Select Nexus One users complaining of touchscreen calibration, 3G connectivity issues
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 18th 2010 10:27AM
posted January 18th 2010 10:27AM
As totally awesome and exciting as the Nexus One might be, with any new device there are bound to be some growing pains -- f'rinstance, you might have heard about issues with the phone's 3G connectivity. Well, Google has too (hell, our buddy Erick Tseng even addressed it on The Engadget Show yesterday) and while the cause is less than clear, the company assures us it's working feverishly to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, that isn't the only problem newly minted Nexus One owners are noticing. According to a lively discussion on Google's Android forum, some folks are experiencing extreme touchscreen calibration issues after cold booting the phone -- problems that resolve themselves (temporarily) after putting the thing to sleep and then turning it back on. That said, the good folks at Google assure us they're on the case. If it turns out that it's a hardware problem, it'll be covered under your warranty. Software? They'll issue a patch for it. If your phone's having problems and you feel like joining the conversation, hit that source link.
@where u at
There's definitely a wi-fi bug with the 3GS and I've posted in a similar thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2060528&start=105&tstart=0
I haven't been able to figure out what it is, but it seems that the 3GS has issues with certain routers and/or certain frequency or speed settings. In my experience, I would not recommend Netgear routers to anyone that owns an iPhone 3GS. I have tested my iPhone on Linksys, Dlink, Verizon (FIOS issued, not sure of manufacturer), and Hawking routers and have had zero issues. YMMV but it should be noted that there are certain routers that will cause the 3GS to have extreme difficulty maintaining a decent connection.
The behavior that my 3GS exhibited on a Netgear router looked exactly like what was happening to the Droid/Nexus One in the Engadget speed test. Perhaps this issue is a bit more widespread and a possible issue with the wifi chips used in the newest phones.
Glad I picked the Droid over the Nexus One.
That pic makes me realize how much things suck compared to the 80's. THANKS ENGADGET :(
@Steve P Jobs
I like the simulation of your avatar being downloaded on AT&T's 3G network...
Google really screwed the pooch on this one.
Sales are pathetic, the buzz has turned negative.
Had Google just allowed HTC/TMobile to sell this thing, it would have avoided a massive PR mess.
Nexus owner. Great phone, but GOOGLE = NEXUS = FAIL
Why did you, HTC and Google had to screw this up ? WHY ?
ps. Thanks for posting this article, maybe Google will get their shit together now.
must be not too widespread - i've had mine for a week now (uk) and i havn't had any of these issues (nor does my mate who also got a N1).
@Steve P Jobs
HAH.. i see you changed it... good thing I have a screenshot :)
http://i50.tinypic.com/qrj8ye.png
It’s a HTC conspiracy, they have made the nexus faulty so users will choose HTC devices instead, hopefully the nexus will not be main by HTC
@Newwales If that conspiracy was real, you would think that HTC would have been smart enough not to put their logo on the back of the phone
@ humanerror
lots of people only found this issue after a week or so. here is what people have been able to reproduce alot: go to Alarms, add 4 alarms, turn the all OFF, now quickly and many time tap on 1st alarm to turn it ON, if you do it many times and quickly, the 4th alarm with turn on as well. (this is because of touchscreen issue and its just an example of the problem)
THE SMART THING THAT GOOGLE CAN DO NOW, IS EXTEND THE WARRANTY TO AT LEAST 30 DAYS !
@(Unverified) and also drop there 120day contract cause that thing is bananas..550$ in fees if you want to cancel ahead of time..if you are with t-mobile that is
@(Unverified) The warranty lasts a year
Been using a Nexus one since last week. the 3G issues are undoubtedly affecting me, just switched it to edge full time. Edge only is much less painful than the flaky 3G. I have noticed the touchscreen register some incorrect touches, but I figured it was just because I was holding it too close to the edge of the screen and it was picking up my hand. Other than that the phone has been rock solid.
If they manage to fix the glaring 3G issue, I would have no problem recommending it over an iPhone. It is much faster and the interface is still very usable, even without the pinch to rotate/zoom stuff being native. I do think I would rather have the thing be 1 mm thicker in exchange for some better battery life, but it hasn't been noticably worse than my iPhone or WinMo phones I have used. In fact I would say on WiFi, it beats those.
looks like the ongoing wifi issue which seems to effect all android handsets still isn't fixed either...disappointing :/
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=01a47ff5b0a92d52&hl
Im not sweating it so much..phone has only been out for 2 weeks and i should be getting mine today at around 3pm (at least thats what fed ex said)..ill see if i have any issues but these are things that can be ironed out.
While at it, PLEASE fix my FUCKING light sensor !
@GoogleCEO the speed test they did was such bs i think..i love endgaget but i mean come on..ive seen speed tests done on youtube where the nexus one clearly beats the iPhone
I'd like my Nexus One to arrive quicker so I could experience all these problems. :( Ordered it on the 15th and it still hasn't shipped.
