 yesterday, but have only had a little bit of time to tinker with it.

Response is fairly quick. The touch screen works well, and the track ball is much better than expected. Battery life does seem to be short.

When I enabled wifi this morning, it seemed to knock out the cell connection both on 3G and GSM. The signal here is weak, so I'll have to test this more to see if it is really a problem.

The Shop Savvy application is very cool, though I was only able to find one item so far that it recognized.

I've seen conflicting information on whether the G1 supports only US T-Mobile's AWS 3G (1700/2100 MHz) or if it also supports standard 3G as deployed in Asia/Europe (2100MHz). I'll find out this weekend when I go to Japan.

I called T-Mobile to request an unlock code for my G1. I don't know their exact policy on unlocking. I was expecting them to deny my request since I just got it, but to my surprise they seemed to be okay with it. They may be taking into consideration that I've been a subscriber for several years. They took down the IMEI number and said that they would e-mail the code and instructions within 24 hours. So far no e-mail, so they may not follow through.

It does Quadband EDGE as well as Dualband HSDPA/HSUPA on 1700 and 2100 in the US and 2100 in Europe and Asia. It **should** work just fine in Japan, but do please let us know when you've had a chance to test it.

I finally got the street view working with the compass this afternoon, hugely useless, but really awesome :D

I just hope someone releases some good accelerometer apps soon, or an app that does portrait/landscape with the accelerometer.

Oh, and I'd like a touch screen keyboard :D

How well does it work with GMail / GCal / GContacts? I've got them running very nicely on the iPhone 3G, and the G1 should have even tighter integration?

PS I use Apps

How well does it work with GMail / GCal / GContacts? I've got them running very nicely on the iPhone 3G, and the G1 should have even tighter integration?

PS I use Apps

I use Apps too, and the integration is 100% seemless. Total push, sent mail on the web instantly shows up on the device, all mail is threaded, read/unread status shows up instantly too.

Contacts and calendar are also instantly updated on the phone.

In essence - totally brilliant, and certainly gives MobileMe and Exchange a run for its money.

Mine arrived yesterday, and it is still in the box as I got home at about midnight after a loooong flight. I also had a message from T-Mobile on my BB to call them to switch service. So, two questions:

1. For those of you who've already moved over, how easy/painful was the process.

2. Idiot question of the day, it sounds like apps are beginning to appear - where do I find them??

Mine arrived yesterday, and it is still in the box as I got home at about midnight after a loooong flight. I also had a message from T-Mobile on my BB to call them to switch service. So, two questions:

1. For those of you who've already moved over, how easy/painful was the process.

2. Idiot question of the day, it sounds like apps are beginning to appear - where do I find them??


The call for switching the service too less than 3 minutes. Couldn't be easier. Of course, you will be on your own when it comes to diverting your current email to the phone. You can use a Gmail account or any pop/imap account.

Apps are all in the Android market app on the phone. Simply start the app, and you'll see the list of all the available apps.

Of course, you will be on your own when it comes to diverting your current email to the phone. You can use a Gmail account or any pop/imap account.

This is good news, I thought you had to send your mail through Gmail, going directly to my imap account seems like a more straighforward option.

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry8700c: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.126 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/120)

The instant sync of contacts and such was one of my favorie features of the G1. Makes it so nice to get started and not worrying about porting everything over.

Well, its been about 5 hours, and I'm starting to embrace the G1.

The cutover was easy, although I'm not totally certain that T-Mobile signed me up for the perfect plan. The big thing is that it sounds like my G1 plan included T-Mobile HotSpot, which I had been paying for separately, so I'll need to sort that out.

Synching up various e-mails and calendars is a bit of a pain. For reasons best left to them to explain, my work IT department only supports Outlook for the ATT Blackberry, meaning that I'm stuck with IMAP and even that with no support so there is always a bit of flailing about trying to remember which form of my email id, server names, ports, etc. to use. But:

mail is working, sort of. The G1 is pulling mail down fine, and sent mail is being added to my Outlook sent folder. When I delete mail in Outlook the G1 seems to pick up that deletion and synch properly. At this point it doesn't appear that mail deleted from the G1 is being deleted in Outlook, and this will be a major pain to deal with.

Contact synching turned out to be OK, I exported my outlook contacts into a CSV file and then imported them into gmail. I'm not sure how I'll keep this up to date, however.

The contacts that were on the BB didn't come over when I moved the SIM card, and since there were only about 25 of them (I don't get out much!) I just reentered them into the G1. The BB director was still available to me after I pulled the SIM card.

So far I'm mostly liking the G1 - a few clunky things like NO BACK KEY (what were they thinking!), getting used to the way the touch screeen works and when you need to hit a key will take awhile. Some things you do all the time, like read email, a too many clicks away, but I hope software upgrades will take care of that with time. I miss the way the BB supplied the @ sign and the . when I was entering e-mail addresses, which the G1 doesn't do.

Well I was just released from my Verizon contract today (how ironic that it coincides with the G1 launch). But while the G1 seems like a better choice, with no G3 coverage in Hawaii, it's the iPhone for me...

are their any apps for VOIP on the gphone? Does the gphone come with UMA?

are their any apps for VOIP on the gphone? Does the gphone come with UMA?

Not yet, and no :(

Given the open structure of the OS, I don't think it will take long for the first VOIP apps to pop up. And as far as UMA goes; I'd LOVE it, but don't think we'll see that soon :(

Well I was just released from my Verizon contract today (how ironic that it coincides with the G1 launch). But while the G1 seems like a better choice, with no G3 coverage in Hawaii, it's the iPhone for me...

I do not have 3G here in Cleveland, and I can say that I still love the phone!

In regards to contacts, I decided to buy a subscription to OggSync in order to sync from my Outlook to Google Contacts. Seems to work well enough, though I am sure there will be a ton of things that hit the market.

Woohoo! The video player works perfectly. Auto rotation like on the iPhone, and easy to use. That really was the one big thing I was missing.

Day 4 with the G1, and I'm close to thinking it is the best phone I have ever owned.

Better than the iPhone? Maybe. Better than the Blackberry? Sometimes. Better than Windows Mobile? 100% yes.

Windows Mobile looks and feels antique compared to Android, and unless MS are working overtime, they are doomed in the mobile OS market.

I've had mine for 14 or so hours. I'm growing quite fond of it.

Since this is my first "smart" phone ever, a question: is web browsing and such on 3G always going to be absurdly slow? Or is it just my crappy signal?

And a more aesthetic question: Any way to change the background image?

Since this is my first "smart" phone ever, a question: is web browsing and such on 3G always going to be absurdly slow? Or is it just my crappy signal?Likely to be crappy signal.

I get between 1 and 1.4mb at best on my iPhone and browsing flies.

And a more aesthetic question: Any way to change the background image?

Yes. From the home screen, push the menu button and select "wallpaper". It will let you choose from a preloaded gallery or you can use any picture.

Yes. From the home screen, push the menu button and select "wallpaper". It will let you choose from a preloaded gallery or you can use any picture.

Ah, of course. Thank you.

Is it possible to buy the G1 without a contract and use it on AT&T network? Or would I be better off going with my original idea to buy an iPhone 3G when I'm upgrade-eligible in January?

The idea of a smartphone with a command prompt turns me on. :D

Is it possible to buy the G1 without a contract and use it on AT&T network? Or would I be better off going with my original idea to buy an iPhone 3G when I'm upgrade-eligible in January?

The idea of a smartphone with a command prompt turns me on. :D

They can be unlocked, and T-mobile does unlock them for their own customers, but you won't be able to buy one in a store and have it unlocked for you sadly.

Plus, the G1 does not support the 3G frequencies used by AT&T, so you'll have to switch to T-Mobile :)

Plus, the G1 does not support the 3G frequencies used by AT&T, so you'll have to switch to T-Mobile :)

Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, I'm like the only customer of AT&T's who is extremely pleased with their service (not to mention T-Mo's network absolutely blows in this area), so I won't switch. I guess it's iPhone for me. :)

Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, I'm like the only customer of AT&T's who is extremely pleased with their service (no tot mention T-Mo's network absolutely blows in this area), so I won't switch. I guess it's iPhone for me. :)

Shame :(

I've been extremely happy with them, and their new 3G network is actually quite decent around here. But yeah; there are plenty of places where their coverage stinks :(

I've been extremely happy with them, and their new 3G network is actually quite decent around here.
Scott - is the 3G network actually good in Chicagoland?

Is the mobile browser similar to that of the iPhone or does it load mobile formats like the Blackberry?

Scott - is the 3G network actually good in Chicagoland?

Surprisingly GREAT actually. I've had coverage all the way past Naperville. It still sometimes switches from 3G to EDGE when the 3G gets too weak, but I'd rather have that than a complete loss of signal. It's also very fast.

Is the mobile browser similar to that of the iPhone or does it load mobile formats like the Blackberry?

Technically it IS the same as the iPhone browser, as it runs the same Webkit rendering engine. The differences are in the lack of multitouch for zooming and the lack of auto-rotate. Currently you need to open the keyboard for the screen to rotate.

In a side to side with an iPhone I can barely tell the difference, though you'll find that having a real keyboard does make things much easier to use, and sites with text entry are faster to get to. Also, the trackball makes it easier to select links on pages with small fonts as you don't need to zoom in to select something.

Between the Google calendar plugin for Thunderbird and the Google Calendar Sync App for Outlook I've now got a full OTA calendar sync for my aganda :)

This thing keeps getting better.

