[Lancaster] Android G1 phone?

[Sam Barnett-Cormack]

Mike Dent wrote:
> Hi,
> I seem to recall some mention of the G1 phone on this list a while back, has anybody got one.
> If so how do you find it?

I like it, although there's less pro-quality software than a lot of 
other, more commercial, smartphones. Google didn't particularly bother 
with app development, leaving it to the community. The community have 
responded, but there's a little more quantity than quality.

The integration with google's webapps is great, especially if you 
already use googlemail and googlecalendar, as the main email app is a 
googlemail frontend and the calendar exclusively works with google 
backed calendars. I didn't use all this stuff before I got the phone, 
and now me and my fiancee both use google calendars, shared with 
eachother, and find it very convenient. Google calendars can be shared 
with various desktop apps via custom providers, or via CalDAV.

> Is there any VPN client yet?

Not sure - no use for it myself.

> Ssh client?

At least one good one that I use

> Rdp client?

VNC clients - a couple of them. Not tried it yet, but by the Market 
ratings, there's one good one and one dubious one.

> What is the t-mobile 3G coverage and speed like round lancaster?

Speed a little variable around Lancaster, but coverage is pretty much 
universal everywhere I've been (except the uni Underpass, where it's 
variable, and near the coolers in M&S).

When the speed is good, it's pretty damn good, and when it's bad it's 
more fits-and-starts than slow per se.

> How do you find the keyboard?

I use it purely with my thumbs, as I did my old Nokia E61 (with 
blackberry-style keyboard). It's fine, although the layout takes a 
little getting used to. I find their choice of which keys to prioritise 
(no need for modifier keys) a bit odd, but overall I've had little to no 
problems.

It'd be nice if the screen had the option of using a stylus, but one 
gets used to finger-usage. The only badly thought out aspect of this is 
the screen unlock. It uses a graphical pattern - you trace a path 
through a 3x3 grid of nodes. Unfortunately, I've found this ends up with 
a visible trace after a while unless I thoroughly wipe the screen, and 
that visible trace would make it easy for someone else to guess the pattern.


Hope that helps,

Sam