Don't Flip Yet—This BlackBerry's Still in Beta
A rare misstep for RIM, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 combines interesting new hardware with software that's a bit underbaked. Hold off on buying a Flip until there are software revisions to fix the many bugs I encountered on my early review unit.
I question the reason for the 8220's very existence. but RIM execs insist that there are a lot of people out there who won't buy a phone that doesn't flip. So the first clamshell BlackBerry device was born. When it's closed, the Flip is about the size of a BlackBerry Pearl 8120, with a handsome black face and deep red body. There's a big external screen and a camera on the front, and various buttons and ports on the sides (including the useful BlackBerry mute button). The microSD card slot on the side even accepted the latest 16GB SanDisk card without a problem.
The crisp 2.3-inch, 320-by-240-pixel screen and a hybrid SureType keyboard were both a pleasure to use. But in terms of software, my 8220 was so buggy that it felt as if it had been released too soon. On the first call I made from a Bluetooth headset after a cold reboot, when I flipped the phone closed, a garbage message briefly appeared on the external display. When I played music, closed the flip, and hit the up and down volume buttons quickly in sequence, the external display went wacky. And at one point, the external screen clock just vanished—I could bring it back only with a cold reboot. But the biggest problem, by far, was with the Web browser, which struggled with JavaScript and loaded pages at a painfully slow pace. Wi-Fi wasn't much better. Overall, RIM has built some solid hardware here. But I can't recommend a phone that's this buggy until the kinks have been worked out,—SS
PC Magazine January 2009
BLACKBERRY PEARL FLIP 8220 (T-MOBILE)
T-MOBILE G1
A Solid First Try for Google Android
The first-ever Google Android smartphone is a respectable initial effort that. given an open development platform. willgrow with time. It's missing a bunch of key features, such as a decent mediaplayer and support for corporate e-mail. But the G1, manufactured by HTC. is a quality phone with few bugs.I'm confident that more features are on the way.
The 5.6-ounce Cl looks like a grown-up Sidekick. It has a big 3.2-inch. 320-by-480-pixel touch screen that's bright and responsive. Volume and camera controls are on the sides oft he handset, and the 3-megapixel camera is on the back. Slide the screen up to reveal a comfortable little QWERTY keyboard. You get about 60MB of available space for apps and data, as well as a slot for a microSD memory card.
A quad-band EDGE. dual-band HSDPA phone (1,700/2,100 ). the GI works on T.Mobile's 2G and 3G
networks in the U.S. and on high-speed networks overseas. We achieved 6004-to-700-kilobit-per-sec-
ond speeds in the GI's browser on the 3G network which is fairly typical for a 3G phone. We also con-
nected to our WPA2-secured 802.1Ig wireless network without a problem.
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Calls on the GI sound terrific, at least to the user, the person on the other end may hear background noise. E-mail reads well, but attachment support is poor. As you might expect fro m a Google phone, the GI has one of the best Web browsers around. There are holes in the phone's media capabilities: There's no video player or video camera, for example. Nonetheless, the Cl is a phone with a bright future that's worth checking out.-Saseha San
PC Magazine January 2009
T-Mobile G1
The Android smartphone is here, but can it topple the competition?
ALTHOUGH IT SUFFERS from a few hardware flaws, the first smartphone to use Google's Android platform, the T-Mobile G1, outshines much of the competition thanks to a fun-yet-smart OS and a unique set of features. Aggressively priced at $179 (with a two-year contract), it merits the top spot among T-Mobile's high-end offerings. The G1 also showcases Android as a capable mobile platform.
Manufactured by HTC, the thick, 5.6-ounce G1 lacks style when compared to other new smartphones. That said, it does have a smooth finish with rounded corners. The big 3.2-inch display doubles as a touch screen, and it has a 320x480 resolution. Below the display is the G1's "chin," a part of the phone's front that juts out slightly, and that's where you'll find tactile navigation controls including a clickable trackball and dedicated Call, Home, Menu, Back, and End Call buttons.
Much of the phone's girth is due to the G1's sliding screen, which kicks out to reveal a full QWERTY keypad. The keys, which closely resemble the T-Mobile Sidekick's, are square-shaped and sufficiently spaced to prevent accidental spokes. The
keypad also has a backlight, which is great
for dark or low-light environments. Because the buttons are flush with the phone's surface, however, they're not always responsive. Furthermore, the G1's
chin makes it painfully awkward to type messages while holding the phone horizontally.
