Second Android-Based Phone Announced

Rob Lazzurs writes "The second 'Google phone' has been announced. While this does from the first look seem like a nice device, I know I would miss the keyboard. However, I would expect given the issues with the first device, the question on most G1 users lips will be 'Is the battery life any better?'" Update: 02/17 14:06 GMT by T : Reader Andrew Lim adds a link to CNet UK's hands-on pictures of HTC Magic including pictures of it next to a G1. Also on the upcoming cell phone front, reader Jack Spine writes "Dell is to launch a smartphone, according to AT&T chief Ralph de la Vega. Speaking at a Mobile World Congress panel discussion with Steve Ballmer, de la Vega said 'Dell announced they're entering the smartphone market,' — a bit of a slip, because Dell hasn't, yet." Update: 02/17 16:07 GMT by T : Now, according to Engadget, de la Vega says he was misquoted.

Comments

lack of keyboard

[crimperman]

Yeah that's a problem. I liked the G! in principle but every time I picked one i felt like it was going to break in minds. This one will by nature feel more solide (less moving parts) but lack of keyboard is a bit of an issue for me.

Not sure about the proprietary headphone jack either

Re:lack of keyboard

[jellomizer]

I never got this Cellphone Keyboard obsession thing. Even ones with real keyboards they are just good for typing short messages, really small buttons makes it hard to type. At least with the touch screen the keys are actually a bit bigger as you can switch keyboards for what you are typing. But for the most part the type of stuff you need on a smart phone is Point and Click. When you are texting you only write short bursts. The need of a real keyboard isn't that big of a deal, much like people who complained when we went from the Dial phone to the Touch pad. The Dial Phones had great feed back, the feeling of the resistance of the dial, the arch motion your finger was made to do. The feeling it touching the stopper. The sound of it winding up and winding back with the gentile clicks of it puling the number over the line. But still TouchTone Phones took over as they were more efficient, and allowed for future upgrades, in the short term the people switching from Dial to Touchtone were less efficient as they had to hunt down numbers in a different pattern. But in time it picked up. I think the same thing will happen with touch screens. The feeling of pressing the key for a response will not be a major concern in the future.

Re:lack of keyboard

[limaxray]

You must not have had to deal with both types of phones for an extended period of time - I said the same thing you did until I got a phone with a real keyboard, and now I will never go back. The novelty of a touch keyboard wears off very quickly when you have to do real work sending emails, managing servers, etc. It's just really nice not to have to actually look at the keyboard.

Re:lack of keyboard

[raitchison]

For people with big hands a touch screen keyboard (at least Apple's implementation of it) is pretty much unusable. Even if you are very accurate with your key presses you fingers will frequently hit another key. When I've used an iPhone I had to resort to typing with my pinky which is pretty awkward.

A well designed physical keyboard (IMO the G1 has one) even if the keys are smaller you can still put the pressure on the key you want to press and it and only it will be pressed. Other physical keyboards, such as those on the Pantech Duo they keys are too flat and they aren't any better than a virtual keyboard.

Re:lack of keyboard

[pcolaman]

What the fuck are you talking about? The G1 is the most solid smart phone I've ever had. Dropped this son of a bitch from 5 feet (obviously not on purpose) onto a sidewalk, and it handled it like a champ. Also, the most solid slider I've seen. I also don't get the whole battery complaint. If you leave the GPS and WiFi on, yeah it's going to be a battery hog. But I keep both off unless I need them and I get about 2-3 days of average use (internet and phone) before I have to charge it otherwise. And the fact that it charges through USB just makes it easy for me to charge it when I'm at work (family owned place that doesn't care what I hook up to the computer, lucky me).

If you want to legitimately complain about something about the G1, it's the horrible camera on the phone. The resolution is reasonable for a phone, but the performance on the camera (panning, zooming, focusing, etc) is the worst I've ever seen. Good thing I didn't buy it for the camera.

Re:lack of keyboard

[hoooocheymomma]

Excellent points. I was going to mod you up, but my effeminate, child-like hands couldn't push the mouse buttons down hard enough...


Well, that and I don't have any mod points...

How many does that make?

[Goaway]

Isn't this something like the third "second Android phone" announced so far?

Re:How many does that make?

[TheCybernator]

Isn't this something like the third "second Android phone" announced so far?

Well, you know, they are all still in Beta.

Re:How many does that make?

[Aladrin]

The 'second' was actually cancelled, and is back on the drawing board.

I know, because I had preordered it. Due to exchange rates, I'm down $10 because of it.

I ended up with a G1 instead. I'm quite happy with it.

Samsung and several others have also announced their intention to create such a phone, and approximate dates of release, but have not showcased the phones.

Re:How many does that make?

[halcyon1234]

Yup. I'm waiting for the second third Android phone.

Need a keyboard?

[LordKaT]

Am I the last person on Earth to use a phone as - I don't know - a god damn phone?

Re:Need a keyboard?

[rob1980]

Nope. But you're probably one of the few remaining people who haven't updated their definition of "phone" yet. ;)

Re:Why not develop android for current gen phones?

[Hijacked Public]

Under Slashdot grammatical convention it is acceptable to use the word 'forced' to describe a person's employer assigning them a telephone they don't like.

Also, just to expand, if the digital version of a pop culture movie is released on iTunes exclusively, the convention allows a person to claim he is being 'forced' to use iTunes.

Basic "smart" features often lacking

[Nerdposeur]

I really don't understand people and their problems with smartphones -- if you don't like it, don't use it. :\ No one's forcing you to use one.

I agree, although it is frustrating when you get a device with tons of functions but terrible reception. Great reception is a fundamental phone feature.

I also think there are things that "smart phones" could do to be smarter AS phones. For instance:

• Have a "knock first" mode: callers hear "I'm busy or asleep - press one to ring me anyway if it's an emergency, otherwise leave a message."
• Have built-in, onscreen, location-aware, always-cached phone book search. If there's anything a phone needs internet for, that's first.
• Automatically sync your contacts to your computer via Wi-Fi when you walk in range of your home network.

SOME phones have SOME of these features, but stuff like this should be basic to any phone that's supposed to be "smart." Let it be a great phone before you make it a camera and a computer and a bagel slicer.

It's not the phone...it's the cost of service

[DrVomact]

I'd actually love to have an Android phone (the one with the keyboard), but I'm not willing to pay the extra $35/month T Mobile wants to charge for internet access (plus the regular rate for phone calls, of course). So it doesn't really matter how many great Android phones come out—the whole point of Android is constantly available internet connectivity, so there's no point in my buying one if I'm not willing to cough up that extra money.

Maybe this is a fair charge, maybe not, but I guess I have no urgent need to be connected to the internet 24/7 (I have computers at work and at home that I can use for that, after all), and my techno-lust is not sufficient to make me pay the extra fee.

Maybe the fees will come down once there are unlocked Androids for sale, and every cellular service supports them. Then maybe I'll take a second look.