HTC Dream – Google Android Phone

All the while I thought I will be waiting until next year to get hold of an Android powered phone. It slipped my mind that I belong to a broadsheet (Manila Bulletin) that is the premier source of technology innovation. That is why I was able to try and test the one and only Google Android Powered phone here in the Philippines.

The T-Mobile G1 (previously known as the HTC Dream) is an Internet-enabled smartphone designed by High Tech Computer Corporation of Taiwan. Phone highlights are as follows:

- 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with HVGA (320 X 480 pixel) resolution.
- Full 5-row QWERTY keyboard.
- One-click Google Search™.
- Customizable Home screen with instant Email, text message and IM notifications.
- Instant access to mobile Internet services (Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™, Google Talk™, Google Calendar™).
- High-speed 3.5G network connection.
- Wi-Fi technology with seamless transition to open networks.
- Android Market™ with access to variety of software and media downloads. (some fees may apply)
- 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus.
- microSD™ (SD 2.0 compatible) expansion slot for all your storage needs.

More than the features of the phone, I am more excited about the operating system, that is Google Android.

One thing I want to know is how fast can I navigate my way through the phone? How fast can I move from one application to another? In other words, I want to know the speed of its performance.

My verdict – it is fast. Faster than the phones I tried using Windows Mobile 6.1, and even some other Symbian powered phones. The applications are cool. The way the menus and the icons are placed makes navigating around the phone a breeze.

You can really tell that the phone was made with one thing in mind – INTERNET. The phone is packed with web applications, games and web destinations. More significant is the availability of one application called “Android Market” where users will be allowed to download applications for free. I would say this is the equivalent of Apple’s Appstore and Microsoft’s SkyMarket.

When it comes to style, its a long shot from Apple’s iPhone. But in terms of functionality and ease of use, the Google phone can give the iPhone a run for its money.