Exclusive: Google Nexus One hands-on, video, and first impressions

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 Nexus One unboxing and hands-on

Now, of course everyone seems to have one question about the device -- is this the be-all-end-all Android phone / iPhone eviscerator? In two words: not really. The thing that's struck us most (so far) about the Nexus One thus far is the fact that it's really not very different than the Droid in any substantial way. Yes, we'd say the design and feel of the phone is better (much better, in fact), and it's definitely noticeably faster than Motorola's offering, but it's not so much faster that we felt like the doors were being blown off. It is very smooth, though we still noticed a little stuttery behavior (very slight, mind you) when moving between home pages. Still, opening applications and moving between them was super speedy, as was Google maps, and any area of the phone where you've got to get through long lists. Don't get us wrong, the phone cooks -- but it's not some paradigmatic shift for Android. One other note: multitouch has not been included here, so while the functionality is supported in Android 2.0 and up, we're still dealing with a one-finger-at-a-time experience... which leaves something to be desired when you've got a beautiful touchscreen like this to play around on.

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.

We're going to have a lot more info and a full review coming in just a few days, but for now, feast your eyes on the video and gallery, and hang tight for more Nexus One goodness. Oh, and if you've got some questions on the device, shout them out in comments and we'll try to answer and / or cover them in the review.

[bobman Posted Jan 4th 2010 9:04PM]

I think that they are testing their Webstore site at the moment.
I was able to see few pages of phone support but after few minutes they went down.

[bobman Posted Jan 4th 2010 9:07PM]

How can I get @google.com (noa a gmail one) email account?

[trek Posted Jan 4th 2010 11:48PM]

@bobman
work for google.

[RobinsonHome Posted Jan 4th 2010 10:43PM]

Call me cheap. The big draw for me with this phone is that it can be bought without a locked in carrier. I'd sign up for an iPhone in a second if I wasn't forced into an AT&T data plan. Give me voice, txt msgs... and built-in wifi and I'm happy. I'm most often in areas with a wifi cloud.

With this context, onto my questions. Hopefully you can cover these in a followup article:
1) Is the phone configurable to use either CDMA or GSM?
2) Will the availability of an unlocked version let me take it to a discount service such as straighttalk.com or Cricket?
3) If I end up using this phone on either T-mobile or AT&T, will I be able to use it without being forced into a data plan?

[appleman1 Posted Jan 5th 2010 1:48AM]

I plan to buy this 'nexus one' ... I like android phone, they are fast.
++++++++++++++++++
"Watch DVD Movies and Videos on Android Phone..."
http://www.daniusoft.com/tutorial/dvd-video-to-android.html.html#135

[Rizard Posted Jan 5th 2010 3:58AM]

1: Any more info on the os on here? Any chance I'll be able to install some gps software like maybe garmin? :o (Am I asking totaly stupid questions ? xD)

2: Hows the battery?

3: Can this phone be used ( with or without gps) without any data plan? (no 3G or edge cause it will cost)

Grts Riz

[nexusonebb Posted Jan 5th 2010 11:19AM]

That is just a beautiful phone! I can't wait to get rid of my iphone for this one. http://nexusonebb.com/forums/

[Kadon Posted Jan 6th 2010 11:30AM]

I'd like to know more about language support and if your are able to change the input language of the keyboar without having to change the entire locale of the device. Thanks.

[asharwood Posted Jan 7th 2010 8:28AM]

Not impressed....you spent most of the time on a feature that many people will turn off. interactive background? really? not cool. No functionality and like you said, eat up processor power or battery which means people will turn it off. I have not seen anything interesting or new.

voice record on all text input? not impressed. Voice recording has been out for a long time on many devices and the conversion from voice to text is horrible especially for people with accents. And about the only time voice typing comes in handy is when you are alone because otherwise people will hear your emails being typed and some will think you are crazy for talking to your phone.

I'm also not impressed with the UI. It is clunky and boxy. The lack of multitouch is not good. no games for you Nexus. Oh wait, sorry, you will have games but it will be minefield and solitaire. Enjoy =)

I'm not impressed with the phone. Oh you have a interactive background...really...useless in every way. And if a friend came up to me and showed me this and was like, "look what my phone does, touch the screen and you get waves in water....right on the home screen." I would roll my eyes and wonder if there were some timewarp back to the 90s. It is the most useless feature and it doesn't even look that good. It is worse than fart apps on the iphone.

the whole purchasing online is not impressive either. Sure you bypass the cell carrier, but big deal.

You also tote the whole rich graphics and yet what good will it be for if you can't play games...oh you can look at your pics in high quality or watch high quality video. No thanks. If I want to do that I will go to my 24" lcd monitor or my 42" lcd TV.

There isn't anything the nexus does that is useful that the first gen iphone didn't do....and I didn't have a first gen. But the videos that demo the phones are similar. Just saying. This would have been impressive if it were released 3 years ago. Right now, it isn't impressive and widgets are only battery hogs.

[mtawfiq Posted Jan 7th 2010 2:38PM]

It is very close to iPhone 3GS; However, still iPhone is more attractive and practical with many applications available