Everybody already knew, but now Google has officially, really, seriously announced the Nexus One, a new Android handset made by HTC running a new version of Android, deliciously named Eclair.
Engadget has a complete hands-on review.
Let the “it’s the iPhone killer” and the “it’s not the iPhone killer” wars begin. (Hint: You’re both wrong.)
Icons are too far apart. What is this, Windows 95? Furrfu.
“Eclair” is actually Android 2.0, and the 2.1 that the Nexus One is running is reportedly an extension to Eclair rather than the “true” next version of the OS (code named Flan). And yes, they’re all named that, alphabetical desserts (Cupcake, Donut, etc).
As for the phone itself, it’s very nice, but it’s still completely recognizable as an Android handset. It’s an evolution, but a very nice one. For me, at least, the physical keyboard and network of the Droid make it a much better choice, but the Nexus One is going to be an excellent choice for many people, especially when the Verizon version ships this summer.
I don’t like the plan they force you to subscribe to (it’s twice what I pay now for t-mobile) … and the handset is too expensive outright
Wow, looks just like an iPhone. How innovative.
Eh… just one of a long line of smartphones which will quickly be eclipsed by newer models. Evolutionary, not revolutionary.
My mom, sister, girlfriend, roommate, etc. all got iPhones over the Christmas break. If you’ve grown up on Blackberry, you might not switch. Otherwise, iPhone will continue to dominate.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen one, but it reminds me of the G2.
How does copying an iPhone’s appearance and functionality qualify as “killing” an iPhone? This isn’t Zune bad (what is?) but it doesn’t look like any kind of evolutionary leap. Or growth. Or anything. It looks like a different manufacturer is trying to make their own iPhone.
And isn’t the use of Blade Runner terminology a bit tired, as these things go? Call me when they get to Nexus 6 and have a Pris model complete with virtual spraypaint eyeliner.
Oh wow, @6, thanks for reminding me. I’ve got a new BlackBerry 9700 sitting here, and I haven’t even opened the box yet. Playtime!
and until now whenever i heard/read the word ‘nexus’ i always thought of http://store.babeland.com/photos/0224000…
I’ve had an iPhone and now a Droid. The iPhone was revolutionary at the time, but now its last year’s news. The Droid beats it in almost every way. And I am not even comparing the vast superiority of Verizon’s network over AT&T’s “dial-up Internet experience” network.
Can someone actually explain the pros/cons of Nexus vs Android vs iPhone without getting AT&T vs Verizon vs Sprint quibbling?
@12 – Not really. It’s basically a religious war at this point, or Mac vs. Windows, etc. It comes down to preference. Android and iPhone are very close in features, each one beats the other in some areas—iPhone has more apps, is very polished, Android is more open, has more handset options, etc., etc. You can make a laundry list comparison of features, but in the end, it’s just which one you like better.
@11 No, you’re citing one vague example, immediately discounting that in the same breath, and then not going into specifics about the numerous ways the Drod is supposed to “beat” the iPhone. Note: “does it slightly differently” <> “beat”. Go on–make our jaws drop with a half dozen examples of how the iPhone gets smoked by your fave gadget.
Who has the spare cash to justify getting the monthly service for one of these doodads? I admit to envying the idle rich…
#12 Since the idea of a smart phone is to be connected to the internet wherever you go, you can’t ignore the carrier’s network. I have no experience with Sprint, so no opinion. But after being on both AT&T and Verizon, my view is AT&T should spend the money wastes on advertising that its the “fastest 3G network” and actually fix its damm network.
The Nexus and Droid and some other models all run the Android OS. The iPhone runs Apple’s propriety OS exclusively. Through its iTunes App Store, Apple controls what applications you can run on the iPhone. Google, nor anyone else, does not control how you get your apps for the Android or what apps you want to run. The development and marketing is open to anyone.
For instance, last summer Twitter changed its sytem, so my paid for iPhone app, Twitterific Pro would not work. The developers had a prompt fix, but it took 2-3 days for Apple to approve the update before you could download it from the iTunes App Store. This can’t happen in the Android world. Hope this helps.
“The development and marketing is open to anyone.”
As will the viruses and crashing. Enjoy.
@12 – Regarding @16 & 17. See?
#17 FUD.
