Video: Android walkthrough on T-Mobile G1

Google just posted a few videos showing all the Google applications loaded on the T-Mobile G1. This includes Search, Maps, Gmail and Contacts, Calendar, Google Talk and You Tube all enabled with a single sign-on -- no further logins are required. The fact that these are fully synchronized to the web negates the need for a desktop application. Nice. Amazon MP3 store, IMing, Street View compass mode and plenty more highlighted in the videos posted after the break.

[horizontaleight @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:35AM]

Copy and paste.

[Andrew @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:50AM]

Any chance I can 'long press' and delete the entire user interface? Talk about fugly and dated.

Who needs Copy and Paste when the user interface nightmare is such a nightmare. Android
desperately needs some UI guidelines.

- Nothing is standardized. Not even the basics like contact list and
calendar.
- Multiple clicks to work the simplest of apps?
- Icons in a launch bar and on your desktop? why? Keep it simple and
pick a place for them.
- Some of those apps honestly look like crap. The music player alone
makes me feel like I'm in 1992.
- It has YouTube but no stand alone video player for movies or
podcast? oh yeah who cares since it only has 1GB of built in memory.

It's cool that its open source but come on Google at least show that
you care and put some thought into how people will actually have to
use the thing.

[horizontaleight @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:52AM]

The difference between a nerd and a hipster.

[mike @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:03PM]

"Nothing is standardized. Not even the basics like contact list and
calendar. "

are you kidding? its all synced to google which is telling you that its going to all be well formatted xml and vcards ect.

"the music player is ugly"
.... does it play music? does it make it easy to find what you want to play and search... yes? well then so what.

"podcast? oh yeah who cares since it only has 1GB of built in memory."
so add a 16GiG memory card!

[chefgon_ign @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:18PM]

"Icons in a launch bar and on your desktop? why? Keep it simple and
pick a place for them. "


Are you kidding? It works just like a computer, you can set up your most used stuff elegantly organized on the desktop, but you've got the Start Menu handy with a list of everything installed on your device. iPhone, Palm, and Blackberry all take the approach of throwing every single program on your phone into a big grid, forcing you to scroll through everything you have every time you launch something. I'd much prefer to take the stuff I use every day and put it front and center on the desktop, while still retaining quick access to everything else for when I do need it.

[Will @ Sep 23rd 2008 2:30PM]

Copy and paste you say?

sure thats the phrase you want to use mr iphone fan?

[Corazu @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:11PM]

@Andrew

You can customize Android - don't like the music player? There's probably already another one developed..or will be. That's the great thing about open source..if you don't like the way it is by default, you can change it.

[Brad @ Sep 23rd 2008 5:12PM]

@Andrew: "Any chance I can 'long press' and delete the entire user interface? Talk about fugly and dated."

Actually, yes. Android gives every element in the OS the ability to be superseded by another application you install. You can replace the music player, contacts, phone, even the general UI. Your list of ways in which it is different from the iPhone, while somewhat comprehensive, doesn't exactly read like a list of "flaws" to me. You don't like creating shortcuts, but would rather flip through a list of the dozens of apps on your device? That's cool. Some of us do. If you don't wanna use it, don't use it. If you think you can do better, go grab the Android SDK and get cracking! The beauty of an open-source device like this is that you could change everything and anything about it, and Google (or T-Mobile) will never pull down your app for improving their device. Isn't that neat?

In true, open-source form, "Put up or shut up."

If you decide to go the "put up" route, may I recommend "Hello, Android" from the Pragmatic Press. It is quite comprehensive and written at a very approachable level. Plus it is written around the use of Eclipse, which is virtually identical between mac, windows, and Linux versions.

[d00b @ Sep 23rd 2008 5:19PM]

For an "avid" cyclist, you'd think he can afford a better bike than one with entry-level Shimano Sora gruppo. I guess Google just don't pay lead product managers as well as they used to.

[myk.dinis @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:26PM]

"You can customize Android - don't like the music player? There's probably already another one developed..or will be. That's the great thing about open source..if you don't like the way it is by default, you can change it."

can you say Amarok!!! Wow! That alone would make me fall in love with this thing all over again!! That compass street view thing rox my sox!!

One other quick note... If they could port that palm video/space invader game...WIN

[loosely_coupled @ Sep 23rd 2008 7:00PM]

It could certainly use some ergonomics refactoring, but I don't think the interface is too bad. The primary problem I see that cuts across pretty much the whole system is the lack of software optimization. The whole interface is "choppy" and "laggy" - with a long delay to respond to your input. This problem is noticeable worse in the web browser. Check out the first Engadget video where the guy has an iPhone next to the G1, and zooms and pans around a webpage in each. The iPhone browser is much more fluid and smooth during panning and especially trying to zoom into small text columns to read.

