Android Wishlist: Smart Context

G1 is literally a death threat in the car, with its lack of voice dialing capabilities.

On the other hand, it is also a privacy threat, being used without the screen lock pattern.

Whereas it is barely possible to get away with placing a call with the screen unlocked (Menu-Menu-Home-Direct Dial, if it is configured, and Menu-Menu-Call-get-lost-and-die, if it's not), it is even more difficult if there is a lock pattern.

A good start in the right direction could be, for example, automatic unlock to the home screen upon connecting with a specified Bluetooth device.

Still, this doesn't make it safe enough, just reduces the threat. I do wish someone's got enough time and money to come up with the docking station.

Or, for Pete's sake, fix the voice dialer...

T-Mobile Store: Just Say No

Just one item: Motorola H710 Bluetooth Headset.

T-Mobile: $99.99
Newegg OEM: $36.99

That'll be 37% of T-Mobile's price, or 63% off. Impressive, duh?

Android G1: Bluetooth is not that useful, either

In the process of comparing headsets, I've swapped H700 and H710 between phones and decided to test the voice quality via Bluetooth on G1.

I knew that voice dialer could be better, but the result was unexpected nevertheless.

Turns out, there are just two things you can do using just the buttons on your Bluetooth headset:

• Take the call
• Redial

Having used to have an extensive set of voice commands, this comes as a major disappointment.

G1 is unfit for hands-free operation. If you drive a lot, and have to initiate calls, you may want to think twice before buying it.