Unboxing the T-Mobile G2/HTC Desire Z, part 1

Say “hello” to the T-Mobile G2/HTC Desire Z, successor to the Dream/G1 and similar in specs to the Nexus One, but with a slide-out keyboard, HSPA+, and a dedicated 2-stage camera button!

The G2 is the US version, featuring plain Android 2.2, while the Desire Z is the world version, topping FroYo with a sprinkle of HTC’s Sense UI.

I’ll have some pictures of the G2 for you soon. In the meantime, enjoy my unboxing video (above) and my first power on video (below)…

Motorola CLIQ in pictures

The Motorola CLIQ was a prophet, hinting at the future… It told us Schaumburg was coming back to life. It told us that Android was the new lifeblood pulsing through Motorola’s veins. The Motorola Droid was the messiah, securing its title as Motorola’s comeback device!

So what of the CLIQ now? Eclipsed by the Droid a mere 2 months after being born, is it completely irrelevant or is it a worthy phone in its own right? After weeks of requesting a CLIQ review unit (since Mobilize), the people at T-Mobile finally obliged. Better late than never, I guess :)

Podcast: Talking with tnkgrl #22

It’s time for another podcast (26 min):
- Audio version
- Video version

Matthew Bennett (Nokia Daily News, US Mobile Industry) is back, but props to Tony Peric (fone frenzy) for editing the video :)

This week we discussed the Google Nexus One, the Nokia E72, the Motorola CLIQ and the Palm Pixi Plus!

Other topics include hacking the T-Mobile G1 on the bus (?), Twitter clients for Android, and the free, reborn Ovi Maps…

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Device of the year: Motorola Droid

What a fitting picture :) Say ‘hello” to the Motorola Droid, my choice for device of the year!

I would have picked the Google Nexus One if it was available today, and I would have picked the Nokia N900 if it was more accessible, but the Motorola Droid made a bigger impact on the mobile industry…

Samsung T939 (Behold II) in pictures

A little over a year after releasing the HTC Dream/T-Mobile G1, T-Mobile recently introduced its fourth Android device, the Samsung T939 (Behold II), and provided me with a review unit :)

The Behold II follows in the footsteps of the T929 (Memoir) and the T919 (Behold). Like them, it’s a nice touchscreen phone with a good camera. Unlike them, it’s a smartphone running Android, with a capacitive OLED display, WiFi, and standard audio & USB connectors…

Pictures taken with the HTC Hero

Talk about déjà vu… Sure, the HTC Hero features a 5 megapixel camera, but compared to the 3 megapixel camera on other HTC devices, it’s just more of the same!

But I’m not complaining – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” :)

Podcast: Talking with Matt #18 (Android special)

It’s time for another podcast (25 min) with Matthew Bennett:
- Audio version
- Video version

This week was all about Android – the T-Mobile G1, the HTC Magic, the HTC Hero, the Motorola CLIQ, and of course the Motorola Droid.

We also discussed the Nokia N900, the Nokia N86, the Samsung Memoir, the Palm Pre, BlackBerry 9630 (Tour), the Sony Ericsson C905a and a few other things.

As a bonus, enjoy the lovely view from Bernal Heights :)

Click here to subscribe to this podcast.

Unboxing the Motorola Droid, part 2

Sure, the Motorola CLIQ and HTC Hero are very nice, and the HTC Magic and T-Mobile G1 are pretty good, but this phone takes Android to a whole new level!

You’re looking at HAL 9000 the Motorola Droid, the first Android device with 2.0 (Eclair) and a 848×480 pixel screen – possibly the slimmest (and hottest) QWERTY slider ever designed…

Feast your eyes on my unboxing pictures, and if you’re still hungry for more, check out my unboxing video :)

Pictures taken with the HTC Magic

déjà vu \ˌdā-ˌzhä-ˈvü, -ˈvue\ noun: a feeling that one has seen or heard something before

The HTC Magic camera is identical to the T-Mobile G1 camera, and similar to the HTC Touch Pro camera – if you’ve read my review of the G1 camera, you’ve read my review of the Magic camera :)

Apple iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre camera

iPhone 3GS sample pictures (slide show):

Pre sample pictures (slide show):

OK, you’re probably thinking this is a bit of an unfair comparison – although the Apple iPhone 3GS camera lacks an (arguably useless) LED flash, the Palm Pre camera lacks the (absolutely essential) auto-focus, as well as video recording…

But, other than the difference in camera and storage specs, the missing GSM/UMTS radios, and the limited selection of apps, the Pre provides 95-105% the iPhone 3GS user experience and features a QWERTY keyboard – that is pretty impressive!

People currently looking for a subsidized über-phone in the US are going to compare the iPhone 3GS and the Pre (and perhaps even the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm). So what about the 3 megapixel camera on each device?