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The T-Mobile Android G1 Review: A Smart-Phone that Helps you Travel ~
Article & photos by Lucy Komisar
Article & photos by Lucy Komisar
We were driving on U.S. 1 from Key West to the Miami Airport after a week of sun and tennis and Caribbean
food and wanted to stop along the way at a restaurant overlooking the water that we had discovered a few
years before. Except we couldn’t remember the town or the name. So I picked up the T-Mobile Android G1
smart phone and said (or thought), ok, just how smart are you!
I touched the screen icon for the map program, I pulled out the querty keyboard and hit the key for search
and typed “seafood restaurant.” (I would not have a smart phone without a slide-out keyboard.) We were
near Marathon Key, and I didn’t recognize any of the names that appeared on the list for Marathon and
nearby islands. So we drove on and I tried again. And suddenly there it was on the screen! “Lazy Days” in
Islamorada. With address and phone number. Eureka! I called and reserved. And ten minutes later we were
sitting on the outdoor balcony of a charming 2-story house that served up fresh fish along with a view of
beach, an anchor thrown into the sand, some green palms and the sea.
food and wanted to stop along the way at a restaurant overlooking the water that we had discovered a few
years before. Except we couldn’t remember the town or the name. So I picked up the T-Mobile Android G1
smart phone and said (or thought), ok, just how smart are you!
I touched the screen icon for the map program, I pulled out the querty keyboard and hit the key for search
and typed “seafood restaurant.” (I would not have a smart phone without a slide-out keyboard.) We were
near Marathon Key, and I didn’t recognize any of the names that appeared on the list for Marathon and
nearby islands. So we drove on and I tried again. And suddenly there it was on the screen! “Lazy Days” in
Islamorada. With address and phone number. Eureka! I called and reserved. And ten minutes later we were
sitting on the outdoor balcony of a charming 2-story house that served up fresh fish along with a view of
beach, an anchor thrown into the sand, some green palms and the sea.
Smart phones are gadgets that could become indispensible to travelers. Let me tell you more about how it
helped me.
Starting out in New York waiting for the airport bus and on the ride to LaGuardia Airport, I checked my email.
I love not having downtime. Later, as the plane doors shut, I emailed the friend who was going to pick me up
in Miami that the plane appeared to be on time.
helped me.
Starting out in New York waiting for the airport bus and on the ride to LaGuardia Airport, I checked my email.
I love not having downtime. Later, as the plane doors shut, I emailed the friend who was going to pick me up
in Miami that the plane appeared to be on time.
On arrival at the Miami airport, I wondered how the GPS
would work, so even though my companion had a regular
GPS unit in the car, I opened the map program, clicked on
“location” so it would zero in on where I was, and then
keyed in our destination: Key West. A little blue dot started
moving along the map. It would arrive in Key West.
I checked into options and discovered that instead of the
linear street map of the style we are familiar with, I could
get a satellite Google-earth style view of surroundings:
actual photos of streets and buildings, woods and
waterways. Well, after all, G1 stands for Google, which
would work, so even though my companion had a regular
GPS unit in the car, I opened the map program, clicked on
“location” so it would zero in on where I was, and then
keyed in our destination: Key West. A little blue dot started
moving along the map. It would arrive in Key West.
I checked into options and discovered that instead of the
linear street map of the style we are familiar with, I could
get a satellite Google-earth style view of surroundings:
actual photos of streets and buildings, woods and
waterways. Well, after all, G1 stands for Google, which
designed the operating software. We checked out a hotel in South Beach we might like to stay in next year
and got not only a perfect siting but an exact photo of the place.
But let’s get back to getting there. If you have T-Mobile G1 Android you may be able to retire your map and
compass.
and got not only a perfect siting but an exact photo of the place.
But let’s get back to getting there. If you have T-Mobile G1 Android you may be able to retire your map and
compass.
You can put in destinations to get route directions. When I
touched a small box in the bottom right corner of the map
program, I could see written instructions, separated by each
turn: “here/go here.” With my fingers or the trackball, I could
move the map to see more of the surrounding or where we
were headed.
During some of the 3-hour ride, I checked my email. I had put
in the specs for several accounts. Gmail came through one
program (again, this is Google), and the others through an
Outlook set-up. My only complaint was the spam – there’s not
a good enough blocker yet.
Alas, there are no turn-by-turn voice instructions. I had gone
surfing through Android Market for free applications and
downloaded Andnav/ Android navigation which was
supposedly a more sophisticated GPS program, but it turned
out to work only for 8 countries, none them the U.S.
touched a small box in the bottom right corner of the map
program, I could see written instructions, separated by each
turn: “here/go here.” With my fingers or the trackball, I could
move the map to see more of the surrounding or where we
were headed.
During some of the 3-hour ride, I checked my email. I had put
in the specs for several accounts. Gmail came through one
program (again, this is Google), and the others through an
Outlook set-up. My only complaint was the spam – there’s not
a good enough blocker yet.
Alas, there are no turn-by-turn voice instructions. I had gone
surfing through Android Market for free applications and
downloaded Andnav/ Android navigation which was
supposedly a more sophisticated GPS program, but it turned
out to work only for 8 countries, none them the U.S.
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or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online travel resource.
WAVE Journey is your one-stop online resource for women-oriented travel businesses & services
around the world.
WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this website
is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in finding businesses
or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online travel resource.
But I had a surprise and a laugh when we decided to stop for lunch at The Rusty Anchor, on Stock Island,
just before Key West. The driver’s fancy GPS was wrong on where to turn and my Mobile-G1 was right! And
important while driving, you can search Google Maps using your voice.
just before Key West. The driver’s fancy GPS was wrong on where to turn and my Mobile-G1 was right! And
important while driving, you can search Google Maps using your voice.
I also tried the web browser to check some favorite
websites. I got them, so, it was fine if I needed to check
something particular, but too slow for someone used to
broadband or even dialup browsing.
In Key West, I discovered the advantages of the phone.
I had directed my landline calls to the cell, and had easily
imported my Gmail contacts to the phone. Then I had to
just touch a name to call. And when calls came in, they
registered permanently on a list, so I could touch those
then or later to return calls.
websites. I got them, so, it was fine if I needed to check
something particular, but too slow for someone used to
broadband or even dialup browsing.
In Key West, I discovered the advantages of the phone.
I had directed my landline calls to the cell, and had easily
imported my Gmail contacts to the phone. Then I had to
just touch a name to call. And when calls came in, they
registered permanently on a list, so I could touch those
then or later to return calls.