Several important but unanswered questions about the G1/Android

[Kostas]

Hello

This is my first post so i am hoping i am not breaking some forum rule about creating new threads but even though i looked for answers to my questions i could find any.Most should be easy for somebody who owns a G1.

1) I ve read that applications can only be installed on the onboard memory.Does that mean that once it fills up you have to uninstall some of the applications in order to install new ones ? That would be a huge problem since hundreds of applications are going to be released in the future

2)I ve read many complaints about the video player that is available on the market.Some reviewers said they couldnt even get it to work.Also i think that it can only play the same files as that of the iphone so you will have to convert practically all of your videos in order to be playable on the G1.Is that true ? Is there any reason why we shouldnt expect another video player that can play divx xvid or maybe even wmv ? This is a huge issue for me

3)Is there a way of accesing the market without owning a G1 ? Some web interface for example ? For instance even though i dont have an iphone or an ipod touch i can browse through the applications using itunes.Can i do the same with the android market ? The closest i ve found is the market section here on androidforums.Also is there a way of downloading the .apk files to try them out on the emulator ? I found only two here but only one of them worked for me.


3)Has anyone seen any videos comparing the iphone and the G1 under Wifi ? I ve seen a few 3G speed tests but since signal quality may vary and i dont live in the US i would like to see a more objective comparison.Can anyone do this and post the results here ? Or maybe even post a video ?

4)How good (or bad) is exactly the keyboard ? Most reviews i ve read werent very flattering when it came to the keyboard but i dont remember seeing any comments comparing it to the iphone keyboard.I know they re very different things but i find the iphone keyboard to be just a little bit worse than adequate and i assume since the G1 has a physical keyboard its going to be better.Can you type faster on the G1 or the iphone ?


5)Its said that the G1 has true multitasking.Is it really 100% true multitasking ? Can you jump from your browser to the IM client without logging off ? Can you do that while you re in a call ? When you switch between tabs in the browse does each tab remain responsive or does it have to reload as it sometime does on the iphone ? So to put it in different words is it more like a pc or more like the iphone ?

6)Since the G1 doesnt have a standard headphone jack you can only use the included hands free set.If you use an adaptor can you still have the remote control functionality of the hands free set ? Has anyone heard of 3rd party accessories for the G1 ? I am using in ear earbuds with my mp3 player.Am i going to be able to use in ear headphones/hands free with the G1 ?


This is all i can think for now , thanks for your assistance !

 

[Phases]

Very well constructed post, thank you for that. I trust (hope) one (or more) of our G1 users will be able to get solid answers for you.

Welcome to the forums. There is a rules thread, but so far so good.

 

[Roadmasta01]

Hello

This is my first post so i am hoping i am not breaking some forum rule about creating new threads but even though i looked for answers to my questions i could find any.Most should be easy for somebody who owns a G1.

1) I ve read that applications can only be installed on the onboard memory.Does that mean that once it fills up you have to uninstall some of the applications in order to install new ones ? That would be a huge problem since hundreds of applications are going to be released in the future

2)I ve read many complaints about the video player that is available on the market.Some reviewers said they couldnt even get it to work.Also i think that it can only play the same files as that of the iphone so you will have to convert practically all of your videos in order to be playable on the G1.Is that true ? Is there any reason why we shouldnt expect another video player that can play divx xvid or maybe even wmv ? This is a huge issue for me

3)Is there a way of accesing the market without owning a G1 ? Some web interface for example ? For instance even though i dont have an iphone or an ipod touch i can browse through the applications using itunes.Can i do the same with the android market ? The closest i ve found is the market section here on androidforums.Also is there a way of downloading the .apk files to try them out on the emulator ? I found only two here but only one of them worked for me.


3)Has anyone seen any videos comparing the iphone and the G1 under Wifi ? I ve seen a few 3G speed tests but since signal quality may vary and i dont live in the US i would like to see a more objective comparison.Can anyone do this and post the results here ? Or maybe even post a video ?

4)How good (or bad) is exactly the keyboard ? Most reviews i ve read werent very flattering when it came to the keyboard but i dont remember seeing any comments comparing it to the iphone keyboard.I know they re very different things but i find the iphone keyboard to be just a little bit worse than adequate and i assume since the G1 has a physical keyboard its going to be better.Can you type faster on the G1 or the iphone ?


5)Its said that the G1 has true multitasking.Is it really 100% true multitasking ? Can you jump from your browser to the IM client without logging off ? Can you do that while you re in a call ? When you switch between tabs in the browse does each tab remain responsive or does it have to reload as it sometime does on the iphone ? So to put it in different words is it more like a pc or more like the iphone ?

6)Since the G1 doesnt have a standard headphone jack you can only use the included hands free set.If you use an adaptor can you still have the remote control functionality of the hands free set ? Has anyone heard of 3rd party accessories for the G1 ? I am using in ear earbuds with my mp3 player.Am i going to be able to use in ear headphones/hands free with the G1 ?


This is all i can think for now , thanks for your assistance !

#1 -That is the case right now, but I would assume/ hope that they will add the ability to select where to save/ install apps.