Between the Google calendar plugin for Thunderbird and the Google Calendar Sync App for Outlook I've now got a full OTA calendar sync for my aganda :)

This thing keeps getting better.

Now I really hate you :) - the GCal-iPhone is the weak point of the iPhone/Thunderbird/Apps...(maybe because I use an agenda?) :p

Now I really hate you :) - the GCal-iPhone is the weak point of the iPhone/Thunderbird/Apps...(maybe because I use an agenda?) :p

HEY! I've have a basy life with all my appaintments in my calondar! :mad:

Has anyone been successful in getting new subscriber pricing as an existing T-mobile customer with a year left on the contract? Extending the contract by 2 years didn't seem to faze them, they wanted another line activated.

Has anyone been successful in getting new subscriber pricing as an existing T-mobile customer with a year left on the contract? Extending the contract by 2 years didn't seem to faze them, they wanted another line activated.


Yes, when I did the online process I was able to upgrade a 1 year line and get the $179 price.

The hardware and O/S sound very appealing, but I want to keep the terrific connection quality and service I'm getting from Sprint. Any word on whether any similar Android-power device will come out from Sprint?

The hardware and O/S sound very appealing, but I want to keep the terrific connection quality and service I'm getting from Sprint. Any word on whether any similar Android-power device will come out from Sprint?

Sprint CEO says: not yet (http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/25/dan-hesse-sez-android-not-yet-good-enough-for-sprint-brand/).

They HAVE committed to the platform, but I think it'll take a while to have an Android phone ready. For starters, Sprint usually wants stuff like SprintTV and SprintNAV on all their smartphones.

Found out yesterday after I posted about my 3G issues that t-mobile had dropped my data plan. Fixed that, and now 3G works great. Imagine that.

Posting from the phone now. :)

Yes, when I did the online process I was able to upgrade a 1 year line and get the $179 price.

Absolutely no luck from my end. I guess I can keep asking.

I've been extremely happy with them, and their new 3G network is actually quite decent around here. But yeah; there are plenty of places where their coverage stinks :(

t-mobile is HORRIBLE in So Cal. surprisingly/not surprisingly, t-mobile does not work at our home. AT&T works here no problem. t-mobile does not work at our ranch. AT&T works no problem.

the solution has been wireless at home on one of the BBs (t-mobile). that works great.

however, i now need to either switch to AT&T (BB bold) or get a device from t-mobile with wireless like G1 (for the second phone).

wireless still wouldn't work at the ranch, so i am leaning to AT&T.

i think i would rather have G1 on AT&T, but that's not an option yet.

questions:

1. i saw that G1 has wireless. that's my first question, but i have already found the answer. it's incredibly easy to work through e-mails with AA wireless between NY/LA. to me, that's a must, but i think most/all new devices will probably be wireless.

2. can i use multiple (3) POP3 accounts on G1? on BB there is a general mail folder that combines text messages and mail from all accounts as well as individual folders for each account. seamless.

3. can i use hotmail? i can't on BB, so i wouldn't necessarily be losing anything with G1.

4. aol? aol is also seamless with BB.

1. i saw that G1 has wireless. that's my first question, but i have already found the answer. it's incredibly easy to work through e-mails with AA wireless between NY/LA. to me, that's a must, but i think most/all new devices will probably be wireless.

2. can i use multiple (3) POP3 accounts on G1? on BB there is a general mail folder that combines text messages and mail from all accounts as well as individual folders for each account. seamless.

3. can i use hotmail? i can't on BB, so i wouldn't necessarily be losing anything with G1.

4. aol? aol is also seamless with BB.

1: Yes, and the Wi-Fi implementation is very easy, just like on the iPhone.
2: Yes, I've already got several accounts setup, but I don't know the exact maximum number
3: No. Emphasis really is on Gmail, if you have POP or IMAP access to Hotmail it will work, but it isn't seamless
4: AOL email or messenger? AIM is included on the G1, and the client is quite good. No AOL email access is included, once again you'll need POP or IMAP for that...

1: Yes, and the Wi-Fi implementation is very easy, just like on the iPhone.
2: Yes, I've already got several accounts setup, but I don't know the exact maximum number
3: No. Emphasis really is on Gmail, if you have POP or IMAP access to Hotmail it will work, but it isn't seamless
4: AOL email or messenger? AIM is included on the G1, and the client is quite good. No AOL email access is included, once again you'll need POP or IMAP for that...

#4 (e-mail) seems to be the only real difference (from my perspective)

when i set up accounts for my BB at t-mobile.com i can enter the necessary information online (so far it has only been address and password for aol and all POP3).

adding aol was just like adding the three POP3 accounts - address and password.

even for POP3 it didn't require POP3/SMTP servers (although not sure what is required to configure POP3 for G1 - maybe the same).

so, if adding aol on G1 is anything more involved than e-mail address and password that's the only difference (from my perspective).

I'm in Japan now, so here is an update to my earlier post...

I did some testing with my normal US T-Mobile SIM after I arrived in Japan. Roaming in Japan works fine with the G1 for making and receiving voice calls. Even though I am on 2100MHz UMTS here, the status bar does not show 3G, just the regular signal strength bars with the letter "R" for roaming. The phone status page shows connection to UMTS. I assume that 3G only shows on the status bar when it is connected to T-Mobile's AWS 3G in the US. I was not able to connect to data services, though I'm not sure why. I set the flag to enable data services while roaming, but no go. I haven't spent much time figuring it out, but it may be just as well as I don't want to be surprised by a huge charge for roaming data services a la iPhone.

My G1 is unlocked as T-Mobile was kind enough to accommodate my unlock request prior to my departure from the US. It took 3-4 days before I got the unlock information, a bit longer than the normal 24-48 hours for unlock requests. Upon arrival at Narita, I rented a SIM card from Softbank Global Rental. The SIM was recognized in the G1, and I am able to make and receive calls with a local Japanese mobile number. With the rental SIM, I was also not able to connect to data services, but that may be more of a limitation of the services available with the rental service rather than a technical issue.

Interestingly, when I made the request to unlock the G1, I was told that even though they could unlock the phone, it will not work with a foreign SIM, even for just voice calls. They claimed that the G1 requires special G1 data services provisioning that is only available through the US T-Mobile network. Supposedly voice calls require the special G1 data services, and that is why it will not work with a foreign SIM. As I thought, this is not correct, and the G1 works with a foreign SIM, at least for voice calls.

i just saw one for the first time today at a tmo store. i didnt get much time to fiddle with it as there was a line.

aesthetically i was disappointed! its no iphone.... no where close.

hopefully well be seeing some more android options soon.

My phone died (blackberry pearl) and this was a replacement.
+
More features, more straightforward connections. I can see this as a more flexible device as free apps emerge.
I'm waiting for my memory card to come, then I turn this into my Ipod ^
-
VERY slow to start up.
Notification of messages is slow. Often I'll check and there will be messages, and no icon is present.
I had to export my contacts into my gmail account. There is an app to help you with this, but it was tiring.
No speakerphone :confused:

There is a speakerphone. When dialing out - as soon I hear ringing on the line press the menu button. You'll see a speakerphone button on the screen.

Report from this weekend in downtown Seattle (where I live): Great 3G speed. Decent size pages like nytimes.com load almost instantly and the browser is pretty darn smart how it fits text to the screen.

Major comments/requests revolve around programs I hope are available soon:
1. Acrobat reader
2. Flash plugin
3. A directory structure that I can see/control. For example - I can't see where the heck a simple photograph is stored and rename it. I can make a folder and have it sit on the "desktop" but why can't I choose to put a photo in it?
4. GPS was very accurate if in a clear area and the machine was stationary for a minute or two. How about a GPS utility that lets me enter coordinates, etc.

I got it set-up on my home wi-fi with minimal hassle. The camera works pretty well. The keyboard takes some getting used to but works OK. General weight/hand feel/size seems about optimal.

Overall very a very cool machine and easy to get used to.

Fantastic phone. ATROCIOUS battery life. So much so that it is not a viable option. Do a google search and you see it's a major issue. Today only got 5 hours of actual use out of the phone. I unplugged it at 9:30am and it died at 9:30pm. I was at work for 7 hours, during which it was on but I didn't touch it. Didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Surfed the web for MAYBE 45 minutes, read a dozen emails, sent a dozen texts, made 20 minutes of phone calls. I've got 14 days to return the phone. As much as I love it, it just isn't lasting long enough. It sounds like Tmobile is aware of the issue. They are getting quite a few complaints.

Yes, G1 battery life is a joke. The only way I can justify this phone is that it's my personal phone that I don't use a lot. My company Blackberry 7100 has very good battery life assuming that I charge it every night. I use it for quite a few calls each day (some quite long and on speakerphone). The 7100 is also sturdy - when I knock it out of the belt clip and it bounces down the sidewalk - it still works fine! I'm not going to try that with the G1.

Turning off GPS and trying to use WiFi instead of 3G is supposed to help battery life but still I can see it being a challenge to get through a whole work day.

I agree; battery life is becoming a major PITA. I'll disconnect it at 6am and by noon it's at 8% :(

The T-mobile solution? Turn off 3G :(

I'm now carrying a USB battery pack in my jacket to keep the phone charged during the day.

