Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Jan 2nd 2010 6:24PM
posted Jan 2nd 2010 6:24PM
That's right, humans -- Engadget has its very own Nexus One. You've seen leaked pics and videos from all over, but we're the first publication to get our very own unit, and we plan on giving you guys the full story on every nook and cranny of this device. In case you've been living under a rock, here's the breakdown of the phone. The HTC-built and (soon to be) Google-sold device runs Android 2.1 atop a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 3.7-inch, 480 x 800 display, has 512MB of ROM, 512MB of RAM, and a 4GB microSD card (expandable to 32GB). The phone is a T-Mobile device (meaning no 3G if you want to take it to AT&T), and includes the standard modern additions of a light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer. The Nexus One has a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and we have to say so far the pictures it snaps look pretty decent (and the camera software is much faster than the same component on the Droid). The phone is incredibly thin and sleek -- a little thinner than the iPhone -- but it has pretty familiar HTC-style industrial design. It's very handsome, but not blow-you-away good looking. It's a very slim, very pocketable phone, and feels pretty good in your hand. Thought you'd have to wait for that Google event for more on the Nexus One? Hell no -- so read on for an in-depth look. C'mon, you know you want to.
Google has also included some visual enhancements you've probably heard about, and minor UI tweaks which make getting around the OS a bit more direct. Firstly, there are a set of really snazzy looking "live" wallpapers, some of which react to touch, but all animate in the background while you're on the homescreen. The company has also changed up its application menu navigation a bit, killing the sliding drawer for a more direct home button and overlay of the icons (which no longer scroll off the page normally, but wrap around a 3D cube on the edges). Google has also expanded the amount of homescreens to five, and gives you quick navigation to them by long pressing on the new "dots" which represent pages not in view. While most UI details look and feel the same, from just a bit of typing the keyboard does seem more responsive and accurate, and we're guessing the Snapdragon helps there as well. Throughout the phone there are also new animations and flourishes which make Android 2.1 feel way more polished than previous iterations (including the Droid's 2.0.1), though it's still got a ways to go to matching something like the iPhone or even Pre in terms of fit and finish. Regardless, it's clear Google has started thinking about not just function but form as well, and that's very good news for Android aficionados.
I guess Josh was right. I am impressed.
@DivinoAG
Yeah, but when he opened the Maps application, you can see his thumb going for a multi-touch pinch, he manages to hold back though..
@DivinoAG
You can tell Josh wrote this article because he likes to mention the iPhone and then tell us "nah, it's not better than the iPhone".
@DivinoAG
I am too however, I really want to know how the OLED screen looks in direct sunlight. I have my zune HD & it looks really good, however the brightness is something to be desired in direct sunlight. Does this phone have the same issue?
@geekthree
That's because he uses an iPhone all day every day. For people who aren't completely acclimated to Apple's software already, using a button to zoom in and out is no big deal. I use an Android phone and I've never really felt like zooming in and out is difficult, but to be honest I've never really felt a need to zoom in or out all that much on any of the programs I use.
@Chefgon
To take that a step further, even when I was still using an iPhone (I now have a Fuze. They were both free, so W/E) I stopped using pinch to zoom after the "newness" wore off. Its much easier to do a double tap and let the phone handle the zoom. Nine times out of ten it will get it right, and the last time, you just adjust manually. With one hand I might add.
The awesome thing about Opera mobile is it will reflow the text, so you don't have to scroll side to side to read.
The one area where multi-touch becomes almost a necessity is in the keyboard. If you type fast at all, lacking multi-touch will screw you over.
@Wes Steele
You're right, it's not like Josh would know if the iPhone is better or not, right? I mean you've used the Nexus One AND the iPhone 3GS extensively, too, right?
Oh, you haven't? Well maybe you should STFU then.
@BigJayDogg3 The N1 is rumored to have a multitouch screen that just have to be taken advantage of in the app programing. I think the main concern is Apple's motions that are patented but I don't believe the actual mutitouch is
@ranovr Every single capacitative touchscreen has the capability of being multitouch. I have multitouch on my G1 using the cyanogen mod. It's always the programming, but this usually gets stuck due to copyright issues (blast you apple patents!)
@Chefgon From what I understand, the trackball can be used as an option for zooming in on anything.
BAAAAAAAAAAM!
Goodbye ICrap!
@XTer
Despite the fact i'm quite possibly going to get an android phone when it comes to contract renewal time.... you're going to get downranked so bad for that :P
@XTer
Hasn't been ranked down yet. Guess it shows people's attitude towards iPhone at this point. And by people I mean Engadget readers, of course (an important distinction to make).
What saddens me though is that this amazing phone won't sell 1% of how much the iPhone did.
I gotta admit, when the first iPhone came out, it completely rocked the industry. It was revolutionary, there's no denying that. But at this point, you look around and you see so many great phones that are just as good and often better than the iPhone in many ways. And yet the iPhone is still dominating the smartphone market (not counting the blackberry).
@Paul C Chapel I'm happy enough with my Hero. I'm sure the 4th gen iPhone will be great, but it won't be worth the minor upgrades and huge price tag.
@Paul B Chapel I live in the UK and even the iPhone 3G is way more expensive than the Hero I bought. I would have got the iPhone if I could afford it but it was too expensive so got a Hero instead and of course I have no regrets.
