Category: Today’s Specials

My review of the T-Mobile G2 by HTC continues! If you haven’t read the first part then you might want to check that out. This time around I’m going cover the phone’s call quality, screen, and Internet speeds. Remember, this is T-Mo’s first HSPA+ phone and the company is claiming that it offers “4G speeds”. Now let’s get to it!

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Call Quality
Making phone calls on the G2 is mostly an excellent experience. I made around three hours of calls in the last week and was very impressed with the phone’s clarity. Voices sounded fantastic through the earpiece. Speakerphone was another issue; voices (and music) sounded a little tinny and shrilly through the speaker.

Voice transmission was very clear. Talking in a “normal” environment, the people I spoke with said that I sounded great; a few commented that it didn’t sound like I was on a mobile phone. That said, the G2 doesn’t deal as well with heavy background noise as the Motorola Droid X, which has three noise-canceling mics. I conducted a few calls at the intersection of Wilshire and Vermont in Los Angeles, which has loads of bus and car traffic. The people I called could definitely hear the background noise, unlike calls made with the Droid X.

Out of all the Android phones I’ve used this year, I would put the G2 behind the Droid X in terms of call quality. It’s definitely better than the Evo 4G and Samsung Fascinate. While the Droid 2 has better noise cancellation, the earpiece on the G2 is noticeably clearer.

As always, your mileage may very depending on the T-Mobile coverage in your area.

Screen
The G2 sports a 3.7-inch Super-LCD screen. To paraphrase the immortal words of South Park’s Big Gay Al, “It’s super! Thanks for asking.” *snicker* Seriously though, it’s a very nice screen that’s bright and that has accurate color reproduction. Images and text are clearer than standard LCD screens, but colors aren’t nearly as vibrant as AMOLED and Super AMOLED screens.

It’s really a matter of preference. I think that general consumers would prefer the outstanding brightness and super-saturated (but over-pronounced) colors of Super AMOLED. Tech nerds and those with a discerning eye would likely prefer Super-LCD’s more accurate color reproduction and better outdoor usability.

As for the size, I wasn’t a fan at first, but I’ve gotten used to it. Initially I had accuracy problems using Swype and the phone’s virtual keyboard, but those went away after a few days. Overall, I think the G2’s screen is very nice, but I’d still prefer something in the 4-inch range. With that in mind, I was surprised that I was so satisfied with this screen. It’s really tough going back to this size after using the Evo 4G, Droid X, and Fascinate. While there were certainly times I wished the screen were bigger, I was mostly fine with the 3.7-incher on the G2.

Internet Speeds and HSPA+
A lot of tech nerds have their panties in a twist over T-Mobile saying that its HSPA+ network offers 4G speeds. Well, it does. I happen to live in a city where HSPA+ is available and was thoroughly impressed with the speeds. When I was able to get HSPA+, I averaged around 5.5Mbps down and 1.6Mbps up. While this is far from the theoretical max of 14.4Mbps that T-Mobile has listed, it’s as good or better than what many people are getting on Sprint’s WiMax network. HSPA+ signal is also better than WiMax at penetrating buildings.

Although Los Angeles is an HSPA+ city, I was not able to get HSPA+ signal everywhere I went. In those cases, I was getting around 1.3Mbps down and 1.4Mbps up on regular 3G. For example, I was not able to get HSPA+ in my building, but it was available in areas less than two miles from my apartment.

T-Mobile has been very aggressive with its HSPA+ deployment. If it’s available in your area then it’s a big selling point for the G2. As I mentioned with call quality, your mileage may vary depending on T-Mobile’s coverage in your area.

Next Up
To wrap things up, I’m going to cover the G2’s photos and video quality before giving your my final thoughts on the phone. Again, I’m surprised by how much I like this phone — so much so that I’m thinking it’s a keeper. If you have any questions, shoot ‘em off in the comments section and I’ll try to answer them.

T-Mobile kicked off the Android frenzy in America with the HTC G1. Although that phone had its quirks, it was a glimpse of Android’s excellent future. For a while, T-Mobile was the premiere Android carrier in America, but Sprint and Verizon surpassed it with phones like the Droid, Droid Incredible, Evo 4G, and Droid X. The company is striking back with the HTC G2. This Google Android 2.2 phone features a rock-solid build and compatibility with T-Mo’s blazing HSPA+ network.

