I know its probably being sold in some stores to new customers, so tommorow's arrival date may be moot, but its the day that i'm getting my G2
By all accounts it is the definitive successor to the G1.
To question that, to whine about memory subtraction, to complain that the hinge is supposedly loose, to say that the lack of a FFC (front facing camera) is a dealbreaker, is to basically call yourself an asshole, a primadona, and worst of all a "fanboy"
The biggest selling point for the G2 is that the OS is stock android 2.2, with no skin ontop of it. If that confuses you let me break it down.
a skin is a layer of programming, usually a user interface unique to the manufacturer to make the experience something that they, themselves created. HTC has "sense", Motorolla has "blur", Samsung has "touchwiz".....each one brings the manufacturers signature to whatever version of andoid is running on a phone, for better or worse, usually for the worse, tho htc and samsung have gotten better at it, from every account ive personally heard, blur is horrible, plain horrible.
"stock" android as its called is pure android, unhindered by a skin, its faster, smoother, and gets OTA updates quicker than any phone running a skin on top.
the next selling point is the OS is the latest and greatest android OS, 2.2 or "froyo" as its called. Android code-names every update in the OS alphabetically and after a desert. they seem to have skipped "A" unless A stands for android, there is no B either.....but the first official update to android 1.0 was 1.5 called "cupcake", 1.6 was called "donut", 2.0/2.1 was called "eclair", and now 2.2 is called "froyo....each update brought new features and usability.
Future updates are coming as early as the end of this year.....android 3.0 being called "gingerbread" will see major changes in the UI, hopefully for the best, the next update after that, coming in early to mid 2011 is codenamed "honeycomb"...whether that will be 3.1 or 3.5 is still to be seen.
Anyways, enuf of the android history lesson. Android 2.2 brings lots of new features over prior versions, the use of 7 homescreens as opposed to 3 on the original G1, and 5 on the nexus one. The cool thing about android homescreens is the ability to put as much or as little on a screen as u want. U can put a picture that will scroll a bit across the 7 homescreens and nothing else..or u can litter the screens with as many apps as u feel fit to put on there. u can even move them to whatever position u want them to be at for your convenience. for the 2 apps u use the most, android 2.2 has two customizable buttons to the right and left of the app menu button. Automatic two way syncing of your google homepage though a feature of the android OS since ver 1.0 is worth noting again here for android newbies. any contacts you add on your android phone, automatically get copied to your google homepage and vice-versa. so imagine u are in a hurry and smash your phone or lose it down a sewer grate, u wont lose your 200 contacts or any of your email messages. because when u buy a new android phone, u simply have to enter your google account information and within seconds all of your contacts are copied back to your phone, no need to re-enter all 200 contacts manually...its instant.
The next and final selling points are the physical snap out qwerty keyboard and the 720P HD recording capability. The keyboard alone is my selling point....no virtual keyboard created can beat feeling your fingers pressing real keys, sorry, not even SWYPE. although i understand the appeal. the lack of a dedicated number row is not a problem for me, i loved the dedicated row on the G1, but just thinking about how little i actually used the numbers made me realize i really didnt need them. the inclusion on the G2 of the 3 "quick keys" which are three customizable buttons on the keyboard that allow for instantaneous activation of whatever u assign to them, be it a favorite app like the calender, or to text someone, it can even be used as a quick dial button to dial your boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, hubby, whoever, and the dedicated "www and .com" button for typing url's on the internet.....those 4 buttons alone make the lack of a number row very tolerable....again to call that a "dealbreaker" is fanboy-ish....unless youre an accountant, u dont need to be typing numbers that much for it to be an issue.
The newest feature on the G2 is the 5 megapixel camera with LED flash. the original G1never had a flash, so having one on the G2 is a nice bonus...also the ability to record HD videos in 720p is awesome.
The G2 is an awesome phone, whether it be your first android phone of your tenth. Dont let detractors down the phone or the OS without first trying it out and making your own decisions.
The IPHONE IS NOT THE BEST SMARTPHONE !! do research, dont be a follower.
thanks for reading
