T-Mobile G2 visit

It finally seemed liked I would be able to soon have access to a GSM Android with a solid build and hardware keyboard, and I was ecstatic! The fact that HTC was the sole T-Mobile G2 manufacturer made this news even sweeter to my ears. If one company could produce a capable qwerty with tactile buttons in an appealing layout within a sturdy, polished form factor, it was most certainly HTC. Amidst the vast inventories of touch screen units being shipped endlessly from factories, this was a moment to break the cycle. In my eyes, the G2 would be a preview to the best of what was yet to come from Android handsets. Despite initial fears of a smaller screen and lack of TouchWiz perks, I held high expectations as I walked into a local T-Mobile store.

At first sight, the device simply sat there at its own kiosk in the empty sales floor as I made my way towards it. Calming my impulse to go running for my first grasp of the G2 was a bit difficult, but then something else came out of left field: a T-Mobile salesman. I kept silent when he took hold of the phone as he greeted me with a warm Saint Nicholas smile and started the usual probing questions. A part of me immediately wanted to not waste time and kindly tell him to leave me alone, but I relented and allowed him to get a few words in. However, that all came to an end when he proceeded to give me a tour of the sliding qwerty gem. After imploring him to part ways and leave me be since I was familiar with Android, I finally had privacy with the new G2.

It was cool to the touch and then reminded me of previous devices that had a similar blending of metal and plastic in their construction. No creaking or loose parts were detectable on the body, and the hinge opened and closed just fine. The addition of the trackpad cursor was welcomed and brought back memories of my time with the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and Nokia E72. Chrome accents along with the silver-gray coloring gave the Nexus One cousin a high-end appearance devoid of any gaudy tendencies. Form factor sizing was compact and was not found to be chunky with the sliding keyboard in closed mode. I couldn't see much of the back since the G2 was attached to a security tether, but it was great to see a LED flash at the 5 megapixel camera lens. I honestly don't remember if there was a physical shutter button, but I did see volume rocker keys.

There was nothing noticeably new about the interface other than the fact that it ran Froyo 2.2 and resembled the Nexus, but that's ultimately not why I was there. Sliding open the qwerty revealed detailed keys paying homage to the preceding Touch Pro 2, and there was an unexpected gloss to the overall finish. Much more attractive than the small baby teeth that made up the MyTouch Slide keyboard, the G2 alternative looked like a dream come true...until I started typing. There was absolutely no ample amount of tactile feedback, and I was denied the privilege of having that reassuring click from models like the Touch Pro 2, E71, E72, Bold 9000 & 9700, and the Epic 4G. At that instance, I had flashbacks to the Nokia N97 and a Motorola Droid at a Verizon store outing. The keys did not feel far enough from the platform to grant a sufficient pressing motion. To claim that it felt like typing on a solid surface would have been a stretch, but the G2 came extremely close! Testing with the preinstalled Quickoffice app yielded mixed results. While having the keyboard seemed fine for short SMS and email, prolonged writing did not have the potential of being the G2's forte.

Having that negative first impression unfortunately set the tone for the remainder of my time with the handset. I was suddenly put off by the smaller screen and began to yearn for my Captivate's larger SuperAMOLED. Working the camera and successfully shooting HD quality video was hampered by sound not working on the demo. Seeing proof of T-Mobile releasing 4G into Hampton Roads via the solid "H" in the taskbar as web pages quickly loaded still did not shake my judgment. The G2 had failed at impressing me with what it offered to the mobile industry. While I was sure that many T-Mobile customers would take to it, I simply filed it away with the previous MyTouch slider and called it quits. Once again, I would be stuck without a physical keyboard on Android...and Samsung would continue to drag its behind in releasing an unlocked GSM version of the Epic 4G.

I understood that I could possibly come off as a whiner and a picky phone consumer, and it could be that nothing would ever satisfy me. But after my lengthy time with the Nokia E71, I knew that I could stay with a model and be totally content as long as my needs were being met. Even after my not-so-positive experience with the G2, I could at least be glad that the interface retained the look of stock Android. My wait for a suitable phone would continue on, and it would only be a matter of time. A friend of mine would soon come by to show off his new G2, so I was at least hopeful that my issues were only attributed to the demo...but I could only wait and see.

TRENT SMITH
Sent from my Samsung Captivate
trentsense.com
trentsensevideo.com

To clarify things, the following pictures are of a friend's G2, not my own. I am still holding to the Captivate for now.