Nevermind - things like "Nokia" and "battery life" and "The Matrix" deleted :)

The T-mobile solution? Turn off 3G :(
I consider that to be acceptable. Turn it off when its just in your pocket receiving email and such. Turn on 3G when you're browsing or other high speed activities.

I consider that to be acceptable. Turn it off when its just in your pocket receiving email and such. Turn on 3G when you're browsing or other high speed activities.

It would only be acceptable to me if it were not such a pain to turn it on again; it's a 4 step dig in the menu to turn it off. I hope someone makes an app that does this for me :(

I don't want to spend time digging in a menu every time I want to browse for something...

Spoke to customer service about 6 times in the past 24 hours. This is what I've learned:

Phone call#1: Battery life is a major issue. They offered to send me an additional battery for free. Not holding my breath, though. I'll wait and see.

I decide to run down the battery to where the phone turns off and charge it fully and them some. This is a suggestion on other boards. I kid you not, my battery life got worse!!

Phone call#2: There is a "patch" for phone performance that should extend battery life. It cannot be manually sent out. It will automatically be sent to those who pre-ordered the phone first. Should be sent within a couple of days.

My voicemail was not working. Could not access it at all.

Phone call#3: Told to remove battery and restart. No go. Told I needed to call from another phone while we tinkered with it. No good as I have no other phone. Agreed I would go to a Tmobile store. Went the store 5 minutes after they closed.

Phone call#4: Something told me that maybe the phone number for voicemail that was automatically programmed in the phone might be wrong. Low and behold, that was it. Not sure why the first rep didn't pick up on this.

Was at the Admiral's Club this morning wanting to log onto my Hotspot account that I've had for years. No luck.

Phone call#5: Rep said it would be up and running in 30 minutes.

Land in SFO. Go to the Admiral's Club. And sure enough, no Hotspot access.

Phone call#6: After 35!!!!! minutes, it was determined that for some reason switching to the G1 plan deletes your Hotspot account(not the one for the phone itself, but the one you pay 19.99 a month for to use for your laptop). I would have to re-enroll. Flight was boarding back to NYC(am doing a same-day JFK-SFO MR), so had to go.

And there you have it.

An exhausting tail, that still leaves me with a phone that lasts for 1/3(at best) of my work day.

I do have to say though that the customer service reps were extremely friendly, spoke with an American accent, and I never had to wait more than 30 seconds to be connected to a human being.

I do love the suggestions for maximizing battery life. Turn everything off. Well, what the heck is the point of having the phone then?!?!

I just arrived in the UK with my new G1 phone. I was looking forward to using it here and on the continent. BUT...The G1 does not offer Hot Spot coordination outside the US. This is very frustrating. I have been using my Blackberry which does offer wireless hotspot coordination. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with tmobile trying to get the hot spot connection to work only to be told by the most senior person they could locate that the G1 only works with hot spots in the US. I don't understand why they distinguish the Blackberry and the G1. Otherwise my only other comment is that the poor battery life makes this a very difficult phone to travel with. If you want to use the nifty GPS options, which really are great, the phone might last six hours if you are lucky. The GPS really takes up battery life. I have turned off everything and this means checking e-mail manually. Which is so much different from how I am used to operating with the blackberry. But it is needed just to get through a day with one charge. In some ways I feel like I remember about ten years ago when I used to worry about battery lasting through a phone call. I would never use the G1 for a conference call, or use the speakerphone, since I think it would drain the battery in less than an hour. It is really scary. But the features are fun. But at this point probably not worth the anxiety of worrying whether I will get through the day without the battery giving in.

I just arrived in the UK with my new G1 phone. I was looking forward to using it here and on the continent. BUT...The G1 does not offer Hot Spot coordination outside the US. This is very frustrating. I have been using my Blackberry which does offer wireless hotspot coordination. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with tmobile trying to get the hot spot connection to work only to be told by the most senior person they could locate that the G1 only works with hot spots in the US. I don't understand why they distinguish the Blackberry and the G1. Otherwise my only other comment is that the poor battery life makes this a very difficult phone to travel with. If you want to use the nifty GPS options, which really are great, the phone might last six hours if you are lucky. The GPS really takes up battery life. I have turned off everything and this means checking e-mail manually. Which is so much different from how I am used to operating with the blackberry. But it is needed just to get through a day with one charge. In some ways I feel like I remember about ten years ago when I used to worry about battery lasting through a phone call. I would never use the G1 for a conference call, or use the speakerphone, since I think it would drain the battery in less than an hour. It is really scary. But the features are fun. But at this point probably not worth the anxiety of worrying whether I will get through the day without the battery giving in.

Thanks for the UK info and your other sentiments match mine exactly. I love the phone, but the battery life makes it a plaything and not a working phone. Guess I'll need to get a second line and fire the blackberry back up.

I would like to thank all of you beta testers for the info ;)

The Great Satan of Retailers is discounting the G1 starting Wednesday (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200810272037DOWJONESDJONLINE000579_FORTUNE5.htm) - price with 2-year contract is going to be $148.88. The plastic has hardly set and the discounts have started. It's going to be quite a season for shoppers, and a disaster for retailers.

I have an iPhone 3G and a G1. I'm getting about the same battery life out of both now after I FULLY charged the G1, drained it until dead and charged again.

I have my phone on since this morning 8AM, it's now 4PM and it's down to 85%. I also however haven't run any heavy graphics apps, just a little Google Maps, some IM, Some text/email and 2 phone calls.

Seems the graphics intensive games and GPS use really drive the battery down. But to be honest the iPhone 3G is just as bad.

t-mobile is HORRIBLE in So Cal. surprisingly/not surprisingly, t-mobile does not work at our home. AT&T works here no problem. t-mobile does not work at our ranch. AT&T works no problem.

I've been on TMO in Southern California for 5 years. Yes AT&T in areas has better "bars", but a very much saturated network. I went back to AT&T on a second handset for 2 months and got frustrated with more than often "network busy" when talking at 5PM anywhere near a freeway in LA or Orange County (was using my handsfree!)

I've gone several days now with the G1 and good coverage on 3G and EDGE (the 3G coverage actually seems to hold a call a lot better on this device - cell handoff is more stable. The previous devices I had would go from Full to no bars to full with the call dropped in between - this keeps the call unless I have a full loss of signal).

Coverage though is GOOD or BAD on any carrier... the real factor is does your community support carriers wanting to improve coverage, or does NIMBY come into account. "I don't want that on or near my property" = no coverage...

I've been on TMO in Southern California for 5 years. Yes AT&T in areas has better "bars", but a very much saturated network. I went back to AT&T on a second handset for 2 months and got frustrated with more than often "network busy" when talking at 5PM anywhere near a freeway in LA or Orange County (was using my handsfree!)

I've gone several days now with the G1 and good coverage on 3G and EDGE (the 3G coverage actually seems to hold a call a lot better on this device - cell handoff is more stable. The previous devices I had would go from Full to no bars to full with the call dropped in between - this keeps the call unless I have a full loss of signal).

Coverage though is GOOD or BAD on any carrier... the real factor is does your community support carriers wanting to improve coverage, or does NIMBY come into account. "I don't want that on or near my property" = no coverage...

thanks for sharing your experience(s)...

my thoughts:

1. if i have no bars, the saturation is irrelevant

2. i may have only experienced "network busy" 2-3 times w/ t-mobile, so you may be right.

question: if i get "network busy" (with any carrier), do i assume it was my network that was busy and not the network of the person i was calling?

3. quite frequently i cannot access EDGE and therefore cannot use internet

i guess for all of these 1-3 i would need to compare t-mobile and at&t simultaneously to be sure that i was getting better coverage with at&t. until then, it's all speculation.

i generally ask people w/ at&t about coverage and don't get complaints, but the fact i cannot use t-mobile at my home in socal or my ranch in texas makes the additional comparisons irrelevant.

FYI...The price is coming down $30 if you buy at WalMart (http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081028/tc_nm/us_walmart_g1_1) starting tomorrow.

FYI...The price is coming down $30 if you buy at WalMart (http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081028/tc_nm/us_walmart_g1_1) starting tomorrow.

That one really p's me off. T-Mobile got their "loyal" customers to pre-order a phone, and a mere week after it ships they lower they price. I know that is the cost of being an early adopter, but to do this so soon after its release is just mean, and will certainly annoy some of their customers (myself included).

That one really p's me off. T-Mobile got their "loyal" customers to pre-order a phone, and a mere week after it ships they lower they price. I know that is the cost of being an early adopter, but to do this so soon after its release is just mean, and will certainly annoy some of their customers (myself included).

They must've learned from Apple. ;)

They must've learned from Apple. ;)

At least Apple was kind enough to pay people back...

FYI...The price is coming down $30 if you buy at WalMart (http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081028/tc_nm/us_walmart_g1_1) starting tomorrow.

Insult to injury: t-mobile.com now says that the phone is on backorder, and would ship within 14 days of my order.

Edit to clarify: I have not ordered the phone. I just think it's ironic that just when Walmart undercuts their price, T-Mobile can't even promise quick delivery.

I guess now is not the time to mention that I ordered the phone the day it became available to the general public (22nd, I believe), and got it the next day... ;)

I've had two G1's in the past two weeks and both failed to fully work as advertised. So, I bought an iPhone and everything so far works as it should. I've added 8 email accounts which I couldn't do with the G1 and my Wi-Fi is working where the G1 would not log on to my home AP. Rather, the second device kept going from connected to disconnected in a loop. The first unit also failed to remember any of the email configs. All the email and accounts disappeared after turning he phone on.
The iPhone is much more usable, including being able to open .pdf's which the G1 can't do. Not to mention, the iPhone as 16 GB of memory to the G1's 1 GB micro SD card.
IMHO, for out of the box functionality, Apple leads the pack.

