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Android Phone Emulator

Martin Brinkmann — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:53:01 +0000

T-mobile setup a flash based emulator of their upcoming Android phone T-Mobile G1 which visualizes some of the functionality of the of the first Android phone. The emulator has its shortcomings like displaying the Android phone in the wrong size and some functionality is severely limited.

Taking those limitations aside the Android phone emulator does provide a good overview of some of the functions that the Android phone will offer. It is possible to get a first impression of the Google browser, Google maps and other functions like receiving calls, sms or mms. There is no real interaction with the emulator though. It is for instance not possible to use it to open any websites or actually call someone.

The flash based website about the Android phone contains two additional sections that are important if you want to get an impression of the phone’s dimensions because they seem to display the phone in the correct size.

The above screenshot has been taken from the Android phone emulator while the screenshot below was taken from the 360 view option. The screenshot from the Android phone emulator had to be reduced in size to fit on the screen while the screenshot below depicts the actual size of the original screenshot.

It would have been better if T-Mobile would have used the correct Android phone dimensions for the emulator as well so that potential buyers and interested users would get a real feeling for the phone’s dimensions which is especially important for tasks like web surfing, emails and the phone’s qwerty keyboard.

T-Mobile G1: A Closer Look

Martin Brinkmann — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:16:10 +0000

Google is pushing their Android operating system on the market and the first mobile phone that has been build on it is the T-Mobile G1 phone. It comes out in a few weeks in the United States and will be exclusively sold by T-Mobile in a deal that looks similar to the one Apple made with AT&T in the United States to sell their iPhone exclusively.

There is however one fundamental difference between Apple’s marketing strategy and Google’s. Android is an operating system and several companies are developing mobile phones based on the operating system which means more choice for consumers eventually.

The G1 is just the first phone based on Android and receives coverage because of that. Not everything is perfect yet though and the article tries to look at some of the functions and features that are missing or inferior to today’s standards.

It basically comes down to the user and the things that he might want to do with the phone.

A few problematic elements can be identified by simply looking at the announcements that have been made:

No support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync.
Uses proprietary headphone connection.
Access To Amazon MP3 store only over WLAN.
Media player seems to be incapable of playing videos, only Youtube supported
No Multi-touch.
Only 1 Gigabyte of Flash Memory, maximum of 8 Gigabyte supported
No video recording.
No virtual keyboard

Every user has to make the decision on his own if any of the missing features is a criterion to pass and wait for the next Android phone.

T-Mobile G1 First Google Android Phone

Martin Brinkmann — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:01:39 +0000

The mobile phone company T-Mobile announced a first version of a new phone called T-Mobile G1 just a few days ago. The mobile phone will be the first to make use of the Google Android Open Source plattform. The G1 will be manufactured by Taiwanese company HTC and hit shelves on October 22 in the United States in colors white, black and brown. Europeans have to wait a little bit longer – as usual – before they can get their hands on the phone that is also known as the gphone.

British citizens will most likely be able to lay their hands on the phone in November while the rest of Europe will have to wait until 2009 to do the same.

The G1 phone has some strong arguments on its side. The phone uses an Open Source operating system which will win the Linux crowd over in no time. The QWERTY keyboard comes in handy for everyone who uses his phone regularly for writing.

T-Mobile G1 Specs:

Processor: Qualcomm MSM7201A, 528 MHz
Operating System: Android
Memory: ROM: 256 MB, RAM: 192 MB
Dimensions (LxWxT): 117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm (4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in)
Weight: 158 grams (5.57 ounces) with battery
Display: 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution
Network: HSDPA/WCDMA: Europe: 2100 MHz US:1700/2100 MHz Up to 7.2 Mbps down-link (HSDPA) and 2 Mbps up-link (HSUPA) speeds. Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Keyboard: Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard
GPS: GPS navigation capability with built-in GPS receiver and map software
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate, Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b/g, HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
Camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus
Audio: AAC, AAC+, AMR-NB, MIDI, MP3, WMA, WMV
Battery: 1150 mAh
Special Features: Digital Compass, Motion Sensor

Not everything is that shiny however. One of the main disadvantages of the G1 phone is the missing headphone socket. The only way to connect headphones to the G1 is by using an USB adapter.

The T-Mobile G1 does a few things better than Apple’s iPhone namely the full QWERTY keyboard and the Open Source operating system. It’s not an iPhone killer but a worthy contender. One of the main selling points will be the applications which can be downloaded from the application shop.