For a very good, in-depth review of the Nexus One and good comparisons to the Droid and iPhone. See: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/nexus…
@13: I feel Android vs iPhone is more Linux vs. OS X. So, I guess that’s Linux versus (more or less) BSD.
It’s nice to see that the next-generation computer wars are being fought entirely on turf laid down by open-source operating systems.
My Bell “Princess” model phone lights up when you lift the handset. YOU LOSE, SUCKERS.
If someone 10 years ago had told me that people in the future would be all excited about telephones, I would have slapped them.
Here’s the thumbnail sketch of the current smartphone environment:
OS: Your choices are the iPhone’s OS (based on Mac OS X), Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Other (Maemo, Symbian/S60, WebOS, etc). Taking those one at a time:
iPhone: The iPhone has the advantage of a vast app catalog and the usual Apple spit-polish. In practical terms, that means that the default apps (browser, mail, maps, contacts, etc) work together reasonably well and it’s a well-integrated package that can be easily extended with one of the 125,000+ apps. There aren’t too many downsides to the OS itself, it’s a well-conceived mobile OS that works well for most users. There are things I personally don’t care for, both as a developer and user, but overall it’s a strong OS. It does bother me that the app store is controlled by a sole entity (ignoring hacking your phone), but that’s more of an intellectual rather than a practical objection.
Android: Built off of Linux to be a true open source alternative, Android’s primary advantage as an OS is that different manufacturers are taking the ball and running with it. Some are doing nice things (HTC), some are fumbling around a bit (Motorola) and some are really quite lost in the wilderness (Samsung), but the competitive ecology out there matters. It’s also the case that Google is moving the core OS forward very rapidly, with four major (and free) updates in 2009 alone. However, that core technology strength of openness doesn’t always result in a completely coherent user experience yet. I have absolutely no problems getting around in Android, but some folks find it to be a less clean experience than the iPhone (I find the opposite, thanks to Apple’s allergy to buttons). The app store has some catching up to do, with about 20,000 apps available, but it’s an open store, which matters, and it’s going to catch up. In the short term, pretty much every productivity category is reasonably well represented, and the shortfall of apps is primarily in the realm of games (and fart apps). That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of engaging games available, but it’s a ways away from the iPhone support. Give it time, though: at current rates, the Android will pass the iPhone in terms of total mobile web usage in June, and that’s the kind of thing developers notice. In terms of day-to-day usability, I find Android devices to be comparable to the iPhone.
Windows Mobile: Only on phones where the base Windows Mobile shell has been completely replaced (ala HTC’s HD2) do you get a modern experience, and that phone is nice in spite of WM and not because of it. This may change once the mythical WM7 ships, but in the mean time, I don’t think this is a reasonable contender unless you need its Exchange support, which is still the best of all the major OSes.
Blackberry: An OS that is showing its age, even the 5.0 build is difficult to get around in and shows signs of being built on older technology. You can adjust to it, but the learning curve is pretty steep. For pure messaging, this is still probably your best choice, but for other things (the web browser is not good), this is down on my list right now.
Other: WebOS (Palm Pre, Pixi) is nice, but until they get an app store rolling, I’m not sure it’s a contender. Once that gets fixed, we’ll see if they get support. Maemo (basically Debian Linux with a shell) could be fantastic for a certain segment of the market, but right now, it’s still in its infancy. I’d love to see it succeed, though, and find a US home. Symbian/S60 is still pretty dominant in Europe, and I carried an S60 phone for a couple years, but it’s iffy as a choice in the US market.
HARDWARE: The iPhone has essentially one choice, there are a bunch of Android devices out, there are an assortment of Blackberries and WM devices, so this can get confusing. At this point, the iPhone is no longer cutting edge. Yes, it’s pretty fast, but the lower resolution screen compared to some of its competitors means it’s not the baddest ass hardware on the planet. Here’s where the Droid, Nexus One, HD2 and some others shine: that 800 pixel resolution in landscape mode makes a huge difference in web browsing. Because I like having a physical keyboard, the Droid is my easy choice for nicest phone hardware out there (and the keyboard is not awesome, but it’s perfectly usable), but if you don’t care about a keyboard, the Nexus One is superb. I believe all on-screen keyboards suck, but some suck a little less than others (and Apple’s is clearly the best of the bunch), but the Android ones are usable. As far as Blackberries, RIM makes nice, solid units and still is the champ as far as keyboards go, which is why they’re still the kings of messaging. The 9700 is probably the best one out there right now.