The first part of my review will cover this excellent phone’s build quality, battery life, software, and performance. If you’re the impatient sort, here’s a spoiler-free summary: I’m shocked that the T-Mobile G2 has become my favorite Google Android phone of 2010.

Build Quality
The G2 is built like a tank, with ample use of metal. It’s relatively small compared to recent Android releases, measuring 4.68” (L) x 2.38” (W) x .58” (H). The phone feels heavy, especially in contrast to super-light Samsung Galaxy S phones like the Verizon Fascinate. It’s definitely a matter of personal preference, but I think that most people would prefer the feel of the G2. Its heft and use of metal give it a luxurious feel. The G2 feels like a $500 piece of consumer electronics, while Galaxy S phones feel like display models.

One of the big hooks of the G2 is its slide-out keyboard. Instead of the customary spring-loaded slider, the phone has an unusual hinging mechanism. It works well. The keyboard slides out smoothly, without the harsh snap found on most sliders. The keyboard itself is very good, with nice spacing and three programmable buttons. That said, I preferred the feel of the Droid 2’s keys. I recommend trying it out in a store for yourself instead of listening to a guy that has sworn off physical keyboards in favor of Swype.

Software and Performance
The pre-release buzz on the G2 was that it would use the stock version of Android 2.2 (FroYo). It does not. The G2’s OS is very, very close to vanilla Android, but features like WiFi tethering have been removed and subtle usability tweaks have been added. Pretty much every Google Android app known to man has been pre-installed and you can’t delete any of them. The good news is that the OS runs smoothly and it will be easier for HTC/T-Mobile to bust out Android updates since it’s almost the stock version.

Android 2.2 is a nice step up from 2.1. The interface is smoother and features clever tweaks (I love how easy it is to switch between Gmail accounts in 2.2). The JIT compiler makes everything much, much faster. Although skins like HTC Sense and Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 add some nice usability features, most of them are not worth having to wait longer for Android updates.

As for performance, the G2 reminds me of WWE NXT season two’s Husky Harris — an army tank with a Ferrari engine. As you can see from the benchmarks I took, the phone flies. Some people were turned off by the phone’s “only” 800MHz processor — don’t believe the hype! It’s a newer version of Snapdragon that’s faster and more efficient. In real-world testing, it’s noticeably faster than the Samsung Fascinate running Android 2.1 (1GHz Hummingbird) and the HTC Nexus One running Android 2.2 (1GHz Snapdragon, first-gen) — apps launch faster, scrolling is smoother, etc.

Battery Life
This was the biggest and most pleasant surprise using the T-Mobile G2: the battery life rocks! The combination of a smaller screen (3.7 inches) and a more efficient processor really lets the phone last throughout the day. Using the G2 for the last week with my typical nerd usage (lots of browsing, tweeting, Foursquare check-ins, email, maps, etc.), I averaged 16.5 hours on the G2’s 1,300 mAh battery. There were even two days where I hit over 17 hours! Out of all the Android phones I’ve reviewed in 2010, the G2 has the best battery life by far.

Next Up….
That’s it for the first part of my T-Mobile G2 review. The next installment will cover the phone’s screen, HSPA+ speeds, voice quality, camera, and more. As always, if you have any questions about the phone, ask away!

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Samsung has totally upped its game with its Galaxy S line of Google Android phones. With variants available on all four major American carriers, the Galaxy S line offers a strong choice to every consumer, regardless of their coverage situation. All four phones share the same roots — Google Android 2.1 with Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 and a gorgeous four-inch Super AMOLED screen — but there are differences between the various models. The Samsung Fascinate for Verizon is one of the better choices. I was very impressed with the phone’s look and feel, but there are some curious software choices and performance issues to consider. Let’s break it down!

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Build Quality: Although the Fascinate has an ample four-inch screen, it’s surprisingly thin and light. It’s so light that it’s easy to confuse for a display model. A big reason for the phones lightness is that its body is almost all plastic. It doesn’t feel cheap by any means — though it does look like an iPhone 3GS wannabe — but it doesn’t offer the luxurious feel of metal.

