The Google Nexus One is
Google's first own-branded
smartphone, bringing their
particular spin on the Google-
backed Android operating
system. It's a highly
controversial move from Google
that may bring some disquiet
amongst its partners, but on the
other hand it could give the
relatively new Android OS a
major marketplace boost.
The Nexus One is made for
Google by HTC, and if you look
you can see some design cues
from phones like the Touch
Cruise 09 combined with the
trackball most recently seen on
the HTC Hero, although the
hardware specification most
closely matches the HTC HD2. The
overall approach is a sleek,
elegant handset that manages to
avoid the standard black slabby
design that so many rivals have.
The 3.7" 800 x 480 pixel AMOLED
display is one of the highest
resolution Android screens on
the market, beaten slightly by
the Motorola Milestone. The usual
Android control buttons are on
the front of the screen, very
much like those on the Milestone,
but one unusual feature is the
roller ball which isn't really even
necessary for most Android
users. It's a very slim device at
just 11.5mm thick, but the overall
footprint is very similar to the
iPhone and Milestone.
On the back is a 5 megapixel
camera with autofocus and flash,
again similar to the Milestone, the
maximum video capture
resolution is 720 x 480 pixels at
20 frames per second.
Inside is a 1GHz Qualcomm
Snapdragon processor (as found
on the Toshiba TG01), combined
with a large 512 MB of RAM
which should ensure that
applications run smoothly on the
new Android 2.1 operating
system. This hardware
specification should cope with
anything you can throw at it,
including high resolution video
playback. The usual multimedia
features are present, and the
Google Nexus one also comes
with a 3.5mm audio socket.
One
unusual
feature is
that it is
possible to
get your
Nexus One
custom
engraved
when you
order it,
something
that Apple
have done
before.. but
something that might hamper
you if you want to sell it on later.
Inside this is a tri-band 3.5G
device with WiFi, GPS with a
compass and a microSD slot, so it
should work on most 3G
networks worldwide, although in
the US it will be offered on T-
Mobile rather than AT&T. HTC
know exactly what they are
doing with connectivity, so there
should be no need to worry
here. Maximum download
speeds on HSDPA are 7.2 Mbps
with HSUPA uploads of up to 2
Mbps. Also, there's a large 1400
mAh battery that Google quote
as giving up to 7 hours talktime
on 3G.
As for the new Android 2.1
operating system, it is really only
an incremental update to version
2.0 as found in the Milestone and
DROID, although Google have
taken the opportunity to
improve it here and there.
Perhaps the most obvious thing
is that the App Tray slider has
been replaced with a new "home
icon" which works slightly
differently. Version 2.0 has only
been out for just over two
months, so this new version has
followed on very rapidly and is
one of the main selling points
for the new Nexus One.
For some reason, the Google
Nexus One seems to be a big
deal with the media. The fact is
that the phone itself is just an
evolutionary upgrade to existing
HTC phones, with another
evolutionary upgrade to the
software. From the point of view
of the actual device itself, the
Nexus One is hardly a revolution.
But what has happened is that
Google has changed its
relationship with its partners.
Until now, Google was merely an
enabler - a key partner in driving
Android forward and providing
applications and back-end
integration to make it appeal to
customers. Manufacturers such
as HTC, Motorola, Samsung and
many others compete with each
other, but not with Google.. until
now. This change in direction
could prove troublesome,
because it is possible in the long
run that Google's partners will
feel that Google itself has an
unfair advantage. Compare this
with Microsoft's hands-off
approach to Windows Mobile -
Microsoft makes the software,
but has never competed in the
hardware market to avoid this
type of conflict of interest, and
yet Google have decided to do
what Microsoft dare not do.
Perhaps it is no big deal - the
Nexus One is made by HTC after
all, a company that has happily
partnered with other companies
in a similar way many times
before. So, if the Google Nexus
One is a huge success then it will
certainly be a boost for HTC,
however Google may well
choose to go with a different
partner for future handsets, so
perhaps it actually will be a big
deal for future generations of
Googlephone when it comes to
manufacturing partners.
Still, there is very little that
partners can do. Motorola in
particular has bet the barn on
Android with the CLIQ / DEXT,
DROID and Milestone handsets
with more to come during 2010..
so they have very little choice
other than to put up with direct
competition from a company
that is meant to be its business
partner.
Perhaps one thing that might
make Google's rivals breathe a
sigh of relief is the fact that
Google seem to be selling the
handset directly rather than
through retail outlets, a SIM-free
device is $529.. but if you are
importing into Europe then you
will probably end up paying
taxes on top of that, meaning
that the handset could end up
costing around £425 or €500
depending on the country that
you are in.
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