Here are 23 of photos of the T-Mobile G2 by HTC, a Google Android phone that works with the zippy HSPA+ network. I’ve only had the phone for about an hour, but I’m already impressed with its build quality. The body has a lot of metal, giving it a really nice heft (though wimpy boys might find it too heavy). The keyboard uses a unique hinge mechanism as opposed to traditional springs; it opens smoothly and easily, without the harsh clack that many slider phones have.
I’ll be putting the G2 through its paces throughout the next week. For now, check out these photos and let me know if you have any questions about the phone.
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@ Rpad
I'm not sold on the track pad, what are your thoughts on that? Also which version of Android is that running on?
Does the keyboard seem unnecessary after having used quite a few devices that are strictly virtual? The device looks nice but the qwerty seems unnecessary to me. I don't know though. Hmm. Damn if TMo had HSPA+ here I'd be hard pressed not to grab that.
@Big Blak Some people love the track pad. I am not one of those people. I think it's a stupid waste of space.
The G2 is running Android 2.2. People are calling it stock Android. It's slightly, slightly modified.
@smartguy I will use the keyboard for the (not a) review, but after that I will definitely not. I'm a Swype guy now. Perhaps I'll change my mind after more time, but initially I like the Droid 2 keyboard better than this one. Let's see.
yeah I don't think i'd use the trackpad either. well i await your verdicts on this device. do you happen to have any benchmarks on it as compared to the Galaxy line? Are we gonna get a video of you comparing this to another device? haha.
SWYPE ALL THE WAY!!!
Thanks Rpad, your the man with the master plan. I'm sure I'll have more questions later on today or tomorrow beacuse TMO is my carrier and I do want to upgrade to a phone with at least a 3in screen.
@smartguy I ran a quick Linpack test, but it's not really fair since the Fascinate is 2.1 and the G2 is 2.2. The former got an 8.something, while the latter got a 32.something.
I can't help it but the more I see this phone the more I don't want it even though HSPA+ is sweet. It reminds me of a Sidekick from the future (when the Sidekick was out and about back in the day) today and I loath the Sidekick for various reasons and anything that resembles it. I know that might sound silly but its true. Also I know there will be a better phone around the corner so I'm going to pass on this one but it is a very nice phone.
@Big Blak The rumored upcoming HSPA+ phones are a Motorol with Blur and an MyTouch with Espresso Sense. I'd rather have the vanilla-ish version of Android.
I'm liking the hardware so far. Super TFT LCD is pretty nice — definitely better than regular TFT.
@ RPAD
Really? That is poop I strongly dislike the Blur interface and I haven't played around with the Sense UI too much. So why is this phone vanilla-ish what is so slightly different?
@Big Blak The tethering and WiFi hotspot features were removed. A card system — that I quite like — was also added. Btw, I really like the normal version of Sense, but dislike the Espresso version that was made for T-Mobile. The Genius Button is dumber than Apple's Genius Bar.
@Rpad
That is making my decision even tougher now, I want a larger screen, vanilla Android, good camera, and no keyboard. Guess the G2 is looking like my best option.
@Big Blak Yeah, the rumor is the Motorola is 3.7" and the MyTouch HD is 3.8". I'm really liking the G2 so far. There are a bunch of minor things that bother me — useless trackpad, wish the capacitive buttons were bigger, wish it had a bigger screen, etc. The keyboard is also mostly useless to me.
G2 doesn't have tethering?
@smartguy Not first-party. I'm going to try EasyTether on it.
@snartguy After using it, I don't consider it vanilla Android.
@Rpad
How big is the screen?
@Big Blak It's a 3.7" Super LCD on the G2.
@Rpad
Interesting. Is that a huge negative? You can not answer that. I'll just wait for the article.
Impressed with HSPA+. Sadly, I'm not getting that signal in my building…not that I'd need our with wifi and all.
Ah so does that still count as vanilla if they remove parts of the OS?
That is unfortunate but I have wifi as well. Are you getting no signal or is it 3G?
@Big Blak I'm getting regular HSDPA — about 1MB down and 1.2 up. If I got a few miles away I can get HSPA+ which is…well, you'll see in the review.
@ Rpad
Thats right this just the unboxing thread lol sorry dude. No pressure but what you say about this phone in your (not a) review will play a major part in deciding my next phone purchase.
I need to play around with a phone that has the Sense UI.