I’m a pretty busy person - covering events, product evaluations, website updates, and photo shoots are all part of my weekly routine.  Staying connected to the internet is central to my business and my life - though I work a lot on the internet, it’s also become the nucleus of my life in many ways.  My main business, Scream And Fly Magazine, delivers performance boating content to thousands of readers each day, and frequent monitoring of the message boards and updating is crucial to its success.  On the flip side, my BMX activities keep me busy with sponsorships and purchasing parts. Finally of course, checking my daily email.

Before I begin, let me preface this post by saying that I’m not one of those ‘phone freaks‘ that lives my life through my mobile phone.  I know the type - always fidgeting with their phones, obsessing about them, and buying all sorts of accessories for them.  Nope, that’s not me.

:: The Google G1 browsing the web in landscape mode - click on image to enlarge ::

My previous phone, an HTC Dash, was my first step toward lessening my need to frequently carry a laptop computer around.  While this phone was good, it did not offer a robust enough solution to fit my needs.  It did offer slow, but decent internet browsing, though I believe the Windows Mobile platform is far behind the cutting edge operating systems such as Blackberry, iPhone, and Android.

The G1 offers much of the full-featured computer functionality of the Blackberry units and the iPhone.  For example, a good friend of mine uses a Blackberry 9530, also known as the ‘Storm‘, which features seamless multitasking (something the iPhone does not offer), fast Push email, and easy tethering to a computer to share a 3G connection to the web.

After much thought, I ruled out the iPhone since I needed a full keyboard.   The Blackberry operating system seemed cluttered and clunky to me, while the HTC Google G1 impressed me the most with its speed, fluid navigation, and open-source operating system.

The G1’s touch-screen interface works great, and the Web Kit-based browser is very fast and full-featured.  Yes, it works with YouTube, and full Flash support is coming very soon.  Messaging and any typing is alright, if a bit awkward due to the phone’s slanted ‘chin’ that gets in the way of the keyboard somewhat.  The 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera works pretty well, though there’s no video support (coming soon).  The operating system is very responsive and intuitive, but strangely, you cannot shut down individual applications.  The phone will run up to six applications at once, and when you load a seventh, it will automatically close the application first on the list.  Google needs to change this - and I’m sure they will eventually.  The phone also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.  The G1 easily connects to your Gmail and AOL email accounts, as well as others.  Checking email easy and fast - I was very impressed here.

:: The G1’s screen slides upward to reveal a rather large keyboard - click image to enlarge ::

The Android Market is pretty cool, offering many free and fee-based applications ranging from productivity to games.  Download speeds through the Edge network are surprisingly fast as well.  Talk time on the phone is a solid four-five hours, though the standby battery life is poor, requiring a recharge every 36-48 hours of constant-on standby.

So far, the G1 turned out to be a fantastic productivity tool.  Will it replace my laptop?  Of course not, but the phone will allow me to monitor my websites, moderate posts, check email, and make purchases online - anywhere I am, without Wi-Fi.  With the “Cupcake” Android update on the near horizon, this good phone will get even better.  I’ll post more on that when it arrives, but I highly recommend the G1 as an iPhone alternative.

Related Links:

• HTC