Android phone - anyone using it?

[nudone]

i'm looking at the Android phone thingy. might sign-up for one. question is, is it any good mobile browsing, i don't really care about the rest of it - i won't be watching videos, playing music or even using it like a typical phone. just browsing.

maybe the questions is, is the android thing better than the ipone for the internet? i like the idea of a real keyboard for email so the iphone gets thrown in the bin straight away on that one.

anyway, anyone know what they are talking about regarding the gadget (cos i certainly don't).

[nite_monkey]

I don't personally own a G1, I'm on AT&T.
But here is a pretty good video of the web browser.
It looks like it might be a pretty good browser

[nudone]

thanks for that. the browsing doesn't look too bad.

now i just need to decide if it might be better to get a netbook, which ought to be better for what i want but the monthly fee is more and you have less monthly allowance - G1 on t-mobile is 'unlimited' usage, unlike other mobile broadband offers.

[Eóin]

I've a Windows Mobile phone, browsing on that with Opera is fantastic. Not sure if that's of anyway help to you?

[davidqxo]

I've been using the Android G1 since soon after it came out. I use it for all the usual smartphone functions, as well as browsing.

The thumb keyboard works well for me, and the browser seems fast and easy to use. Panning around on pages not formatted for a mobile device feels intuitive and easy.

This phone replaces a Palm Treo 650 that I used for many years. The G1 is much lighter in weight and better in form factor. Keyboard is a little better to use, too.

I had become hugely tired and annoyed with syncing my contacts/calendars/email across platforms, so some years ago I moved everything to Gmail. When the G1 came out I jumped on it. I'd rate it 7 out of 10 for my purposes. There are a number of usability features that can, and will, I expect, improve with software maturity. For example, only way I can see to get camera pictures to my computer is to tediously email them one by one.

I'll be happy to reply to followup questions.

[hwtan]

I'm using the Android Developer Phone (ADP), which replaces my Sony Ericsson M600i. Never use the iPhone, so unable to do a comparision. However, compared to the M600i and WM5 device before that, it has a very nice Webkit-based browser with Javascript support. The Half-VGA screen provides more real estate for display and combined with the trackball which allows you to scroll from part of a page to another both vertically and horizontally, provides a pretty good browsing experience.

The keyboard is pretty good as well once you get used to it. I have my email hosted with google, so the synchronization provided by Android was a plus, though somewhat disappointing because the native gmail apps was kind of restrictive compared to accessing gmail mobile using the webkit browser.

As mentioned by david, there are other bits and pieces that could be improved for a better user experience, but overall, I did rate it pretty awesome as it is.

[Ath]

I'm very interested in those mobile i-net apparatus, if only they came with a decently large screen so I can read it without my reading-glasses, and a very small size so it would fit in my pocket... Guess I'll have to wait for a foldable or roll-up screen

[nudone]

thanks for the replies. i think i'm going to wait for a while - either until i decide it's something i must own or until the G1 is updated. now i've looked at a few reviews it sounds good but missing a few features.

[Deozaan]

I recently got a G1 and I really like it.

The biggest problem with the browser (and other internet functionality) is that unless you're connected to a WiFi (or maybe BlueTooth or 3G) connection, you've got download speeds close to that of a modem (i.e. not broadband). That is, downloading information through the cell phone towers is slow. But if you can connect to a WiFi hotspot, then it's great!

I'm not sure if Bluetooth or 3G would have significant improvements over the EDGE connection I get from the cell towers, since I don't have access to either BT or 3G in my location.

[nudone]

right. well, i was hoping that 3G would be working in my area - i know that it's not perfect coverage though.

i see that there are new phones coming out that are Android enabled, samsung is doing one, can't remember the other. so, maybe in a few months i'll look at getting one.

i'm glad you like it though, Deozaan.

[ak_]

I just got a HTC G2 and even if i've been using for only a day i can already say it's brilliant It comes with Android 1.5 (Cupcake) and its use is really smooth, it's actually over my expectations : it's pretty, smart, fast... And when i think about the fact that Android is going to get bigger and bigger over the next month, my head spins For a "young" system, there are already a lot of great (free) applications. Ok i stop there or i think i'm gonna wet myself

[nudone]

sounds good, i shall have to investigate...