I really hope Android succeeds over the long term, but it just isn't ready to go yet. They should have held this back another 3-4 months and worked on optimizing the platform. The iPhone was certainly not perfect at launch, and I don't think anyone is expecting that, but for all the initial bugs and crashes of the iPhone OS, at least it was optimized for performance and didn't show this screen lag and input problems.

[Justin @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:47AM]

So you sync through the web, which is accessible on any system, any OS, anywhere.

[irving @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:38AM]

so no the 32gb sd cards supported?

[Grammar freak @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:45AM]

Yeah, I really wish someone would release a phone that supported 16 or more gigs of music. then I could just chuck my ipod.

Also, syncing with itunes would help.

[drax @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:44PM]

@ Grammar Freak

Ever heard of the iphone? 16gb. Music player & video integrated. You've already sold your soul to Apple from your iPod reference, go worship with the rest of the iJesus fanatics.

[Marcelo @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:38AM]

And STILL no "Get it first" active on the site !

[DssTrainer @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:38AM]

Full contact, email, calendar integration between PC and phone is ridiculously awesome. I see GoogleTalk becoming a lot more popular now too.

[Quix @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:41AM]

"Full contact, email, calendar integration between PC and phone is ridiculously awesome."

Um, haven't smart phones (and even some non-smart phones) been doing this for years???

[DssTrainer @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:46AM]

I guess Outlook sync can do it, but that requires more software and has to be on your home PC. This is contacts ANYWHERE.

[Jiggs @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:52AM]

window live messenger contacts do this with no extra software. I have my live contacts on my phone, anywhere I log into wlm, at work, on my pc in the contacts folder (vista) etc. So its not really new. You don't need outlook.
Still, I am liking android. But I'm staying with windows mobile until its more mature. I dont really get the winmo hate. I'm new (4 weeks about) to winmo, but i love it. I have so many apps and have it configured exactly as i want it. And it freezes very rarely, and is east to reset without data loss. It only has frozen when I was doing nerdy stuff. It replaces a laptop for almost everything id use a laptop on the go for. I'm sure Android will do that too though.

[Greg @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:53AM]

Yeah, except its useless to about anyone that works in business. Its integration between google and the phone, not phone and your PC. No one personally I know uses gmail soley for their day to day activities, let anyone any business. Having to import and export contacts just sucks.

[DssTrainer @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:01PM]

Ah I see. I gave up on hotmail and live long ago when they refused to offer forwarding of mail to other accounts and stripped much of the email content on mail coming from gmail senders. Seemed childish. A last ditch effort to keep people with them forced me out even faster. I will just live with Google now until they become evil, and I'm constantly reformatting my PC and re-flashing my phone to find a faster WinMo setup.. so an Outlook sync is just not practical for me, nor WinMo i guess. To each their own

[HTCMogul.Info @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:07PM]

Actually you can sync everything on a WinMo phone over the air. You just need an exchange server and a data plan (And there are free exchange servers such as mail2web).

[kinezo @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:08PM]

@ Greg

You seem to be forgetting their google apps for enterprise. Now how slick of an end-to-end solution is that for your company? Google handles all your work email, calendaring, IM, etc.

Now issue each employee a G1 and they all have instant access to all of works programs. Hmm ... who needs to sync to their PC?

Just a thought.

I'm currently an iPhone user but have been quite eager about google's android (more from a dev. perspective though, as I'm a Java program by nature ;) )

[Jiggs @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:10PM]

I don't use hotmail either. Or live mail. I use gmail. (which winmo works well with, I get my emails direct to my phone all the time).
However, I use windows live messenger (create a passport linked to gmail to let you use gmail with wlm) to talk to my best friends and family, and being able to im them on the go is great. If they update their contact details, I get the new info on my phone. I use outlook and vista contacts (vista contacts is synced by wlm, but you dont HAVE to use wlm) to sync to my phone. Try xda forums for ways to make a hard reset winmo phone get the settings you want automatically. Windows mobile device centre seems very easy and fast to me, and practical. But as you say, to each their own. I'm a very happy winmo customer.

[Greg @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:25PM]

@kinezo

good point, I forgot about google enterprise solutions and yeah the integration would be nice. However, I still think the G1 needs a desktop sync application as the majority of the world and especially business operates on exchange/outlook with some unix mail servers mixed in. I just think lacking this feature is a major hindrance on the phone becoming popular and definitely stopping me from picking it up. I love the idea of open source and being able to develop for it easily (being a developer myself), but at the end of the day it still needs a solid core of functionality.

