Even before playing with the new Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, I knew that I would need to be able to take screenshots of the phone itself. Using a digital camera to capture screens externally just wasn't going to cut it. Because the Android platform is open (and now, open source), I really didn't expect this to be a problem. If anything, I thought there would be a way to take screenshots directly from the device like you can with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Alas, I discovered this is not the case. After scouring Google trying to find answers, I asked Engadget's Editor-in-Chief Josh Topolsky what they used for the screenshots in their review, and he was nice enough to fill me in on the details.

Warning: right now, taking screenshots from an Android device requires installing the SDK. That doesn't make it as simple as pressing a button, but it's not the end of the world. If you've got a few minutes, and a quick connection with which to download the SDK, we'll show you how to take delicious Android screenshots of your own.

• Interface is slick and usable. Engadget describes the set-up process as "utterly painless" -- just enter in your Google account username and password and go! If you don't have a Google account, you can create one on the phone.
• Google Contacts still suck, but at least they try to suck less on Android. Seriously Google, create a better address book!
• The built-in GMail client totally rocks. Our own Grant Robertson said the same thing to me earlier this week (he got to play with one at a T-Mo store). It does real GMail push that seems to be as fast as what BlackBerry has cooked up (and BlackBerry is FAST).
• If you don't use a Google e-mail account, the experience is less awesome. Here's a tip -- if you are considering getting an Android phone and you use a personal domain for e-mail, go ahead and set-up a free Google Apps account for that domain. You can still use a regular mail program (Exchange, Outlook, Mail.app, Thunderbird), but you can take advantage of the awesome Google web interface on your phone. If you use a corporate e-mail account, forwarding to a GMail set-up might be your best bet.
• The Amazon.com MP3 Store is cool, but it isn't the "killer" app. You can also only purchase/download files over Wi-Fi, not over 3G. I'm absolutely positive this was because downloading the music over the 3G network would cut into T-Mo's ringtone sales and add another pricing layer.
• The YouTube app is about the same as the iPhone app, for good and for bad.
• When you flip the phone to display stuff in landscape mode and then flip back to portrait, the phone will reposition everything automatically. So if you are using the built-in QWERTY keyboard and then decide to slide the keyboard back in and use the phone vertically, everything is automatically adjusted.
• Copy and paste exists!
  
• The notification system is top-notch