The HTC G1 (code name HTC “Dream”) was the first Android phone on the market. It took the underground world by storm and has graced the hands of many as their first Android phone. Cyanogen, Koush, Obama, and maybe even Benjamin Franklin. So imagine a successor too this technological achievement. Basically anything short of a jetpack that makes calls would have been a disappointment, am I right? All jokes aside, I was really excited to go to the T-Mobile store and pick one up after hearing some good/bad things about it…

After the poor marks it received from my astute colleague MrPicolas, I knew it was up to me to get to the bottom of why a phone which succeeds the first Green Monster phone could even remotely be considered disappointing.

Pros:

Speed. If you aren’t into overclocking and rooting, then this phone actually packs quite the punch. Running an underclocked Snapdragon at exactly 806 MHz, we can see this baby was built for speed.
Size. This phone feels good in my hand. Plain and simple. Even feels better when held up to my ear. It has some weight to it. Maybe due to the fact the snapped a real titanium plate on the back? Does it help with reception you ask? We’ll get to that…
Software. It’s finally a pure Vanilla OS! Please excuse my excitement, but that is what I got into Android for in the beginning. Something plain and simple that I myself could customize! Not some 3rd party to muddy up!
Battery Life. I was using this thing constantly. Couldn’t stop playing with it. And at the end of the day it would be at 60%. To me, that is a huge factor. I need my phone to NOT die on me!

Unfortunately in this world you must take the Cons with the Pros. And these cons…are not flattering to an already tattered image.

Cons:

T-Mobile. I could literally go on for 48 hours straight on this carrier and how “bad” it is. So please just allow me a paragraph (or two). Kellex and MrPicolas have both heard enough whining about being on Edge more than 75% of the time during the 2 week period I had the phone (in San Francisco). God forbid that you walk into a room with 4 walls and a roof that isn’t a T-Mobile store. I myself have two offices and my home. Outside of these dwellings I have 3 bars out of 4 of the so called “4G”. Oh, but wait! Step inside these mystic caves of black void and you get a huge “X” and “Searching for Service” on your homescreen.
Really?!? This is 2010! Almost 2011, and already we have a major carrier concerned with what phones they offer over call quality and coverage area for their subscribers. I was lucky enough to grab a statement from the Regional Manager of the San Francisco T-Mobile branch. “We’re working on it and you should see a big difference within six months.” Not necessarily words of encouragement…
Hardware. I am not going to touch to much on this issue since it has been touched on by almost every other major blog/review site out there. Those Hinges will be a falling point for sure!

So what exactly does this mean? Well, if you have T-Mobile and somehow possibly like and receive service, then by all means, pick it up! You won’t be disappointed. If you were crazy enough to think about switching carriers for this piece of hardware….please don’t. I implore you to make another choice…

In a time where phones have front facing cameras, HDMI, and 3G everywhere you go (Verizon) – There is no reason for the general lack of “sweet stuff” with this phone. They really could of had a winner. Better luck next time!

–Tim-o-tato

Camera Shots: