On a scale from 1 to 10, the G1 was just not as good as the iPhone.
I’ve had an iPhone for more that a year and a half. I waited in line at an AT&T store the at the mall in Capitola in Santa Cruz, CA in June of 2007 to get the first iPhone. I love my iPhone, and I’ve been generally happy with it since I’ve had it. Sure, there a f ew things here and there that I would change; I’d like better email service, and there should be a landscape keyboard available in every app, but on the whole it’s one of the best devices I’ve ever owned. Everything was grand, until recently.
In the last 2 or 3 months, I’ve had trouble talking on the phone. Specifically if I just hold the phone to my face, sans bluetooth or headset (you know, like a normal phone) then people on the other end can’t hear me. It’s an issue for me when my phone doesn’t let me talk to other people. I went to my local Apple store and asked about getting it serviced. They don’t do servicing. If it’s outside of warranty (which mine is) then I can do one of three things:
Deal with it
Buy a new 3G phone
Pay $200 and they’ll give me a brand new (or refurbished) phone of the same type
#3 doesn’t really sound like such a bad deal. $200, a brand new phone that lets me talk and has no scratches… I’m thinking about it. But, in the meantime, maybe I’d like a shiny new handset? Maybe it’s time for a cool new gadget. Voila, here comes the G1. The new Google phone has some nifty features that sound very attractive:
Full size (and quality) screen, comparable to the iPhone
Multiple nav options (touchscreen, roly ball, keyboard)
Full QWERTY keyboard - that’s RAD!
Google branding and software - that’s a nice, reliable, comfortable thought
It’s new - always fun
Let’s me push back emotionally against the Mac Fan-Boy feeling I sometimes have (I don’t like feeling like a super-devotee to anyone)
It’s on T-Mobie - some people count this as a negative, but I’ve found T-Mobile to be very reliable in my home and work place, and they have the best customer servicve that I’ve ever encountered in a mobile carrier
3MP camera - this is a nice upgrade from the 2MP camera on the iPhone, and I’m hopeful that they’ll come out with a video-recording application, which Apple steadfastly refuses to do (or allow)
So, in a fit exuberance I went down to my local T-Mobile store, checked out the device, and decided to just go for it. I mean heck, I’m paying a steep price to live in California, I might as well take advantage of some of the beneftis. In this case that includes a full 30 day trial period for any mobile carrier. Worst case I just have to pay for 30 days of service, and then I can still return the handset and get out of my contract. Low risk, possibly high reward.
So I took home the Google phone, and I’ve played with it for a week now. And I can tell you hands-down, it does not compare to the iPhone.
There are lots of things I like. The keyboard is great. The applications are amazing. I read Erick Schonfeld’s assessment on TC before I bought it, and I’ve found that I agree with him that the apps are the most fun and engaging part of the whole experience. I also generally agree with Eric Benderoff’s article from the Chicago Tribune. The G1 is not as pretty as the iPhone, but Google did manage to deliver an impressive first device. However, the overall experience just doesn’t compare. Here are some of my issues and reasons:
The phone freezes up sometimes - apps can take 7-10 seconds to load
Email pull is actually slower than the iPhone, and I was hoping for an improvement
The SMS interface (and the email interface) just doesn’t compare with the iPhone
It’s a handsome device, but the quality / heft / experience of holding it and using it just isn’t as nice as the aluminum backing on my iPhone
As a media player (music and video) it just doesn’t come close
I have three major tasks (“Major Tasks”) for which I use my phone: calls, email, and media player. SMS is a distant fourth. I’d say with phone calls the two phones are about a wash. For email, the iPhone has a nicer interface, accomodates more email services (G1 doesn’t play nice with Yahoo! mail) and has faster push and pull. And as a MP3 player / video player, the iPhone is probably the best gadget I’ve ever used bar none. The G1 can’t touch it.
Given my personal requirements, the Google phone just doesn’t cut it as a replacement to my iPhone. I’m better off to just suck it up and deal with the voice problem, or use the $180 + tax that I would have to spend on the G1 to buy a brand-new (or refurbished) iPhone.
To summarize, I was having trouble with my iPhone. I thought I could replace it with a G1, and have the joy of a new gadget while simultaneously supporting Google. I was wrong. The G1 is not a suitable replacement, or an improvement on any level (except the camera and keyboard.) I’m stcking with my iPhone, until something better comes along.
If I were forced to give the G1 a numeric rating between one and ten, I’d call it a seven. That’s pretty good, but my iPhone is still a nine.
