A little backstory (skip this if you only care about the G1) – I’ve been using my Nokia 6133 for almost 2 years now. Don’t poke fun at it! Underneath its lowly flip exterior lies a most capable phone. While T-Mobile seriously crippled the 6133′s Java and internet capabilities, I had it flashed with 6131 firmware – essentially jail breaking it – and installed Opera Mini, GMail mobile, and Google Maps. What a world of difference that made. Seriously, I love this phone… it is the little cell that could. Copy and paste, MP3 player, video recorder, and camera. However, it couldn’t play Flash, and the tiny screen was limiting. When the iPhone came out, I was tempted to switch to AT&T, but an early termination fee from T-Mobile plus the cost of the phone itself (and the more expensive plan) held me back.

Enter the T-Mobile G1. Ya’ll know that I’m in love with my Gmail account, and I’m never more than a keystroke away from Google right? The white edition of the G1 finally came out a couple weeks ago, so I snatched it up. I love this phone! It’s got heaps of features and can do all kinds of magical things, but I’m not going to lie, there is still plenty of room for improvement. There’s so much to this phone, I could never give my complete, overly-wordy observations enough space in just one post (and after only a week)! Little, mini-reviews spread across several posts suit my tastes so much better… yay for bite-sized nuggets of info!

First up, the G1′s 3 megapixel camera.

macro photo from the G1

Holy macro, holy mackerel… see what I did there? :) Anyway… the G1 camera’s auto-focus and depth of field are fantastic. I’m so impressed! The G1 camera is all about point-and-shoot, literally. The auto-focus works very well, especially on macro photos. (Click here to see the above photo in full 3 megapixel resolution.) Not too shabby for a camera phone – it’s quite sharp. There are no controls for setting your own white balance, which is a bummer since the the pictures can take on extreme red tones in low light. You can sort of trick the auto white balance into a more natural coloring by holding a piece of paper or even the palm of your hand up to the lens.

The camera is on the slow end, there is definitely lag time between focusing and the actual capture. Imagine my friends holding their smiles/poses for an awkwardly LONG time. Speaking of awkward… the shutter button is hard to to push after it reaches the halfway auto-focus point as it’s pretty flush with the phone’s body by then. However, the trackball also functions as a shutter button in camera mode, woot. I love you, multi-talented trackball! Using the trackball as a shutter release also makes it easier for me to hold the phone steady (super important in low-light situations!). Outdoors in bright natural light, the camera is fantastic! Colors are pretty true, and as usual, focus is spot on.

If you have a G1, you must download the PicSay application! It’s like Skitch on your phone, with more features. It doubles as an instant lol builder as well. :)