P

I've had two G1's in the past two weeks and both failed to fully work as advertised. So, I bought an iPhone and everything so far works as it should. I've added 8 email accounts which I couldn't do with the G1 and my Wi-Fi is working where the G1 would log on to my home AP. The first unit also failed to remember any of the email configs.
The iPhone is much more usable, including being able to open .pdf's which the G1 can't do. Not to mention, the iPhone as 16 GB of memory to the G1's 1 GB micro SD card.
IMHO, for out of the box functionality, Apple leads the pack.

P

Interesting, my experience is the exact opposite :)

T-Mobile must be reading this forum, because last night they removed all my Blackberry services and deleted my Blackberry TMo email address :mad:

Took me an hour on the phone with them to get it fixed extra:mad:

Be careful of the "sales" at Walmart and other outlets over Thanksgiving weekend for discounted G1 phones. They may be G1 phones that are not fixed for battery life problems. My friend (high tech analyst) tracking sell-through of HTC phones in Asia and USA, tell me of surge in product returns over the past few weeks.


I have an iPhone 3G and a G1. I'm getting about the same battery life out of both now after I FULLY charged the G1, drained it until dead and charged again.

I have my phone on since this morning 8AM, it's now 4PM and it's down to 85%. I also however haven't run any heavy graphics apps, just a little Google Maps, some IM, Some text/email and 2 phone calls.

Seems the graphics intensive games and GPS use really drive the battery down. But to be honest the iPhone 3G is just as bad.

Power management techniques for GPS and WiFi and 3G still need significant improvements. Battery life optimization is to default mode with GPS off, and WiFi off. Manually turn on GPS or WiFi function only when you need it, and turn off when done with task. 3G mode is ok to leave on, as long as you use it for voice, and minimize using 3G mode for data download/upload.

I agree; battery life is becoming a major PITA. I'll disconnect it at 6am and by noon it's at 8% :(

The T-mobile solution? Turn off 3G :(

I'm now carrying a USB battery pack in my jacket to keep the phone charged during the day.

The portable USB-style external battery packs are handy, but it's another thing to recharge.

Spoke to customer service about 6 times in the past 24 hours. This is what I've learned:

Phone call#1: Battery life is a major issue. They offered to send me an additional battery for free. Not holding my breath, though. I'll wait and see.

I decide to run down the battery to where the phone turns off and charge it fully and them some. This is a suggestion on other boards. I kid you not, my battery life got worse!!

Phone call#2: There is a "patch" for phone performance that should extend battery life. It cannot be manually sent out. It will automatically be sent to those who pre-ordered the phone first. Should be sent within a couple of days.

My voicemail was not working. Could not access it at all.

Phone call#3: Told to remove battery and restart. No go. Told I needed to call from another phone while we tinkered with it. No good as I have no other phone. Agreed I would go to a Tmobile store. Went the store 5 minutes after they closed.

Phone call#4: Something told me that maybe the phone number for voicemail that was automatically programmed in the phone might be wrong. Low and behold, that was it. Not sure why the first rep didn't pick up on this.

Was at the Admiral's Club this morning wanting to log onto my Hotspot account that I've had for years. No luck.

Phone call#5: Rep said it would be up and running in 30 minutes.

Land in SFO. Go to the Admiral's Club. And sure enough, no Hotspot access.

Phone call#6: After 35!!!!! minutes, it was determined that for some reason switching to the G1 plan deletes your Hotspot account(not the one for the phone itself, but the one you pay 19.99 a month for to use for your laptop). I would have to re-enroll. Flight was boarding back to NYC(am doing a same-day JFK-SFO MR), so had to go.

And there you have it.

An exhausting tail, that still leaves me with a phone that lasts for 1/3(at best) of my work day.

I do have to say though that the customer service reps were extremely friendly, spoke with an American accent, and I never had to wait more than 30 seconds to be connected to a human being.

I do love the suggestions for maximizing battery life. Turn everything off. Well, what the heck is the point of having the phone then?!?!

Maybe wait for G2 version with improved battery life.

I've had two G1's in the past two weeks and both failed to fully work as advertised. So, I bought an iPhone and everything so far works as it should. I've added 8 email accounts which I couldn't do with the G1 and my Wi-Fi is working where the G1 would not log on to my home AP. Rather, the second device kept going from connected to disconnected in a loop. The first unit also failed to remember any of the email configs. All the email and accounts disappeared after turning he phone on.
The iPhone is much more usable, including being able to open .pdf's which the G1 can't do. Not to mention, the iPhone as 16 GB of memory to the G1's 1 GB micro SD card.
IMHO, for out of the box functionality, Apple leads the pack.

P

From usability standpoint, TMobile G1 also lacks the capacitative touchpad feature like iPhone to expand/contract browser image with your thumb-index finger gesture. This is a major benefit of using smartphone for web surfing to zoom in and out easily.

Be careful of the "sales" at Walmart and other outlets over Thanksgiving weekend for discounted G1 phones. They may be G1 phones that are not fixed for battery life problems. My friend (high tech analyst) tracking sell-through of HTC phones in Asia and USA, tell me of surge in product returns over the past few weeks.

There are G1 phones that have their battery life problem FIXED? Not the ones T-Mobile is shipping!

Hmmm... I've uninstalled most of the apps I had on my G1, and battery life is suddenly MUCH better. I wonder which app was to blame for this?

Power management techniques for GPS and WiFi and 3G still need significant improvements. Battery life optimization is to default mode with GPS off, and WiFi off. Manually turn on GPS or WiFi function only when you need it, and turn off when done with task. 3G mode is ok to leave on, as long as you use it for voice, and minimize using 3G mode for data download/upload.

Using 3G for voice is a waste. It isn't like the sound travels any faster across the ether. The fact that the "solution" is to shut off everything that consumes power speaks to the inadequacy of the implementation and the testing of the devices prior to their release.

I just threw in the towel and returned my G1. I wanted to like it, but in the end it just did not provide me with the functionality that I require.

So, what is next? I am out of contract so can jump ship or stay with TMO. Currently I use an unlocked HTC Touch. It is slow but meets my current needs.

Does anybody know when TMO will be releasing some new 3G smartphones?

Using 3G for voice is a waste. It isn't like the sound travels any faster across the ether. The fact that the "solution" is to shut off everything that consumes power speaks to the inadequacy of the implementation and the testing of the devices prior to their release.

Wrong the AMR CODEC used in UMTS is superior to the EFR CODEC GSM uses for voice. It's variable rate and more optimal for interference. Plus on the 3G radio side the CODEC has a better chance of still providing voice at a lower signal rate. I'm getting *BETTER* coverage in areas where the 2.5G network would drop voice. In those areas 2.5G was 1 bar now it's aprox 2-3 bars. Radio topology is different between 2.5G and 3G so that can account for the variance and how the cell sites are setup.

To each his own though.

I just threw in the towel and returned my G1. I wanted to like it, but in the end it just did not provide me with the functionality that I require.

So, what is next? I am out of contract so can jump ship or stay with TMO. Currently I use an unlocked HTC Touch. It is slow but meets my current needs.

Does anybody know when TMO will be releasing some new 3G smartphones?

I don't see any posts from you... What problems were you having.

I'm assuming you weren't trying to do corporate email. The TMO stores I've gone into ask that first. They only suggest moving to the G1 if you are on GMail and/or have full accessible POP3/IMAP. They have been clear to people I've overheard to stick with a Blackberry if that is what they have for corporate email.

Wrong the AMR CODEC used in UMTS is superior to the EFR CODEC GSM uses for voice. It's variable rate and more optimal for interference. Plus on the 3G radio side the CODEC has a better chance of still providing voice at a lower signal rate. I'm getting *BETTER* coverage in areas where the 2.5G network would drop voice. In those areas 2.5G was 1 bar now it's aprox 2-3 bars. Radio topology is different between 2.5G and 3G so that can account for the variance and how the cell sites are setup.

To each his own though.

Have to agree with this; voice is much better on a 3G signal than on GSM. I'm also getting coverage when I previously did not.

Plus, I can do data when on a call when I'm on 3G...

I think I'm throwing in the towel. Today I was rationing my use of the phone to conserve battery. Ridiculous. The good news is the Blackberry Bold comes out a few days before my 2 week return period for the G1. Back to a crackberry it is for me. I really don't want to leave Tmobile, but AT&T can't be all that bad, can it?

Random question, but is it true that I will be able to tether my AT&T Blackberry with my Macbook?

From usability standpoint, TMobile G1 also lacks the capacitative touchpad feature like iPhone to expand/contract browser image with your thumb-index finger gesture. This is a major benefit of using smartphone for web surfing to zoom in and out easily.

What makes you say that? It DOES have a capacitive touch screen, just not the software implementation to take advantage of multi-touch.

From usability standpoint, TMobile G1 also lacks the capacitative touchpad feature like iPhone to expand/contract browser image with your thumb-index finger gesture. This is a major benefit of using smartphone for web surfing to zoom in and out easily.

What makes you say that? It DOES have a capacitive touch screen, just not the software implementation to take advantage of multi-touch.