The phone has a loud mono speaker on the
back, along with a 3.2-megapixel camera. Video capture isn't supported, and the camera has no flash, which is a shame, considering its impressive resolution.
After a brief star tup, the G1 boots up to a clean, configurable home screen. The home screen is a three-page panorama. and you can flick between pages with a swipe of your finger, much like you do on Apple's iPhone 3G. By default, the center page features an analog clock with a preconfigured number of application shortcuts. Google Search is displayed on the right page, and the left page is intentionally left blank for adding other app shortcuts. Overall, the G1's interface is on par with the iPhone's and proved to be clean, fun, and very intuitive.
Android is based on an open platform, which means any software publisher can design programs for it, and this is where the G1 really shines.The Android Marketplace, Google's answer to Apple's App Store, houses numerous apps that take advantage of the GM features. Compare Everywhere, for instance,
takes advantage of the G1's camera by letting
you scan barcodes and comparison-shop on the
fly. Amazon.com also takes advantage of the phone's media capabilities and lets you download DRM-free songs directly from its MP3
Store.The G1 doesn't currently offer as many apps as the iPhone, but its initial offeting is nonetheless impressive.
As expected, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Calendar are tightly integrated with the G1's OS. The G1 remains synced with Google's Webbased services from the moment you power it on, requiring you to sign in with a new or existing Google account. Through cloud computing. Android eliminates the need to manually sync your phone directly with your PC. And as with all things Google, don't expect native support for Microsoft Exchange.
Although call quality on the Gl was superb, our 3G support was spotty throughout New York City and parts of New Jersey. Likewise, the G1's GPS signal wasn't always clear. Web browsing was relatively quick with the G1's
snappy Chrome-like browser. NYTimes.com, CNN.com, and our own ComputerShopper.com sites each loaded in just under 30 seconds via 3G. Besides 3G, the phone supports the slower EDGE network and faster Wi-Fi networks. Bluetooth also comes built in.
In out testing, the G1's battery lasted 12 hours and 30 minutes (with Wi-Fi off) in moderate 3G and Internet use. Using the G1's GPS for extensive periods drains the battery, but otherwise, battery life is stellar for sending/receiving calls, Internet use, and running applications.
Unfortunately, the Gl has some minor first-generation shortfalls. For instance, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack for use with most headphones on the market, and there's
no way to sync your contacts and calendar with your PC directly—you must rely on cloud computing. (MP3s and photos can be synced between the phone and a PC or Mac via drag-and-drop.) Despite the few complaints and first-generation glitches, however, Android is a promising platform that we're excited to see on other handsets in the future, and the Gl itself should be on top of every T-Mobilevcustomer's list.—Louis Ramirez
www.tmobile.com
Computer Shopper January 2009
T-MOBILE SIDEKICK 2008
Customization over Quality?
The Sidekick 2008 is a fashion item and an expression of identify, not a geeky toy. Its choice of customizable, interchangeable skins is its best feature. The designs are panted directly onto the Sidekick's body, an effect that looks classier, feels smoother, and is much more durable than a sticker.
At 4.7 by 2.3 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and 53 ounces, this Sidekick is a slimmer version of the Sidekick LX. The 2008 version retains the signatures swiveling screen, now a bright 240-by-400-pixel color panel. The trackball, on the right, pulses in multiple colors, and the backlit keyboard is an absolute joy, with firm, nicely spaced keys.
The Sidekick is a terrifict gadget for texting, picture messaging, and IM. The IM client supports AIM, Microsoft Live, and Yahoo! Messenger. E-mail performance is a mixed bag. The Sidekick does push messages from its own TMail account and can check up to three accounts, but it stores only a paltry 6MB of e-mail and 100 text messages. Web browsing is mediocre, but the elegant music player supports a good selection of formats. The photos from its 2-megapixel camera were lackluster, and video was shaky.
As a quad-band EDGE world phone, the Sidekick 2008 has decent all quality, but reception was so-so. If you're set on Sidekick, this is the one to get. But consider whether presonalized skins make up for the tiny mailboxes.-Sascha Segan
PC Magazine November 2008