@blueskyv201
I went and looked at the Droid and the other Android devices with an open mind. While they are matching the iPhone on specs the software and overall user experience was really poor. I found so much there to be very confusing. So many buttons on screen plus the trackball and real buttons, I was never sure what to press and often found myself way off. I could never anticipate what something was going to do and I many times surprised that a given button has an action I would never have anticipated given its label.
All of that made the device confusing and unpleasant to use. Compare that to the iPhone which even with its faults is a joy to use and totally accessible. I know people hate Apple and its products, I don't really get why, but in any case Android is not a good experience, I don't care what the hardware is. Maybe Android 4.0 will be good but 2.0 was quite sucky from my use.
It kind of surprises me that a lot of what is shown in here is simply screen candy with no purpose. The animated wall-paper? That is a joke right? That is total crap IMHO. Apple has trick animations too but they are at least trying to communicate to the user what is happening. They are informative and have meaning. That is a big difference between the Nexus wallpaper and the stuff that Apple puts out.
And all of this adds up to a more hospitable environment for apps. If people are not stressed out and confused by their phone they are willing to explore new functions. When they can't figure out basic functions they are not willing to take a chance on a new app. I think that is part of the reason people were willing to try apps on the iPhone. The UI of the phone itself was so easy and so sensible that people had mental energy, cognitive space for new experiences.
@rozzi
Well, Apple is just the thing for you then if you forgot what trackballs and buttons do.
@rozzi so in other words you are saying you don't like android because you're too stupid to use it?
@blueskyv201 yet i don't see one with a decent on-screen keyboard and robust similar functionality 2 years later (previous iphone owner that was very pleased)
@rozzi "So many buttons on screen plus the trackball and real buttons, I was never sure what to press and often found myself way off."
Lol! Buttons confuse me!
@rozzi
ROFL! There's a running joke in our office that the one guy that uses a Mac and iPhone does so because he's too stupid/dangerous to use more than one button.
Your idiotic comments have just highlighted how tech-literate people view most Mac users. That's not to say that their products are useless or simplistic, just how the Apple fanboys come across.
@blueskyv201 - possibly, but I think the point is, its the OS that is goign to get out there more, because it is on more carriers (US) and more TYPES of phones, and it can by customized by the maker (sony, moto, etc) this is what makes it desirable.
@rozzi - perhaps you are stupid? Just sayin'. I mean, if you use a computer - whether it is mac or PC, and you can't navigate a phone, or get confused, perhaps you need a stupidphone. Yeah, just sayin'.
@dzeRnumbrd - FUCK YEAH! LOL.
@blueskyv201 Yeah if only the public were intelligent enough and not being conned into buying an overpriced phone that they hate and would love to return and buy one of the superior phones but for some reason feel compelled not to. Stupid, stupid, tortured public.
Of course there is the remote possibility that they maybe enjoy their iphones but I doubt it. It doesn't do what I need it to do so that must mean it's a piece of junk.
I hope Droid is updated with a snapdragon...
@EliC
+1
@EliC
And +2. That's the only reason I really haven't moved to the Droid yet. If it had that snapdragon processor in there I would have waited in lines for days to get one just like iFans. :P
@tastypotato yeah, me too...that and if it were on another carrier...too expensive for me w/ verizon
Thats why I settled for the samsung moment....love it and almost as fast a processor @800mhz so its good enough
@bpedman
The Droid's processor (Cortex A8@600mhz) is much faster than the 800mhz processor in your Moment, in fact it would be faster than the Moment's processor at 1GHZ and use less power than the Droid's as well. The video processor is also much faster in the Droid than it is in the Moment.
Clock speed is not everything in processor development.
@shamusl Exactly and that is why the Nexus is not really much faster than a Droid running 2.1.
@shamusl
I am curious to know if people actually realize what "snapDragon" is.
So far I have not seen an intelligent comment on it. If you read the whitepapers, you would get it. Not to say the comments are WRONG, but people keep referring to it as a CPU, and that is only partly true.
@EliC Would it matter anyway? You would still have to get a new phone regardless ;-) BTW, three of my friends have the Droid, and while I love most things about it--the gorgeous display, the speed, the OS version--the keyboard sucks sour grapes. You still have to look at it when you type because you cannot distinguish individual keys by feel. In fact, most of the time they don't bother with the slide-out keyboard and simply use the on-screen one. In which case give me the N1 anyday because of the extra speed, even more gorgeous display, and higher OS version.
?
Sorry but technobuffalo.com was the first to get a hands on unit of the nexus one! Check them out!
OMFG!!!!! :O
This looks so much better than i thought it would...
@AleVH Do you want to be ranked down?
By the way, this seems like the one given to Googlers (it has the QR code on the back) and may differ from the production model.
Looks a lot nicer than the Droid, IMO.
@DanH
only 87 photo's josh? come on, your losing your game.
:)
What are the red lights at the bottom exactly?
@themshill i believe that those are metal contacts, not lights. they are just reflecting the tables color
@glenskey
aah, was wondering that.. shame.. a battery indicator on the bottom would be nice!
@themshill
Seems more like gold plated metal so you can recharge the phone when you place it on a dock.
@themshill
and why would they waste screen space by having two icons that do the exact same thing? (dots for homescreens)
@SmoothMarx
This is true, why not make just one have the homescreen function and have another to add more widgets or icons? Not very resourceful.
@SmoothMarx If you just tap them they will scroll to the left or right. Tap and hold to get the expose view.
OoOoOoO pretty
Up close this thing looks great. Snapdragon and Android, hmm, sounds like a great combo. Can't wait.
Does Google use the QR code internally?