NETWORK: There are two groups of carriers in the US, the GSM carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile) and the CDMA carriers (Verizon, Sprint). The major differences are that CDMA is pretty much a North American technology (yes, it can be found in some other places, but bear with me) while GSM is available worldwide and that the 3G network for the CDMA carriers doesn’t really allow simultaneous voice and data. Sounds bad for CDMA, right? Well, in practice, neither of those make much difference. If you’re going to roam internationally a lot, OK, but if you’re going to just take the occasional trip overseas, just get a prepaid phone when you get there and chuck it when you’re done. It’s way, way cheaper than adding international roaming to your existing plan, and international data prices are ludicrous when added to a US plan. As far as the data and voice thing goes, phones are good at deferring your data traffic for incoming calls, so all that really means is you can’t look something up on the web while you’re on the phone. Whoopty shit. You can still look at, say, your contacts and you can always use the magic phrase “let me call you back in five”. In practical terms, it really doesn’t make a difference.
Now, as to the specific carriers, you can’t really use phones from one carrier on another network to full ability. Why? Verizon and Sprint keep their networks pretty well locked down and AT&T and T-Mobile use different frequencies for their 3G (high-speed) data networks. You can use a, say, Nexus One on AT&T, but it’ll be poky. As far as quality, Verizon and Sprint have the best built out networks, by virtue of getting started on them earlier and continuing to invest. AT&T’s network is overstretched and is pretty poor at this point, and T-Mobile’s network is fantastically unreliable, especially in the Seattle area.
Conclusion: If I were buying a new smartphone today, I’d ask myself the following questions:
1) Am I using this primarily for messaging, and almost nothing else? If yes, I’d get a Blackberry, either the 9700 (if T-Mobile’s coverage was good in the areas I lived and worked) or the Tour from Verizonn.
2) Is awesome Exchange support a must have? If yes, I’d hold my nose and get an HTC WinMobile device, either the HD2 or the Touch Pro, probably.
3) Is the best selection of games at the moment important? Am I going to be replacing a media player at the same time? If yes, buy an iPhone. I think AT&T’s network is poor and you might kick yourself after the likely summer refresh of the hardware, but the iPhone’s biggest strength at the moment is apps.
4) Is a physical keyboard important to me? If yes, get a Droid. It’s what I have, and it’s excellent.
5) Do I really need it now-ish? If yes, hang on for just a bit and get a Nexus One, as long as T-Mobile is acceptable where you live and work.
6) If you made it this far, my best guess is that you should wait for the Verizon version of the Nexus One.
Hope this helps.
Less, this is great. Although I’m conflicted because I actually like T-mobile, and have had ZERO problems anywhere here, the UK, even the mid-east. But I want an I phone. Like I said, conflicted.
@23:
I’d say that’s a pretty fair assessment of the various offerings out there. I just bought the HTC Tilt II for many of the reasons you cite, plus one other that, for me at least, is a major consideration: AT&T is the only unionized carrier operating in the U.S., which means, as a union member I get a deep discount on my contract package, which in turn means I get all the application & networking bells-&-whistles for less than what some people pay for limited throughput contracts on other carriers.
@23 Excellent summary although I’d like to stick up a little bit for Windows Mobile 6.5x and the newer HTC devices such as the Touch Pro/Touch Pro 2 and the upcoming HD2 which are running the latest Touch flo 3D wrapper / Manila 2.5
Sure they have great business utility with exchange integration but they also come loaded with basically every possible mobile technology available right now. and a highly active community of developers to best exploit them. Mostly thanks to HTC, the windows mobile space is cutting edge hardware wise. Android users are benefiting from HTC’s push in this area too, so it’s not just WM that has the edge I’m talking about, but modern WM devices shouldn’t be discarded as “only good for exchange”
@24 “Although I’m conflicted because I actually like T-mobile, and have had ZERO problems anywhere here, the UK, even the mid-east. But I want an I phone. Like I said, conflicted.”
I have an unlocked iPhone that is on T-Mobile. And it works beautifully. But there are some quirks to deal with here and there when you go that route. (It’s unlocked, not jailbroken, though.)
I am selling WinMobile a bit short – the HD2 is a sweet device, and I like the Touch Pro 2 as well. But the best reason for WinMobile remains Exchange, and for other users, I think Android is a better general purpose bet.