Product Review: Google G1 with T-Mobile

As an entrepreneur, I find myself in many locations throughout the day needing to build and run my business - office, home, marketing meetings, grocery store, and the car. For organization, I had a schedule book in the office, post-it notes at home, and nothing everywhere else in between. Needless to say, the information became a large mess. I would forget to input various scheduled appointments from my post-it notes into my office calendar and I would not know my schedule when answering a call "on the road." I needed help!

Years ago, when I was working for Sprint, my first exposure to such a tool that could help with my situation was a multi-functionality phone by Palm Pilot that retailed around $849! It was thick, heavy, had a poor battery life, and required the use of a stylus. It made work more convenient, but still required that the syncing be performed manually - really more of a hassle than a benefit. I figured that I would spend less on my post-it notes...

Yet, a phone was still the perfect solution if it was convenient and reduced my performing of a single task, multiple times. After all, my cellular phone was with me constantly for business. In reality, I was wanting a "portable office." I was wanting a phone that had multiple functionalities - I wanted to have a calendar that syncs automatically, have access to my various e-mail accounts, have access to the internet when needed, and have the capability of incorporating the processing of credit cards when doing business away from the office. I really wanted a phone that was capable of uploading my dynamic schedule for my appointments and sync them with my computer for future referencing and hold contact information in a secure manner.

My solution came from Google - the leading source online. Google released the G1 phone with T-mobile in competition to the iPhone. The benefits of the Google G1 phone are its automatic syncing capabilities - I was already using Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and many other Google applications. With the simple entry of my e-mail and password, my documents and calendar were automatically synced with my phone.

My Google G1 phone was purchased for about $100. For additional convenience, I spent a few extra dollars on the Body Glove hip holster and a car charger. I recommend one purchase the car charger with a Google G1 phone. The battery life of the phone is phenomenal, but the GPS drains the battery quickly when in use. If planning on using the GPS in the car (and believe me, you eventually will), it is handy to have a car charger. It also does not hurt to just give it the occasional charge while you drive.

Overall, this phone has been like a personal computer that I can carry with me anywhere and have access "at my fingertips" to many of my documents and schedule at any time of the day. It significantly streamlines the process and allows me to have more time with my family as an entrepreneur.