The G1 from HTC has resistive touch screen, which is pressure-based technology that does not enable multi-touch operation. iPhone is capacitative technology. HTC Diamond and Sprint Touch Pro (different phones than G1) do have capacitative touch screen, and with installation of the program NavDbgTool.exe, provides multi-touch function (although not as smooth as iPhone, but future firmware updates should improve the function).

The G1 from HTC has resistive touch screen, which is pressure-based technology that does not enable multi-touch operation.

I'm really sorry to correct you again, but that is just not right. The G1 DOES have a capacitive touch screen. Anyone with a G1 can test that by using a stylus instead of their fingers. Anything other than a finger does NOT work on the G1.

FWIW; the Touch Pro has a resistive touch screen, but IS multi-touch capable.

FWIW, fellow G1 users; when I uninstalled the app "Locale", my battery life got much better. Apparently Local does very regular GPS updates which help drain things.

FWIW, fellow G1 users; when I uninstalled the app "Locale", my battery life got much better. Apparently Local does very regular GPS updates which help drain things.

I have GPS off on mine most of the time. I assume uninstalling Locale wouldn't improve my battery life much.

I'm really sorry to correct you again, but that is just not right. The G1 DOES have a capacitive touch screen. Anyone with a G1 can test that by using a stylus instead of their fingers. Anything other than a finger does NOT work on the G1.

FWIW; the Touch Pro has a resistive touch screen, but IS multi-touch capable.

I stand corrected.

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry8700c: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/120)

Apple twisted Googles arm and prevented them from launching with multitouch (via legal threats)

Wirelessly posted (Blackberry8700c: BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/120)

Apple twisted Googles arm and prevented them from launching with multitouch (via legal threats)

I've heard the same thing. It would be a real shame if nobody is allowed to use Multitouch on their devices simply because Apple does not want to share.

FWIW; Apple didn't even invent the technology, they just hired the guy that DID invent it and probably paid enough to get their hands on the patents.

Apparently, ContactsSync will directly wirelessly sync Exchange contacts. A good first step for the G1.

http://www.wrike.com/g1-exchange-sync.html

Also available in "Market"

FWIW, fellow G1 users; when I uninstalled the app "Locale", my battery life got much better. Apparently Local does very regular GPS updates which help drain things.

Good catch... I've installed the Toggle GPS apps today as well and put it on the main screen... Single click to turn on/off GPS (no other menu's confirmations, etc)

Also used AnyCut to shortcut to Wireless Settings to turn WiFi On/OFF... Would be nice if someone does a simple app to turn on/off Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS each individually. Hmmmm, I have the Android devkit and did some simple apps on the emulator before... :)

Apparently, ContactsSync will directly wirelessly sync Exchange contacts. A good first step for the G1.

http://www.wrike.com/g1-exchange-sync.html

Also available in "Market"

Works well... Would be nice to see a clean UI Outlook Web Access front end for reading/composing/deleting/filing emails + looking at your corp calendar + contacts.

Apparently, ContactsSync will directly wirelessly sync Exchange contacts. A good first step for the G1.

http://www.wrike.com/g1-exchange-sync.html

Also available in "Market"

Works perfectly for me. Calendars synched in both directions. Wonderful app.

Works perfectly for me. Calendars synched in both directions. Wonderful app.

Your G1 and Exchange calendars synced?

Looked a one yesterday at the store. I would have got it, except the keyboard was lousy. I need a better keyboard. I prefr the one on my Blackberry.

I don't mean to put work on our esteemed moderator, but it would be way helpful to have a short summary of useful apps to download. I'm just not sophisticated enough to find all these things. Anything to save battery life would be especially appreciated!

Looked a one yesterday at the store. I would have got it, except the keyboard was lousy. I need a better keyboard. I prefr the one on my Blackberry.

I'm actually quite impressed with the keyboard; it is no as good as a Blackberry, but it sure beats most other HTC phones. My only complaint is the lousy backlight level :(

Try these, all in the marketplace for battery savings apps:

- AnyCut [Lets you make shortcuts from most menu items (Activity), use it to make a shortcut for Wireless controls on the desktop - let's you then turn/off on WiFi a little quicker - then do the same for Bluetooth make a shortcut of that to turn it off when you don't really need it]

- Toggle GPS [Shortcut it to one of the home screens and with a single click it will turn on/off the GPS - no confirmation when it runs it will show a green highlighted message telling you GPS is on or a red highlighted message showing GPS is off]

- T-Mobile Hotspot Connect: Install it and make sure your phone number is in the Settings, About screen [New activations may not get this for 24 hrs] - if it is this will auto log you in to a T-Mobile hotspot when one is near and WiFi is on (this works even on the AT&T Starbucks locations with T-Mobile roaming). This app does the login for you in the background, no need to enter username id when logging into the hotspot (if you get prompted for username/id then call 611 as your phone number hasn't been sent to the SIM card - this is used to identify the phone). Also has a hotspot search app built in.

I'm this close to just building my own simple app to turn on/off any wireless mode on the device... I've built it but have a slight bug I'm working on - I'm hoping to put something out in a week if I have time :)


Some other apps I've installed are

Video Player: Plays H.263/3GPP and H.264 video files. In general anything I encode on my mac for 320x240 via QuickTime for playback on an iPod WORKS on G1. This player is simple, just supports those two formats as those are really the in built formats G1 supports (G1 does NOT yet support Divx or Windows Media Video). The player supports auto rotate, just turn the screen horizontal and it will switch to play that way, no menu options to hit or no need to open the keyboard

Shazam: Identifies songs played on the radio or other devices via listening to the song

Bonsai Blast: Fun game, you can finish it in a few days then uninstall :)

Orinenteer: Uses the internal compass to give you on screen compass

iNetwork Test: Tests the network connection performance 3G or Wifi

Gmote: App that allows you to remote control specific media players and also use your G1 as a remote for PowerPoint/Keynote, etc over WiFi to your desktop or notebook (you need your G1 to connect to your PC over WiFi). Plus also lets you use your G1 screen as a remote mouse

TunesRemote: Proper remote using same method iPhone does to remote iTunes or AppleTV. Works great! Has to use WiFi as well to connect to your iTunes PC or Mac or Apple TV

PicSay: Like ComicLife on mac, lets you annotate photos you take on the camera with captions and add effects.

Toddler Lock: Great small app; use it when you have to hand the phone to a little kid... prevents the phone from getting used, basically locks it to a mode where screen input, button pushes, keyboard pushes, etc all generate sound effects on patterns - screen input draws on the screen. Has a key sequence to unlock and exit the app when the "kid" is done

Weather Bug: slightly better than Weather Channel, radar overlay for the map is quicker than Weather Channel.

Light Racer: Tron racer style game, simple but a small download

Compare Everything: Shopping app that will scan barcodes via the camera then compare prices for you.

ConnectBot: SSH Shell client: if you don't know what this is don't download it! I've been using it to remote connect to my mac!

Android File Manager: Simple app to manage files [mainly for the SDCARD folder which shows your SD card]

Barcode Scanner: Scans barcodes for shopping comparison with Google Products, also scans 2D barcodes (QR Code, not Datamtrix).

Countdown Alarm: Countdown alarm - this should have been built into the standard alarm!

I'll add more as I find interesting items.

Traveling with the G1 has been an exceptionally frustrating experience. Not only because I am still unable to get through one day before the 15% battery level warning level alarm is set off. But because the reception is so poor in the UK. And on a trip to Paris yesterday I was completely without any phone service from any network. As soon as the Eurostar entered France the phone went dead. It would not recognize any cellular network to make a phone call. Wireless would work, but the signal strength of the device was so weak that I could not connect to wireless networks even though my travelling companions with either itouch or blackberries could. Oddly, the time on the phone automatically updated to French time.

As soon as we entered the UK on the way home the tmobile network was again connected, but the battery died before I was able to send an e-mail. My blackberry worked flawlessly on the trip to France and has been working flawlessly in the UK.

Here in London, the phone says I am connected to the TMobile network. But the incon in the taskbar shows Roaming most of the time. Since I had checked the option to not allow data roaming I was not able to send e-mails or browse the internet. So the phone doesn't seem to recognize Tmobile UK as not roaming. The Blackberry does not have this problem.

Overall I think it is fun to play with the applications. But the phone is just not reliable. Both battery life and service coverage in the UK and Europe is far below par. I plan to return the phone to tmobile upon returning to the US next week.

Traveling with the G1 has been an exceptionally frustrating experience. Not only because I am still unable to get through one day before the 15% battery level warning level alarm is set off. But because the reception is so poor in the UK. And on a trip to Paris yesterday I was completely without any phone service from any network. As soon as the Eurostar entered France the phone went dead. It would not recognize any cellular network to make a phone call. Wireless would work, but the signal strength of the device was so weak that I could not connect to wireless networks even though my travelling companions with either itouch or blackberries could. Oddly, the time on the phone automatically updated to French time.

As soon as we entered the UK on the way home the tmobile network was again connected, but the battery died before I was able to send an e-mail. My blackberry worked flawlessly on the trip to France and has been working flawlessly in the UK.

Here in London, the phone says I am connected to the TMobile network. But the incon in the taskbar shows Roaming most of the time. Since I had checked the option to not allow data roaming I was not able to send e-mails or browse the internet. So the phone doesn't seem to recognize Tmobile UK as not roaming. The Blackberry does not have this problem.

