Put Google’s G1 in same class as iPhone

The Google phone is now the second phone I’ve forced myself to put down so I could get some sleep.

The first was Apple’s game-changing iPhone.

What remains to be seen is if the Google phone will have the same impact that Steve Jobs’ beauty has had. I can say this: It deserves to be part of the same conversation as the iPhone.

Called the T-Mobile G1, it goes on sale Wednesday.

The phone’s debut is significant because Google, like Apple, has the muscle to change an industry. The G1 is the first of what is expected to be many phones using Google’s Android open-source platform.

Is this G1 better than the iPhone? Well, are the Cubs better than the Sox?

The G1 is better if you like a physical keypad to tap out messages. If you’re enamored by the iPhone’s multitouch controls, the G1 may not impress you.

The G1 is an attractive phone, even if it is thicker and heavier than the iPhone. It’s intuitive, too. In the week I’ve been testing it, I have yet to open the manual.

The G1 runs on T-Mobile’s new 3G network and is largely controlled by a touch screen, but not exclusively. There are three ways to navigate: touch, a keypad and a trackball. I completely overlooked the trackball at first. But when I handed the phone to my wife, a BlackBerry user, the first thing she did was use the trackball.

“BlackBerry users gravitate toward the trackball,” said Rhone Rarick, T-Mobile’s senior brand manager. “Younger consumers gravitate toward the keypad because they like to text a lot.” Four hard keys sit on the bottom of the phone. The keys are for making and ending a call, one for the home screen and a back button.

Activation was a snap: You’ll be prompted for a Google account if you don’t have one. My phone was activated and my contacts were downloaded onto the G1 in minutes.

The iPhone remains the sexier product. You won’t buy the G1 because it wins the beauty contest. But as Google’s first phone, it’s impressive.

THE GOOD

Touch screen: It’s very responsive and the best I’ve used outside of Apple’s multitouch screen.

Multimedia: It’s easy to add music, pictures and videos.

Browsing: The Web browser has a neat feature, called Window (hmmm), that shows four open Web pages at once. Tap on one to enlarge. Also, you can increase or decrease the size of a Web page with the touch of a finger.

The Android market: Like Apple’s App Store, it shows promise: There will be 50 third-party programs available at launch with more to come. I’ve downloaded several applications, including a faithful version of Pac-Man and one to watch the preparation of a recipe.

Compatibility: Works with Macs and PCs (but not iTunes) for media downloads.

THE BAD

Privacy: You need a Google account, which worries some privacy advocates.

Software: It cannot access Microsoft’s Exchange software, widely used in corporate America. Expect that to change as it did with the iPhone.

Headphone jack: The G1 does not include a standard headphone jack. You must attach the included headphones into a mini-USB port, the same one used to charge the phone. If you’re charging, you can’t listen to music. Plus, you can’t use third-party headphones to improve the average sound, a very un-Googley approach.

XEric Benderoff writes about technology for the Chicago Tribune. Contact him at ebenderofftribune.com.

2008 Chicago Tribune