However, if there was a desktop application that could sync your PC (outlook) to google, that might not be so bad.

[FRZ @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:46PM]

@DssTrainer @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:01PM

"I will just live with Google now until they become evil."

Don't worry, that won't be too long. All the evil corporate execs from MS will just go to Google if that is where the money will be.

[M @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:41PM]

@Jiggs. Which winmo phone do you have, and what do you mean by "hard reset winmo phone to get the settings you want automatically"??

[DssTrainer @ Sep 24th 2008 12:07AM]

Usually when you install a fresh upgrade... either a custom rom or the one from your carrier (like a WinMo 6.1 upgrade), the phone is at its pristine install status. But its one of those quirks where some things still don't work right. So even tho it is a fresh install, it is usually best to do another Hard reset. Obviously this shouldn't matter, but its one of those phenomenons that seems to work.

[Quix @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

Ugly hardware. Ugly software. Disappointing. Wow.

Not that we expected software greatness from Google (originator of the Eternal Beta), but I had some hopes.

Is Google going the route of Microsoft by overreaching? Seems so.

[riggs @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:49AM]

wow. youre an idiot.

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:50AM]

when has google ever focused on making software look pretty. who gives a rats ass if it looks good if the os is broken, locked down, and lacks features. i would take ugly and functional any day of the week. plus its google, people are going to be making skins for it left and right.

[Brian @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:50AM]

@ riggs:

I second that

[Eddie @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:52AM]

Eye of the beholder my friend.

[Quix @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:55AM]

"youre an idiot." - Riggs

Case closed.

[mike @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:59AM]

are you crazy? it does every thing it needs to do and more. android is amazing and just keeps stepping up the game i wonder if anyone will be able to catch them in features any time soon. i have no problem with the design and THANK GOD for a keyboard and copy/paste too bad apple cant even figure out the basics. but ya know as for the looks im not looking for a fashion accessory or something pretty to hang on my hip, I'm looking for a nice piece of hardware that i can actually make do what i want without having to hack it or hope the company wont pull useful apps from the store 2 months from now....

[haX0r @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:00PM]

How's that dated, locked iPhone working out for you?

Welcome to the next generation of OS's that acutally work and aren't locked down by some overbearing, megalomaniac CEO.

[sru @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:05PM]

Considering that the prettiness was last on their agenda for this release, I think you are just complimenting the product. The software works smoothly, they already have a lot of free apps ready to go for the launch, and the platform is open source.

If you want pretty, you are better off spending your money (or justifying it) with the iphone, but if you want a phone to work the way you want it, you might want to get over the bubbly mac interface.

I think the interface is perfect for a first release, but it's all bells and whistles until regular users get their hands on it. I'll wait for more personal reviews before I add more laurels.

[Curnsie @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:29PM]

Wow, we must be all idiots for having an opinion...

[Quix @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:38PM]

"Wow, we must be all idiots for having an opinion..." - Curnsie

This is the Engadget comments section. Opinions are perfectly fine, as long as they don't 1) criticize anything from Microsoft, 2) praise anything from Apple, 3) criticize anything from Apple competitors.

If you add "I hate Apple, but..." to any of the above, you might be OK, depending on the mood of the Redmond Horde.

Look at the comment rankings and tell me I'm wrong.

[roz @ Sep 23rd 2008 1:58PM]

I agree with Quix. No reason to make it ugly - which it seems to be.

[iEye @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

Free games and Apps without Jailbreaking

Flash Players!

You Pron, You Tube, Flash Games (Oh wait there is not D-Pad)

[whowhatme @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:40AM]

maybe you could try the BIG MFing KEYBOARD instead

[OnlyShawn @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

how about some pricing?
phone: ?179, i think?
data: 25/35
voice: ??? standard tmo voice plans, or what? can this compete with my sero plan?

[MiMo @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:40AM]

Does not seem like anything special yet, iPhone still has the lead.

[iEye @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:41AM]

Love the iPhone-esque Demo videos...

[fh @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:57AM]

iPhone-esque? Is it because it's a camera zoomed in on the screen with some touchscreen action?

I really need a smite key on my keyboard so I can smack some sense into you.

[iEye @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:04PM]

C'mon, black backround + human hand....
...and that first guy with the hand gestures and scripted dialog...

I would roll over and die if I was not dead allready...

[John Datserakis @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:17PM]

black backround and human hand...

are you claiming apple invented that?

are you high?

[ian9outof10 @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:42AM]

Anyone else concerned about the fact that you MUST have a gmail account, and it will be associated with all of your activity?

Seems like this is a great way for Google to learn everything about you.