Overall I think it is fun to play with the applications. But the phone is just not reliable. Both battery life and service coverage in the UK and Europe is far below par. I plan to return the phone to tmobile upon returning to the US next week.


Other than the battery issues that is a bit strange. TMobile UK is still roaming though so that isnt surprising. My unlocked phones show me as roaming when on TMobile UK. And they charge international roaming rates. Blackberries just dont use that much data it seems even when roaming.

Here in London, the phone says I am connected to the TMobile network. But the incon in the taskbar shows Roaming most of the time. Since I had checked the option to not allow data roaming I was not able to send e-mails or browse the internet. So the phone doesn't seem to recognize Tmobile UK as not roaming. The Blackberry does not have this problem.

That is exactly as it should be. T-Mobile UK is not T-Mobile USA, so you ARE roaming on that network. And it makes sense you can't do data with the no data when roaming option on.

Just because the network shares the name, does not mean it is not a totally different network. T-Mobile has networks all over Europe, and a US user will be roaming on every single one of them.

- T-Mobile Hotspot Connect: Install it and make sure your phone number is in the Settings, About screen [New activations may not get this for 24 hrs] - if it is this will auto log you in to a T-Mobile hotspot when one is near and WiFi is on (this works even on the AT&T Starbucks locations with T-Mobile roaming). This app does the login for you in the background, no need to enter username id when logging into the hotspot (if you get prompted for username/id then call 611 as your phone number hasn't been sent to the SIM card - this is used to identify the phone). Also has a hotspot search app built in.


Wish this were true, but my G1 refused to connect to the HotSpot no matter what I do. The phone number is in the phone, and I have connected exactly once out of dozens of tries. Common wisdom on the t-mobile forums is this this is very buggy at this point. My current theory is that the HotSpot is picking up the connection request and connecting and asking for a login before the phone sends the information from the SIM card. Once you're stuck in that mode you can't break out. The only thing that worked for me was to turn the phone off and back on multiple times, but life is too short, I'll just stay on the 3G until they figure this outl\.

Phone cycling endlessly and draining battery.

I've discovered that sometimes my G1 goes into an endless loop trying to do something (haven't figured out what) and that this then drags my battery down to zero in a matter of minutes.

Symptoms are:

phone acts like a slug - for example, you can't pull down the notifications window without it sticking at halfway open.

phone gets very hot.

Within 10 minutes, the battery will go from 100% to near zero.

It seems to happen randomly, and when I catch it in time a cycle off/on will solve the problem.

This is driving me nuts, since it is random. My phone will be fine all day and then suddenly it will eat up all the battery life with no obvious reason.

Something is getting stuck "on" and is killing my battery.

Phone cycling endlessly and draining battery.

I've discovered that sometimes my G1 goes into an endless loop trying to do something (haven't figured out what) and that this then drags my battery down to zero in a matter of minutes.

Symptoms are:

phone acts like a slug - for example, you can't pull down the notifications window without it sticking at halfway open.

phone gets very hot.

Within 10 minutes, the battery will go from 100% to near zero.

It seems to happen randomly, and when I catch it in time a cycle off/on will solve the problem.

This is driving me nuts, since it is random. My phone will be fine all day and then suddenly it will eat up all the battery life with no obvious reason.

Something is getting stuck "on" and is killing my battery.

I had that too, then I just uninstalled most apps I did not want or need. Surprisingly things have become much better, and battery life is nowhere near as bad as it was. Of course, I'm also on the new firmware, so I wonder if that fixed some of the worst issues...

I had that too, then I just uninstalled most apps I did not want or need. Surprisingly things have become much better, and battery life is nowhere near as bad as it was. Of course, I'm also on the new firmware, so I wonder if that fixed some of the worst issues...

I'm still on 19 and [not so] patiently waiting for my updated firmwear. This is driving me crazy, and the reports on lack of service in France and really making me think I should hurry and return before my 14 days run out. I really want to like and keep this phone, but it is just too buggy. Sigh.

I had that too, then I just uninstalled most apps I did not want or need. Surprisingly things have become much better, and battery life is nowhere near as bad as it was. Of course, I'm also on the new firmware, so I wonder if that fixed some of the worst issues...

Google needs to get more strict on sloppy developers - some of the apps I've seen are not freeing up resources when not active. As ScottC says uninstall all apps and start from there.

Also there are ways to force install 29 firmware.

In regards to problems with roaming in France/UK. I just spoke to a coworker who is there with a UK G1 and he says it's working fine in the UK and France, but to make sure you have "Select Automatically" on and if you are getting a flaky network to select "Use only 2G Networks" Some 3G networks are really bad for roaming non local users and either drop the data connection or drop the connection fully. I see this even with my UK Vodafone SIM when roaming in France on SFR or Orange. Dropping back to 2G fixes it.

I'm giving Google + Qualcomm till January to get firmware that has better power management. The Qualcomm chip in use has good power management states, it looks like the OS doesn't use it fully. (iPhone 3G was like this at launch too)

[QUOTE=NickP 1K;10619875]Also there are ways to force install 29 firmware.

/QUOTE]

There are indeed ways for install 29 from the Android site. T-Mobile, not surprisingly, is not recommending doing so and they're pretty blunt about how you're doing this at your own risk and if it trashes your phone don't call them.
For one thing, they say they don't know what will happen when they try to push 29 onto a phone that already has it installed.

Now, if T-Mobile would only get on the ball and get this out to everyone!

If they had a QWERTY keyboard on-screen I would probably be a fan. After playing with one, it just seems like a pain to constantly be messing with the keyboard.

If they had a QWERTY keyboard on-screen I would probably be a fan. After playing with one, it just seems like a pain to constantly be messing with the keyboard.

In Q1 it will be possible for a any developer to make an onscreen input method. Agree for minor input it's a pain to open the keyboard. But I do like the full keyboard for speed of input.

As others have done, I encourage turning off GPS when not needed. One of the first days, I left the house with fully charged phone, no calls, etc. during the day, and by midafternoon the battery was drained. Once I recharged, I turned off GPS. Now, between when I leave in the morning (with a fully charged phone) and return in the evening, the phone is at about 85% charged, with light use.

I suspect that with GPS on, when the phone could not get clear signals of the sky, it was more active in searching for such signals and that is what caused the battery to run down (purely speculation on my part).

On another matter, anyone found a source for discounted accessories, charges, etc. for the G1?

There were some apps that were real battery drainers.

Bonzai Blast seems to be one of the worst.

But I have seen some apps that were installed and now uninstalled - less battery drain. Assuming some of these apps were attempting to run in the background and service the process they were running on. I really wish Google would make an app showing "running processes/services" so we can report those as "bad apps"

Updates to improve battery life have been going out the past couple of days. Just received mine today. Hopefully it will make a difference. Has anyone noticed an improvement?

They have figured out how to hack in. Only good things can come from this. Think of "Motorola modding" of years gone by x 10.

http://android-dls.com/forum/index.php?f=15&t=151&rb_v=viewtopic

Unless you are an accomplished hacker, do not attempt to "just look inside.". Scottc will not help you unbrick, I'm sure. ;)

Updates to improve battery life have been going out the past couple of days. Just received mine today. Hopefully it will make a difference. Has anyone noticed an improvement?

I haven't actually seen any reports that the update that was pushed did anything with battery life, just miscellaneous things, none of which made a bit of difference for me in any fashion.

However - I am now religiously following the "always hit the red button" when you're finished using the phone advice - a quick hit, not long enough to turn off the phone. My battery life has improved considerably.

I got my development environment up on Android... Been playing around with building the sample apps and targeting them to the G1. Works really good.

I'm still planning to get some time to do an app to turn on/off easily the following:

- WiFi
- Bluetooth
- GPS

And to also toggle:
- 2D only networks
- Data off when roaming

I'm working with someone to get a UI put together, want it to be fairly quick and non intrusive.

Any other areas FT G1 users would like to see covered for a radio + battery saving app?

PS: I also got this proxy tethering app to work fine: see: http://androidcommunity.com/android-proxy-app-almost-allows-for-tethering-20081104/

This is my G1 review, based on my first trip with the puppy.

Airplane mode - seemed to work as designed. Everything turned off, and then back on after landing. Grade - A

Figuring out where I was - the G1 changed time zone appropriately. Roaming to pick up a carrier seemed much faster than on my BB, and I think that might be a feature of the 3G. Apps like Accuweather also knew where I was immediately. Grade - A

WiFi - HotSpot still gimpy, but getting better. It worked in the UA RCC after a couple tried, and I actually picked up a close HotSpot from my hotel room. The major problem is that I kept picking up and losing the WiFi service, and the phone doesn't always handle this well. When I lost the HotSpot login the phone stayed connected, but then I lost my connectivity since it didn't automatically degrade to 3G. I think I'll leave the WiFi off most of the time in the future. Grade - C

Messaging and phone - no problems, except for very low character limit on messages. Grade - B

Mail - this is the real problem. It just doesn't work well. When I get over a certain number of e-mails the phone chokes when trying to grab more. The only solution seems to be delete a bunch of them - some of which don't go away the first time - and then load more. Well, the best general technique I've found is to only read the few I care about and to then deal with the whole list from my laptop later. The need to delete a bunch of messages to get more means that I need to open each message one-by-one and then delete them. I then need to detete them AGAIN from the laptop, since IMAP doesn't support "delete from server". This is a major headache. Grade - F

Web page access - mixed. It works very well, and I love the ability to do true web-based things, like checkin for my flight - which on the BB I never found a solution that worked with UA. Also nice for reading quick news, etc. But, it is really hard to navigate a page on the small screen, and I almost always need to increase the type size to be able to hit a button with any accuracy, especially when there are several close together on the screen. Grade - B

Overall Grade - B. The BB is a business workhorse, but the G1 is OK for most of things, and is a TON more fun.