#2 - driect quote from description on the market. " this application plays video files from the SD card. File should be MPEG4 or 3GPP with H.264 or H.263 video and MP3, AAC, or AMR audio. Videos need to be 480x352 or smaller to play back properly." I haven't had any throubles getting files to play, but I say a how to encode for G1 thread on another forum so I had help with that. So yes you would have to convert anything that you would want to put on the phone, but is just what googled offered up to have something available for us which I am very grateful for that.

#3 - I don't believe there is a way unless you have the phone. don't hold me to that though, I just know of a way.

#4 - I've played with a firends IPhone and I like the the keyboard on the G1 better. It like typing on a 101 keyboard with your thumbs for me.

#5 - It has multitasking. Andrioid keeps your programs opened until it needs to close one in which case it will close the oldest one opened. But in order to switch between programs you have 2 options: 1) hold down the home key and it will display the last 6 apps/ progs opened and you can swap in between with that and you go back to where you left off. 2) there is a task switcher app on the market that will act like Alt+Tab in windows but as I understand it it does the samething as the home except the activation buttons are different - holding the camera button or pressing space+search on the keyboard.

#6 - there a ext-usb -> 3.5mm headphones jack adapter but I don't know about the loss of hands free functionality.

 

[Kostas]

Thanks for the reply

I wish you had some better news for me.These are most of the things i have to consider (that and the fact that the G1 is huge !) Before buying one.I guess i ll have to wait until i can use it for myself when it comes here.I still cant decide though if this or the iphone is the best choice for me.Of course theres always the option of waiting for other android phones but from what i ve heard we wont be seeing those for sometime...

 

[Roadmasta01]

Edit on #5 - the task switcher app shows all running proccesses, the home button just shows the last 6 opened.

Secondly, have you held the G1 yet? - thougjt it was going to be bigger than what it is. It is suprisingly small.

 

[Kostas]

No i havent seen it yet.I ve heard about this before.Many people say that its smaller than it looks.I hope its true but still its 150 grams.I ve used a friends ipod touch which is something like 100grams and smaller than the iphone and the G1 and it still felt pretty big and heavy in my hands.But i ve never owned a smartphone before so i guess thats the price you have to pay...

 

[moe19]

hi - i'm not sure if anyone had posted this link i just wanna share this to you all http://www.g1depot.com/

 

[Roadmasta01]

No i havent seen it yet.I ve heard about this before.Many people say that its smaller than it looks.I hope its true but still its 150 grams.I ve used a friends ipod touch which is something like 100grams and smaller than the iphone and the G1 and it still felt pretty big and heavy in my hands.But i ve never owned a smartphone before so i guess thats the price you have to pay...

I've played with my friends 2G iphone and it didn't feel much lighter. But I like how the G1 feels it isn't dainty or flemsy feeling. But this is my first smart phone so I am in the same boat as you as far experience with these things. Good luck on which ever one you go with though.

 

[rogue6]

The G1 keyboard is easily the second best I've ever used, falling firmly in between the Sidekick and BlackBerry families. In fact, its strikingly similar to the Sidekick line, which is an excellent thing. The only complaint I have about it is the keys are flatter than what I'm used to. However, its just a matter of time before I forget that even bugged me.

As far as comparing it to the iPhone keyboard, well there is no comparison in my mind. Its a matter of preference to a lot of people, but to me a physical board is always easier to use than a virtual one.

 

[punkzanyj]

hi - i'm not sure if anyone had posted this link i just wanna share this to you all http://www.g1depot.com/

This is like the 3rd G1 store I've seen, why are they all selling the exact same merchandise, why do they all have the exact same layout? Was there a kit sold to everyone with the same coding?

 

[tnkgrl]

As I pointed out in my blog (see my profile), this Ext-USB to 3.5 mm headphone adapter preserves headset functionality while allowing you to charge/transfer data (by replicating the USB port):

http://shop.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=02369&dept_id=002&cat_id=0312

I've ordered one and I'll keep you posted.

 

[jimczyz]

I also thought i was going to be bigger than it is but am glad I was wrong. After using a T Mobile Wing, this phone is small and light in comparison. So far I haven't had any problems or complaints. I love it. All I need is to find a charging cradle and I'm good yto go.

 

[Oleg]

Have you noticed a "Low on space" notification which when expended reads; "phone storage space is getting low" yet?. How can they expect people to use the android market if I can only hold the apps on the phone's memory. I called T-mobile and was told that I cannot transfer the apps to the SD card!!! Doesn't this defy the whole purpose of this phone, use of the android marker and paying $25-$35 for unlimited use of all this. I should only be limited by the size of my SD card. Any suggestions on how to copy them to the SD card or do we need to wait for an application to that. The T-mobile "G1 Tech Support" were as puzzled as I was.

Thank you,

 

[Flatman]

Have you noticed a "Low on space" notification which when expended reads; "phone storage space is getting low" yet?. How can they expect people to use the android market if I can only hold the apps on the phone's memory. I called T-mobile and was told that I cannot transfer the apps to the SD card!!! Doesn't this defy the whole purpose of this phone, use of the android marker and paying $25-$35 for unlimited use of all this. I should only be limited by the size of my SD card. Any suggestions on how to copy them to the SD card or do we need to wait for an application to that. The T-mobile "G1 Tech Support" were as puzzled as I was.

Thank you,

My take is that this will be fixed in the future, but is not possible as of right now. That's what I have read anyway.

 

[bg4m3r]

Ignore this... I don't know what happened, was posting to a completely different thread, lol