Review: Despite Its Bulk, G2 Smartphone Gets It Right
Sunday, October 17th, 2010Two years ago, the Android invasion began when T-Mobile released the first smart phone running Google’s Android operating system, HTC’s G1.
Since then, a parade of increasingly capable and sexy-looking Android phones have hit the market, making the G1’s then-cool 3.2-inch touch screen and side-sliding QWERTY keyboard look quaint. One more just joined the fray: the G1’s successor — a speedier, flashier and more capable smart phone called the G2.
Like the G1, the G2 is equipped with a touch screen and a physical keyboard that slides out from the side. Other than that, though, it’s a completely new device that is bulky yet quick and clever.
On the surface, the G2 is eye-catching with its combination of brushed metal and silvery rubberized plastic flanking a large touch screen that runs 3.7-inch diagonally.
And, when you can find T-Mobile’s new network, called HSPA+, it is speedy, too. The G2 is the first phone that operates over this new network — essentially a souped-up version of its existing 3G cellular network — which is meant to make such tasks as downloading apps, streaming videos and surfing the Web much zippier.
One evening, I visited one of the spots in San Francisco where I was told I’d find this faster network, pulled out the G2, and immediately saw a huge change in speed. Suddenly, high-quality YouTube videos played back quickly and flawlessly, without needing tons of time to restart at the right place when I tried to fast forward or rewind. Web pages loaded faster than I could groan about slow loading times.
In a way, it’s a good thing that this network only exists in small pockets. To find one in San Francisco, T-Mobile had to equip me with a list of local businesses that are in range. If it were everywhere, I might have gotten hit…
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