Update rev: RC30 just got pushed out OTA (Over The Air) - it's an accelerated push from Google to all devices. It closes a root access loophole (sorry dev hackers!)

If you want to try and force it to install a little quicker do this:

1) Install "Any Cut" from the Marketplace
2) Once installed screen click+hold your finger anywhere blank on your Home Screen - You will be prompted with "Add to Home"
3) Choose "Any Cut"
4) Choose "Activity"
5) After the list comes up choose "Device Info"
6) Once that shortcut is on the Home screen, click/run it.
7) Scroll to the bottom and select "Check for upgrade"

If there is a valid OTA upgrade that is acceptable to your phone (e.g. Google and T-Mobile have approved your serial number to download) you will notice a lot of download activity on the 3G or EDGE indicator. (if on WiFi you may just need to wait as no indicator on download traffic) Once the 4MB or so download is done you will be prompted for the upgrade.

Your mileage may vary... Meaning TMO and Google may not have authorized your device to get to the upgrade yet if they are trying to span it out over a multi day period.

As I think about my first INTL trip with the G1, I'm trying to sort our how the text billing compares to the Blackberry plans.

When I took my BB INTL, I was billed by the Byte. It appears that the BB only loaded the header information until you actually opened a message. By carefully selecting only those messages that I really needed to read and deleting the rest (or reading them when I could get to a laptop connection) I could normally get through a week-long trip with a bill of about $25. This seems reasonable to me.

Now, I'm not sure if I'll have a similar experience with the G1. Is the cost per Byte the same, and does the G1 also only load the header information?? I'm just worried about getting stuck with one of those $21,000 bills that we hear about.

Buying a foreign SIM doesn't really solve my problem, since I do rely on the e-mail access.

As I think about my first INTL trip with the G1, I'm trying to sort our how the text billing compares to the Blackberry plans.

When I took my BB INTL, I was billed by the Byte. It appears that the BB only loaded the header information until you actually opened a message. By carefully selecting only those messages that I really needed to read and deleting the rest (or reading them when I could get to a laptop connection) I could normally get through a week-long trip with a bill of about $25. This seems reasonable to me.

Now, I'm not sure if I'll have a similar experience with the G1. Is the cost per Byte the same, and does the G1 also only load the header information?? I'm just worried about getting stuck with one of those $21,000 bills that we hear about.

Buying a foreign SIM doesn't really solve my problem, since I do rely on the e-mail access.

some foreign sim's like on Three in the UK (Prepay) allow for full data access. They actually allow for 1GB of data transfers a month for 10 GBP.

I would advise turning off data while roaming unless you need to check email. Would be nice if the email client would be smarter to allow full offline with a mode to "Refresh" while offline - to go online just to sync and then go back offline.

Hey, G1 users - try something. In any application, type the word "reboot".

Still there? Or did your phone actually reboot?

This is why I don't use Google software - even their production stuff is still beta.

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/11/incredibly-dang.html


Thus every word you typed, in addition to going to the foreground application would be silently and invisibly interpreted as a command and executed with superuser privileges. Wow!

Interesting. Tried typing reboot (enter) from the home screen and nothing happened. Went into browser, typed reboot (enter) and guess what? It worked. :rolleyes:

Dear T-Mobile,

Please finally get around to pushing the update to me. k? thx.

Interesting. Tried typing reboot (enter) from the home screen and nothing happened. Went into browser, typed reboot (enter) and guess what? It worked. :rolleyes:

Dear T-Mobile,

Please finally get around to pushing the update to me. k? thx.

I'm on RC30 and typing reboot in the browser does NOT reboot the phone.

RC30 is the fix.

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/11/google-fixes-an.html

Battery life has improved; but every now and then I run into an app that drains the darn thing in a few hours. I really wish Google would put some safeguards in place that prevent apps from going crazy...

Battery life has improved; but every now and then I run into an app that drains the darn thing in a few hours. I really wish Google would put some safeguards in place that prevent apps from going crazy...

Two things that have really improved my battery life.

1. Whenever I put the phone down I hit the red "end call" button. Makes a massive difference.

2. When I remember, I check if the back of the phone is hot from time to time - this seems to be an indication that some app has gone wild. Wish I could find out which, I'd just uninstall it. When this happens I cycle off and back on and the problem usually goes away.

I'm now getting a full day out of my battery, which just means I plug it in every night. I find this acceptable.

Now I'm curious. Anyone else not gotten updated yet?

Now I'm curious. Anyone else not gotten updated yet?

It was pushed out some time ago but is still going out. I got it on two phone within an hour of pushing out.

If your phone IMEI/Serial is listed as "pushed" for the upgrade but you didn't get it will eventually get it... or you can force it to pull it now via this

1) Download Any Cut in the marketplace (allows for full app shortcuts)
2) Once installed on the Home screen hold down your finger anywhere on a blank area
3) When the "Add to Home" comes up choose Shortcut
4) Select Any Cut
5) Choose Activity - a list may take a few seconds to build
6) Select "Device Info"
7) Select that "Device Info" icon from the Home page now
8) Scroll to the bottom of the "Device "Info" page and select "Check for Upgrade"

If you see a lot of 3G or EDGE traffic after doing this it is then downloading the update. It's about 4MB so on 3G should take two minutes or less, on EDGE about 6-10 minutes

You will then be prompted to install the upgrade.

If you see *NO* traffic then Google and T-Mobile have NOT opened up your IMEI/Serial to the update. They do open up all the ranges just for traffic reasons they don't open up everyone at once.

I don't own a gphone. Thinking about buying. I wanted to find if anyone is selling a classy todo list application, but I can't find a way to browse the android market from my web browser. I can find a showcase with a scroll list of 10 featured app icons, but no way to search, display lists from categories, etc

Thanks in advance if anyone can share a URL for the market.

- EDIT IN -

I searched some more and found:

http://androidcommunity.com/forums/androidmarket.php

I don't think it's a direct feed from the actual android market, but they list several pages of apps, with categories and searches. I didn't find any richly featured todo list apps. I'll watch for a few months, or start considering web based services. [Interesting that productivity tools were crucial apps for the early "handhelds", and don't seem as prevalent in the newer generation.]

I don't own a gphone. Thinking about buying. I wanted to find if anyone is selling a classy todo list application, but I can't find a way to browse the android market from my web browser. I can find a showcase with a scroll list of 10 featured app icons, but no way to search, display lists from categories, etc

Thanks in advance if anyone can share a URL for the market.

There is one app called "Tag ToDo List - It's basic but does work.

i am not finished with my t-mobile contract until march. i REALLY want to wait until i am out of my contract to assess my options AND until i have 2-3 android phones to choose from - or until the G1 has improved significantly. i am using a BB, so it's not like my life is horrible and unbearable.

what's coming?

if there is something coming in the next few months, it would already be a topic of discussion, right?

Now I'm curious. Anyone else not gotten updated yet?

Woke up yesterday morning, and my phone was asking me to update. Go figure.

On RC30 now.

This is just a quick update to my post of over two weeks ago about my experience using my unlocked G1 in Japan.

Using my US T-Mobile SIM, the G1 roamed on 3G service (Vodafone JP/Softbank) just fine. Initially, data services did not seem operational, but worked later. I'm not sure why it did not work initially. The Google Maps feature came in very handy a few times.

I also rented a SIM from Softbank. It worked fine for voice calls, but I did not get data services to work. It's just as well since their published rate for data is 0.32 yen for 128 Bytes, or about $25 per MB.

I've got the RC30 update and have not noticed much improvement with the battery life. I've uninstalled most of the extra applications, disabled Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, and auto-sync for data. I still have to charge it during the day, otherwise the charge level drops below a level with which I am comfortable. I can live with overnight charging, but the current situation is not acceptable to me. I've read a thread on another forum that T-Mobile is sending spare batteries to customers who complain about the battery life, but I was not successful in convincing them to send one to me. One T-Mobile rep told me that the battery life is the #1 complaint about the G1 and they are working on a solution, which is likely to be a lithium polymer battery with about 8 times the capacity of the current lithium ion battery. I'm not sure that I can count on this information though, and I am leaning toward returning the phone in the next few days before my 30 day remorse period is up.

Anything new here?

Anything new here?

Not really :D

Phone is still stable as a rock. Battery issues still sometimes happen, but I'll just go back an uninstall the last apps I installed. Still no newer upgrade or anything cool from Google, which is quite disappointing. I'm hoping someone at Google is working on nice new apps, since the stuff in the marketplace pretty much sucks.

I also rented a SIM from Softbank. It worked fine for voice calls, but I did not get data services to work. It's just as well since their published rate for data is 0.32 yen for 128 Bytes, or about $25 per MB.



