T-Mobile G2 Touch deals & review

Summary

The G2 takes Google Android-based phones to a whole new level, thanks to the fantastic and totally customisable User Interface onboard. The phone is set up to offer you the ability to completely customise just about ever feature the phone has, and also allows you to keep close tabs on all your nearest and dearest by making all their status updates, messages and calls available to you in one place. The G2 feel like it´s been completely designed around you, a claim that many manufacturers may try and make, but that very few actually deliver.

Specs

• Google´s Android OS
• Qualcomm 528 MHz processor
• ROM: 512 MB; RAM: 288
• 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen (320x480 HVGA resolution)
• Network HSPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz; up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Trackball with Enter button
• GPS Internal + Antenna
• Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireles
• Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus
• MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media Audio 9
• MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media Video 9
• 1350 mAh battery
• Talk time: up to 420 minutes for WCDMA; up to 470 minutes for GSM
• Standby time: up to 750 hours for WCDMA; up to 440 hours for GSM
• microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
• G-sensor
• Digital Compass
• 112x56x14.3 mm
• 135g with battery

Details

The distinctive design of the G2 is the first thing that´s going to catch your eye. But it´s as practical as it is distinctive, though, not simply a gimmick. The lip or curve at the bottom end means the handset fits perfectly not only in your hand, but also to the curve of your face as you make a call. And the bevelled edges on the back make it as palm friendly as you could hope for. Also, the phone is also coated in Teflon (yep, that´s right – the stuff from non-stick cooking pans!) that makes it feel somehow both tough and soft at the same time. And, of course, it also keeps the handset both clean and scratch free. The G2 also features a capacitive touchscreen, which works using the electrical energy in your skin to interact with an electrical field in the screen. This technology is so precise, in fact, that you don´t actually need to touch the screen for it to sense your finger, you just need to bring it close. The on-screen keyboard, thanks to all this and more, is just about the best we´ve come across. With a unique feature that makes it seem like the keys are resisting your pressure as you type, you´ll feel like you´re using a physical keyboard. Really impressive stuff!

The impressive 3.2” HVGA display on the G2 is also a winner. Whether you´re browsing graphics heavy internet sites, watching videos or playing with apps you´ve downloaded from the Android Market, all of it happens on a wonderfully clear and bright screen. There´s also all the usual smartphone functions and features here too, including GPS, a digital compass, a g-sensor (gravity-sensor) that lets you move and shake the phone in set ways to activate different functions. The G2 also boasts a 3.5mm headset jack, something sadly neglected on previous Android phones. The G2 also features the useful Search button similar to other Android phones, something that lets you make contextual searches of everything from friends´ status updates to SMS conversations to your inbox, meaning you´ll never lose anything on your phone again.

The newly designed User Interface is also a stand-out feature here. The interface, making its proud debut on the G2, is not only useful but a whole lot of fun too. It works like a skin on top of the Android OS, and makes all your interactions and experiences much more enjoyable and customisable. You can even set everything on the phone from how it looks to where every single widget is placed (what you want, where you want it), to how all your favourite people are shown, to... well, just trust us: you can change everything you want!

Conclusion

Want Google´s incredible Android on your phone?... then this just might be the best option currently out there.