So I have been using the iPhone Defender case from Otterbox for about 5 days straight now. I have some thoughts. I think the easiest thing will be to break this up into several categories:
Beauty
Fit and Finish
Protection
Accessibility
Functionality
Beauty: 8
The case looks great. There is no question that it bulks the phone up a bit, which is an unfortunate side effect of almost any case you put an iPhone into. But if you are into the rugged, rubberized look then I think you will dig the appearance of this case. I have the black model, and it looks serious.
Fit and Finish: 6
Ok, the rubberized, silicon skin is great. It doesn’t feel sticky, but it has the right amount of tack to keep it firmly in your hand. I like the feel of it. However, when you peel off the skin, the plastic underneath feels a little bit cheap. Also, it is nearly impossible to figure out to open the darn thing. At first I didn’t actually realize that the skin comes off. Once I figured that out, I couldn’t see how to open the plastic case itself. No doors, no levers, no buttons. I finally noticed that there were small holes in strategic locations around the outside of the case. I took a small screwdriver and pried those open, and the case finally popped free.
The whole time I was holding my breath because the plastic felt friable and likely to snap. It didn’t and the thing opened fine, but it was definitely not intuitive. Later, when I looked on the website I found this video about using the case - I wish I had seen it earlier. To be clear, you NEED to watch this video if you are going to own this case.
Protection: 8
This is a”lifestyle” case from Otterbox, meant for every day use. It is not waterproof, but it will certainly protect from every day bumps and drops, and a light rain sprinkle. For it’s intended purpose, I think this case performs admirably. It’s not supposed to protect from full immersion or nook-u-lar attacks. It works very well for casual, every day living and usage.
Accessibility: 6
As the website notes, you can not access the “silence” the phone using the the slider button on the top left of the iPhone. While they did disclaim this issue in the product write-up, the fact remains that this is a pretty core piece of functionality to be able to access. I was in a meeting, and then later ewnt to the movies (to see Rambo IV.) I did not want to go through the hassle of removing the case (it’s a process.) Both times I was forced to power off my phone, and it would have been much simpler use the silence button.
I could also have put it in Airplane mode, but that required more steps, and is not much quicker to come back than a straight up power-off. I don’t see why they don’t use another flap in the silicon cover or create some kind of toggle. There are plastic bumpers at the corners, presumably for both protection and for structural integrity, but this is not a bomb-proof case. I think they need to integrate this feature, it’s something I use every day.
Aside from the issue of the silencer button, this case give pretty good access to all the other features. The camera lens, home-screen button, volume buttons headphone plug and power plug all work fine. It is not possible to set the phone into its cradle while in the case, but it is easy enough to simply plug the cord directly into the phone’s base.
Functionality: 5
I did run into one major problem with the functionality of the phone while in the case. The issue was typing. Trying to type text messages and emails is SIGNIFICANTLY more difficult with the case on. The problem is the ridges on the side of the case. They stick up and make it very difficult to hit letters that are close to the edge of the screen. The touch screen is already difficult enough to type, and this makes it worse.
One other small problem was a weird issue. With the case and cover on, a wet spot would appear under the clear plastic cover, over the screen. It almost looked oily. I took the case apart and thoroughly cleaned both the plastic cover and the screen of the phone, but the problem persisted. Really weird, and very annoying. However, when I watched the video, I discovered that Otterbox is well aware of the problem, and has a solution. As the video demonstrates, before you put the phone into the case, you should clean it off and then rub your palm over the screen. This fixes the problem. I don’t know why or how, but it totally worked. If anyone knows why this works, please feel free to comment below. Bottom line, WATCH THAT VIDEO if you buy an iPhone Defender case.
On the positive side though, I am very impressed by how well the touch screen works, even through the plastic covering. It seems to me to be 95% as sensitive as it was without any covering at all, and that’s excellent.
Now for the total. If I add up all the scores (8+6+8+6+5) I get a total of 33. Divided by 5 we get an averaged score of 6.6, and we come out with a (rounded) total score of 7. So that is my review total for the iPhone Defender case from Otterbox, 7 out 10 and a confident recommendation. If you want a good looking case that will protect your phone and give you access to most of its features, this is a good purchase.
At $49.95 (plus tax and shipping) they are not cheap, but it could well be worth it to protect your (rather) expensive phone. Just be prepared to suffer a new learning curve in typing - if you are iPhone email freak or text-master then I would be wary of this case. And WATCH THAT VIDEO.
On a scale from 1 to 10, the G1 was just not as good as the iPhone. 
Full size (and quality) screen, comparable to the iPhone