To use the Softbank SIM you need to setup an APN for Softbank,

Basic steps;

At home screen click Menu, Settings
Select Wireless Controls
Select Mobile Networks
Select Access Point Names
Go to T-Mobile US (the one without the numbers if you have a standard T-Mobile SIM) and and rename the "APN Type" from default to something else (or delete the word default).
Save the Changes (menu, Save)
When back at the APN list select Menu "New APN"
And setup that APN as follows:

Name: Softbank
APN: softbank
Username: ai@softbank
Password: softbank
APN Type: default
Leave the other fields blank

You can switch the APN Type from default to blank on Softbank, and add it back to the T-Mobile US APN when you put the T-Mobile SIM card back in

Not really :D

Phone is still stable as a rock. Battery issues still sometimes happen, but I'll just go back an uninstall the last apps I installed. Still no newer upgrade or anything cool from Google, which is quite disappointing. I'm hoping someone at Google is working on nice new apps, since the stuff in the marketplace pretty much sucks.

Try this:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=453686
(Link below also has the same info and easier accessible file)
http://www.g1-news.com/2008/12/05/how-to-make-the-t-mobile-g1-android-interface-even-more-iphone-y/

You can add iPhone like transitions and add a Compass to Google Maps

Hi,

I am thinking about buying an unlocked iPhone in Hong Kong so I can use it globally.

From this thread it looks like an unlocked iPhone will work on a 3g SIM from Softbank ? -- or does it need to be a special SIM ?

thanks

I'll throw something on this thread :) I have a blackberry but lately have been having some general issues with the phone. I had heard G1 had some issues with imap mail, and syncing with outlook. Has this gotten any more stable/better?

Hi,

I am thinking about buying an unlocked iPhone in Hong Kong so I can use it globally.

From this thread it looks like an unlocked iPhone will work on a 3g SIM from Softbank ? -- or does it need to be a special SIM ?

thanks

Wrong thread; but I'll answer... an unlocked iPhone 3G purchased from Apple Store in Hong Kong will work with *ANY* SIM card (Standard SIM or USIM/3G), so Yes it will work with any sim

I'll throw something on this thread :) I have a blackberry but lately have been having some general issues with the phone. I had heard G1 had some issues with imap mail, and syncing with outlook. Has this gotten any more stable/better?

No direct Outlook support yet, some 3rd party apps kind of do it. I would wait if you are looking for a Blackberry like experience.

Can you download video and play it on the G1 as you can on the iPhone, and does the BBC iplayer work on it?

Can you download video and play it on the G1 as you can on the iPhone, and does the BBC iplayer work on it?

Sorta - There are a couple of video players, but they are quite basic, certainly not as advanced as the iPhone.

Not sure - is it web based? The browser is based upon Webkit, so if it works on an iPhone, it might work on the G1, but in-browser streaming video is limited to Youtube...

android phone #2 (Magic) unveiled in Europe, US to follow.

does Google have exclusive with T-Mobile?

i am switching to AT&T March 15th, and i was planning on getting Bold. i would take a hard look at Magic if it was available anywhere but tmo.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/38658

Pretty sure T-Mobile only had an exclusive for the G1, and only for a limited time.

The Magic should/might work in the US on AT&T, but you'll probably have a hard time getting it activated. Of course, this is all assuming it comes with the AT&T 3G frequencies.

Pretty sure T-Mobile only had an exclusive for the G1, and only for a limited time.

The Magic should/might work in the US on AT&T, but you'll probably have a hard time getting it activated. Of course, this is all assuming it comes with the AT&T 3G frequencies.
Do phones come with multiple 3G frequencies? I know TMo is different from AT&T, but from looking at phone specs, I can't tell the difference. What am I supposed to be looking at/for?

You'll need 3G support for US frequencies, and the initial reports say it will lack that support :(

Your best bet is to wait and see whether Google is going to be selling them in their Developer program, like they did with the current model.

Do phones come with multiple 3G frequencies? I know TMo is different from AT&T, but from looking at phone specs, I can't tell the difference. What am I supposed to be looking at/for?

Yes, the iPhone for example supports 3 3G frequencies to work on several different GSM carriers around the world. The Tmobile (USA) HTC G1, works on the 1700MHz frequency 3G network that is now being rolled out by Tmobile. This is one of the few networks in the world that operates on this frequency.

There is no exclusive for this phone or that...
HTC built the G1 as an internal device named "Dream", they then tweaked it for T-Mobile's launch needs - as they committed to Google to actually launch a phone.

The Vodafone keyboardless phone is the HTC Magic. For sure Vodafone asked for an exclusive on that model, but there is NOTHING stopping Acer, LG, Samsung, etc from offering a similar phone to T-Mobile (Keyboardless)

With future Android updates including a keyboard we will see more keyboardless Android devices. I however like the G1 keyboard. It's a heck of a lot quicker than the silly on screen keyboards. Would be nice to have the phone a little thinner with the keyboard though!

I however like the G1 keyboard. It's a heck of a lot quicker than the silly on screen keyboards. !

I concur. Also, the keyboard is worlds beyond that of the Blackberry 8820.

I still don't get the dislike for touchscreen "keyboards". I have no problem at all with the one on my iPhone.

I still don't get the dislike for touchscreen "keyboards". I have no problem at all with the one on my iPhone.

There is nothing "wrong" with it, but a hardware keyboard is just much, much more efficient for anything longer than CU L8r

There is nothing "wrong" with it, but a hardware keyboard is just much, much more efficient for anything longer than CU L8r

Maybe it's just because I'm ALWAYS a slow typist, but I have to say I don't notice the difference. It took me about a day to get used to the iPhone on-screen keyboard. Now I'm as fast on it as I am on my various pc's, which is to say not very fast at all. ;)

Was in this demo Google did to show offline/Google Gears support on the iPhone and Android.

If you see the Android demo it's a White HTC Magic Branded T-Mobile at the top:

http://androidcommunity.com/google-offline-gmail-webapp-video-demo-from-mwc09-20090218/

NEW YORK (Reuters) -

T-Mobile USA will begin selling a new smartphone using Google Inc's Android operating software in August, facing off against high-end devices such as Apple's latest iPhone and the Palm Pre.

T-Mobile, an arm of Deutsche Telekom and the No. 4 U.S. mobile service, said the myTouch 3G phone is a slimmer and more advanced version of the G1, which was also made by Taiwan's HTC Corp and based on Android technology.

The new phone will cost $199, the same as the 16-gigabyte model of Apple Inc's iPhone 3GS and Palm Inc's Pre after a rebate for a two-year service contract.

MyTouch's advantage is that the phone can be personalized, such as with custom home screens and widgets, T-Mobile said. The Android platform can also learn user preferences and offer recommendations.

"The story is personalization," said Andrew Sherrard, vice president of product innovation at T-Mobile. The iPhone had a "beautiful aesthetic, but you can't change it," he said.
...
The myTouch features a touch-screen display, and a 3.2-megapixel camera, a music player, and video capabilities to make it easier for users to share pictures and videos on sites like YouTube and Picasa.

The phone is also more lightweight in design compared to the G1, and will have longer battery life, T-Mobile said. It will come in white, black and wine red.

Customers already using T-Mobile can pre-order myTouch from July 8 onwards, and begin receiving the new gadget from July 29, the company said, adding that the price for upgraded users has not yet been finalized.
...

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/nm/20090622/tc_nm/us_tmobile_android_1

Here's a link to specs (and comparison to 3GS iPhone):
http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/cell-phones/compare/?name1=T-Mobile+myTouch+3G&name2=Apple+iPhone+3GS

I'm intrigued and will be considering it as replacement to my BB8820!

I'm intrigued and will be considering it as replacement to my BB8820!
I had a BB Curve. The email client isn't as mature as the BB client, but overall I like the G1. Just takes alittle while to get used to, but that's expected going to a different phone :)

I had a BB Curve. The email client isn't as mature as the BB client, but overall I like the G1. Just takes alittle while to get used to, but that's expected going to a different phone :)

I've been on/off with BB and unlocked 2G iPhone - the iPhone with apps is pure joy to use but totally sucks for email. So on weekdays use BB with UMA ability and on weekends swap TMO sim into iPhone.

I hope new Android will have decent email functions....

I've been using the "Touchdown" 3rd party Exchange app for Android for several months now... It's really quite good. I've come from a Blackberry background - the developer of this app has got solid push support (ActiveSync), calendar and contact access and now task access.

The negative with a non BB phone is no flat rate intl roaming for email; however the Android support Wifi and I generally turn off roaming data and use WiFi.

The negative with a non BB phone is no flat rate intl roaming for email; however the Android support Wifi and I generally turn off roaming data and use WiFi.

Hopefully when TMO launched, they will offer a flat rate, similar to what they now offer for BB plan.

I still don't get the dislike for touchscreen "keyboards". I have no problem at all with the one on my iPhone.

I have been trying to use the new G1 touch screen option and I despise it. The G1 touch screen has always felt a little off to me, and I need to sort of angle down toward my selection to get the right choice (hard to explain), with the onscreen keyboard it is impossible. I hit the wrong key more often than the correct one. Really annoying.

I've been using the "Touchdown" 3rd party Exchange app for Android for several months now... It's really quite good. I've come from a Blackberry background - the developer of this app has got solid push support (ActiveSync), calendar and contact access and now task access.

The negative with a non BB phone is no flat rate intl roaming for email; however the Android support Wifi and I generally turn off roaming data and use WiFi.

Touchdown is brilliant, and the best app money I ever spent. Their support is also wonderful, and as a very early user they listened to me and several of the current features were done at my suggestion (among those of others, I assume). Only problem I'm having is that occasionally mail I read at work doesn't get deleted from Touchdown, and we can't figure out why.