THE NEXUS ONE PHONE

The Nexus One is the new phone from Google that has what is described as the Android OS.  This is an Operating System developed from the ground up by Google. Android runs on a Linux kernel and is written in the Java code language. Anyone interested in detailed explanations of the Android OS can find it here.

Android

I have had a Nexus One phone for a couple of weeks and can inform you of what my impressions are first hand. Let me start by stating that I cancelled my AT&T contract with the iPhone for the Nexus One.

The Nexus One initially is only being sold by Google directly. You have the  choice of purchasing an unlocked phone without service for $529.00 or you can purchase a phone with an account from T-Mobile for $179.00 with a two year contract.

In the spring of 2010, which is officially 53 days away, the phone will be available via Verizon Wireless and for European customers from Vodafone.

Like the iPhone the Nexus One has a touch interface, which can activate applications by pressing on an icon with a fingertip. It also sports a trackball which lights in certain conditions to navigate the applications.

After receiving the device one of the first options is to either input your Gmail preferences or create a new Gmail account. You may also set up multiple email accounts from other email providers.

If you would care to see a parts list break down of the Nexus One, it can be found here. Total sum of its parts cost is $174.14.

Nexus Parts List

It has a Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which makes it the granddaddy of all Droid-like phones currently produced.

The T-Mobile plan comes with a $59.00 calling plan with 500 minutes of call time for new customers. As a new customer coming over from AT&T, I found it was easy to obtain an unlimited access plan for $79.00/month plus taxes.

This plan includes unlimited minutes, unlimited SMS, MMS, IM and unlimited web access, plus of course the unlimited nights and weekends that most plans provide.

What are my impressions of the Nexus One? It is as slick as the iPhone, and music stored on it digitally sounds just as good as an iPod. With a good set of headphones, it is a choir-orchestra like experience.

Where I personally feel it trumps the iPhone is in what a phone actually needs to be, a phone first and foremost. I have had only one dropped phone call in weeks compared to multiple events daily on the AT&T network.

The iPhone has an App store where all apps can be purchased or downloaded freely. The Nexus One plus other Android phones have "The Market".

It has some very useful free applications that can be downloaded. Dockrunner will enable you to turn the phone on its side and it reads out the current time and local temperature outside plus gives you a current count of the battery charging state in percent. Also you can set an alarm clock like most phones and play music from this application.

Another useful application is Where. This works very similar like the application "Around Me" on the iPhone. This application reports via either a manually entered location or a GPS reported location. Nearby restaurants, coffee shops, hospitals, gas, shopping, local services and a host of others.

Of course one can use Google Voice and simply state what you are looking for and Google will do its best to locate the nearest source for you.

Again like the iPhone there is an accelerometer built in that pivot-views when the phone is moved horizontally. It utilizes an assisted global positioning System (AGPS) and it can be used for navigation in a vehicle or walking.

The phone’s camera is far superior to anything the iPhone currently provides with a 5-megapixel camera. It has an autofocus from 6cm to infinity with a 2X Digital zoom. Video is captured at 720×480 pixels at a frame rate of 20 per second.

The Nexus One display is 800 x 480 pixels with a typical contrast ratio of 100,000:1 and a 1 ms (millisecond) response rate. The battery is removable and replaceable, unlike the iPhone. It will give you 7hrs of talk time on a 3G network and 10 on a 2G network.

Internet use is 5 hours on 3G and 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi. Video playback is up to 7 hours, long enough for any domestic flight in the lower 48 and most flights to Europe.  The audio play back is an impressive rating of up to 20 hours.

For your storage capacity you can inset a 4GB to 32GB card in the Nexus One. A free application like "Astro File Manager" gives you the ability to take charge of your storage preferences.

Another interesting feature is a noise-suppression chip built into the Nexus One. This is so attractive that the manufacturer Audience will be bringing this technology to a yet undisclosed selection of AT&T phones.

Skype beta is available as well with an option to have Skype calls forwarded to your Nexus One.

Currently the biggest drawback is that Multitouch is not enabled on the Nexus One. On the iPhone one can pinch your fingers together on a web page or image to make it smaller. To enlarge an image just move the fingers apart in a reverse pinch move.

A hacker has already modified the Android OS to enable Multitouch, however if something goes wrong you have the possibility of voiding your warranty. For that reason I’ll wait for an upcoming firmware update to the OS from the manufacturer.

For the first shot out of the gate the Nexus One appears to be a worthy rival to the iPhone. As time moves forward the competition will only benefit the consumer. Frequent travelers demand devices that will replace heavy laptops, with as much ability for communications and data access.

Lastly  on the Nexus One, is that it does operate on GSM/Edge networks at 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz. The Wi-Fi is 802.11 b/g. It uses Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. ( Enhanced Data Rate ).

We will focus on some exciting new IT Technology in future columns – especially those that certain TTPers are bringing about.

Kudos to all Americans who supported Scott Brown’s win in Massachusetts, it was an exciting time. It was a sign that everyday Americans are starting to pay attention to the erosion of freedom and they are not comfortable with that concept.

God Bless America!

Marco