I traded in my BB pearl for an Android-based G1. So far I’m super impressed! I’ve had my G1 for a week now. There are tons of reviews out there on the G1 and I’m not trying to compete with that. I just want to document my own thoughts so far.

First off, I love that it syncs with my Gmail, Google Calendar and Gmail contacts. My BB synced to my Google Calendar but it was not nearly as seamless. Gmail is much more usable on the G1 than it was on my BB. My contacts didn’t sync.

I love the Wifi feature. We don’t have 3G yet on T-Mobile where I live. So being able to link to my home wireless network is awesome. I can browse faster. I HATED using the internet on my BB. The browser was horrible and the EDGE network didn’t help things at all. Now I can pull up websites quickly. I can save bookmarks to the home screen which makes life easier.

Picture of G1

Some people have expressed a dislike for the adapter that is needed to use head phones. I like it personally. The adapter allows there to be only one port on the whole phone, rather than a data/charging port and a headphone jack. The adapter also allows you to use any headphones you want with the hands free feature since the mic is on the adapter itself. Check out the pictures, one with just the adapter and one with headphones plugged into the adapter.

G1 with headphones

I’ve enjoyed searching for apps in the Android Market. There are tons of useful applications available. I’ve tried many of them. They are easy to install and easy to uninstall. It seems that there are new ones added each day. I had trouble trying to install a bunch at a time, so I’ve tried to one download them one at a time now. To mention some of my personal favorites: Flashlight, G-Notepad, aSettings, TuneWiki, Any Cut, NightClock, twidroid, Password Safe, and Bubble. These are the ones that seem to work well close to 100% of the time. There are some others that I like as well but they can be buggy and not completely reliable.

If you like entertainment, there are plenty of games to keep your attention when waiting in line or at the doctor’s office. There are cool puzzles, PAC-MAN, and even the old school Snake we all used to play back in 1998 on our free Nokia phones.

There are a few things I dislike but not many. I don’t like the way my keyboard back-light makes it hard to see the keys at times. Although I’ve heard that’s not a problem on the black or the white models (I got the brown or “bronze”). I wish I could add more home screens. I’ve quickly filled up my 3 home screens. Also, as many people have noted, the battery life is horrible, especially if Wifi and GPS are enabled. I’ve also disable 3G networks since unless I head over to Tampa or Orlando there’s no use in having my phone search for something that isn’t there. The phone is thicker than my Pearl and the iPhone because it has the physical keyboard under the screen. I keep my phone in my pocket (no nerdy belt phone holders for me) which means a bit more bulk. Most of the time the phone is in my hand though, so no big deal.

I’m extremely pleased with my purchase. I know that Android and the applications will continue to progress and get better. HTC, the company that makes the actual hardware, is a company with a good reputation for making quality phones. I’m really looking forward to watching the Android platform move forward and I’m glad I will be able to experience it first hand. And to the Goog… good job guys!