A lot of people feel that phones like the Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo 4G are too big to be pocketable. Those people will love the size and weight of the Fascinate. While I prefer having a larger screen, I acknowledge that most people will prefer the size of the Fascinate. It offers solid (if not overly impressive) build quality, feels great in your hand, and is easily pocketable.

The Screen: Most people will be dazzled by the Fascinate’s Super AMOLED screen. It’s just frickin’ gorgeous. The colors are super vibrant and the screen is bright. It makes TFT LCD screens look dull. There are some caveats though. Some colors — particularly reds and purples — are over-pronounced. TFT LCD screens are also easier to see outdoors. Although some colors aren’t reproduced accurately, I think most people will prefer the brightness of Sammy’s Super AMOLED screen.

User Interface: Going into this (not a) review, I was dreading spending time with Samsung TouchWiz. Version 2.0 was garbage. I’m pleased to say that 3.0 is quite good. It offers several little touches that make the Android experience smoother. I particularly liked having control of the WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth radios in the notification area. The music player is also much better than stock Android’s. Thanks to the phone’s potent CPU/GPU combo — which is currently the best in the business — everything ran smoothly.

That said, there were a few things I didn’t like. Having four icons stuck at the bottom is another iPhone feature that was borrowed. I don’t need to see those icons on all seven menu screens. I really don’t like that Bing and Bing Maps are the default choices for search and location. In fact, you can’t change the default search engine at this time (Verizon has claimed that this will change in future updates). All that said, I’m impressed with Samsung’s improvements to TouchWiz 3.0. It’s not quite as good as HTC Sense, but it’s as good as what Motorola has done with its Android customizations. (Of course my personal preference is vanilla Android for its speed and faster updates.)

Call Quality: The Samsung Fascinate’s combination of powerful hardware and smooth software allow it to do many things excellently. Making calls isn’t one of them. I found the call quality to be average. Incoming voices sounded a little tinny. The phone doesn’t have the noice-canceling wizardry found in the Droid X either. It’s not a bad phone for making calls, but if voice is a priority than the Droid X is a better choice on Verizon.

Camera: Samsung has been making some of the best camera phones for years, so my expectations were pretty high for the Fascinate. They were mostly met. Photos taken outdoors or with ample light were among the best I’ve seen from an Android phone. Indoor photos and low-light pictures were trickier. It’s easy to get nice shots when messing with the various settings, but quick shots taken indoors can result in poor photos. Unlike the Evo 4G, the Fascinate has one LED flash instead of two. This can make a big difference indoors…particularly when you’re drunk. Here are some sample photos (see if you can guess which ones were taken under the influence of wine and beer).

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Random Thoughts: After using Android 2.2 (FroYo) on the Evo 4G and the Droid 2, it was tough going back to 2.1. There were a few times when I thought, “What is this caveman crap?!?” I really missed having Flash too. Although Samsung has promised a Galaxy S FroYo update in October, who knows when a Fascinate-specific build will be submitted to Verizon and approved. Samsung has a bad reputation when it comes to updating Android (see the Behold II), so there is some cause for concern. However, I think the company has learned from its past mistakes. Hopefully Verizon leans on Samsung for a fast update.

Conclusion: This is the second-best phone in the Galaxy S line. Unlike the AT&T Captivate and T-Mobile Vibrant, the Fascinate has a camera flash and doesn’t suffer from the ridiculous GPS issues that plague its siblings (though it’s still not as accurate as other phones I’ve used). The Bing issue will annoy some users, but that should be getting fixed in the near future. The Fascinate isn’t quite as good as Sprint’s Epic 4G, which has a keyboard, front-facing camera for video chat, and WiMax connectivity.

For Verizon customers, the Samsung Fascinate is an interesting choice. I love the call quality and screen size of the Motorola Droid X, but I prefer the screen technology and UI of the Fascinate. They’re both excellent phones — it just depends on what your priorities are. If they happen to be a pocketable phone with a brilliant screen, wicked CPU/GPU, and a snappy interface then you can’t go wrong with the Fascinate.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions about the phone. If I didn’t answer them in the (not a) review then I’ll try to cover it in the comments section.