There are hundreds of N900 reviews on YouTube. Why do you need another one from Engadget?
Here is one from me: The yellowish, dim screen kill the N900. Next!
Google has a track record of launching shoddy ass products and then having to correct the problems later on.
@brown like dookie
I sense your sarcasm and direct you to focus on the word "launching". I think Google has an online dictionary just in case you don't know it's definition.
Love my Nexus One. Have I had a couple little problems, yes. I also being a somewhat smart person knows that you're going to have some problems with any piece of electronics. I've had it for about a week now and it is by far the best phone I have ever used. From the screen to the look, this phone is great. Let's see if positive news is reported?!
@ hcjohnson3
Some problems ?
1. Touchscreen issue (Sometime phone impossible to use)
2. 3G Issue (Switches from 3G to EDGE all the time)
3. Light sensor issue (In some instances flickers from dim to bright)
4. Email client does not has signature (Had in 1.6)
5. Email client displays wrong number of new emails in notifications
6. Email client does not has "Erase Trash" button.
7. Email client does not let me download emails over a month old (Was able to do so in 1.6)
8. Etc.........People have Alarm issues, WIFI issues.......
My Dash, iPhone, and MyTouch 3G all worked good. Nexus failed until all issues are fixed
zero problems with my N1
Zero problems with my Pre. I won't hand over Google....snicker...one red cent. Even T-mobile, AT&T, nor Verizon will ever get my hard earned money. They rape you without using a condom then want you to pay for the abortion (cancellation fees) that is.
Dont know about Tmo, but i did get raped by Google........i am sure those bustards didnt use the condom :)
@Steve P Jobs
Ha guys, be nice. He only stopped by to say hi :)
I mean, even if they used condoms that were ribbed for my pleasure, I still won't use those carriers nor google. It's just that anything google seems to me that they are on par with sesame street. kiddish. Always in beta and always has problems. Heck, I even think the "cloud" is a waste. It's good for easy quick access to some stuff quickly but I will NEVER trust it to hold anything of value. As far as AT&T, my father uses em' and hates them with a passion. Wishes he never left Sprint but his work was paying for it at the time so that was a no brainer. My brother is on Verizon....he has 1 phone, I have 4. He pays only 40$ less than I do....and I have more features. He's chompin at the bits to switch to sprint. I know 2 people that went to t-mo for the N1 here in the outer Orlando area....they took them back.
Google reminds me of sesame street. The other carriers, after looking at thier plans and prices, reminds me of the beatdown I got in the 5th grade for stealing some gum.....
I have had a few situations where I'll click somewhere and it will register elsewhere, but it's rare. I saw some people complaining about battery, and I have to say, the phone is just fine in that area. I listened to Last.FM on Saturday for around 45 minutes and lost about 6% battery life. That means I could listen for close to 10 hours straight without the battery fully discharging. I haven't had any long phone calls, but a few 15-20 minute ones barely drop the battery (compared to the Pre, which used to drop 5-10% after a 20 minute call and 5% after 5 minutes of Pandora).
The phone is terrific. I'm looking forward to native multi-touch, and more app support. Aside from that, it's stellar.
lol
@ Siraris: The battery has never been an issue for me. Especially after thier last few updates, it has only gotten better. I make 10 - 20 minute calls and it barely drops a couple of %'s. I can listen to Pandora all day long, but it's when I'm browsing the net and keeping the brightness on is when it dwindles down at a good chunk.
I have noticed some battery issues too. Yesterday I decided to turn off the 3G and go edge only and the battery life is a ton better.
Also in the settings screen there is a section that is supposed to show you where the majority of the power consumption is going. On mine 46% was to the display with all others in the single digit percentiles.
All in all I like the phone. It is so much snappier than my iphone and has yet yo freeze up on my like the iphone would when calls would come in while I was doing something else.
my nexus one is perfect thanks for the pointless article engadget.
@lightforce so your not having any 3g connectivity issues?
@lightforce
So, although the issue affects many N1 owners but does not affect YOU, then it is not worth Engadet posting. Ridiculous.
Have minor touchscreen issues which I'm sure will be patched...nothing that makes it not an awesome experience. No 3g issues. Personally still love it...use it all day everyday. Battery lasts like smart phone batteries do, you can't plan a trip across the united states and plan on navigating with google maps without plugging in.
I have an N1. Be better if the email had a sig & tethering out of the box but other than that:
- No 3G issues
- Good Tmo coverage
- No touchscreen issues
- Never seen or heard of the light sensor flicker issue..?
It's a serious improvement over my Nokia e66 or my previous android phone (1.5). And I trust Google and HTC will issue updates regularly and keep improving the phone.
Guys Apparently the issue is with the android 2.1 OS itself. A user on the google help forum flashed his nexus to earlier versions and the 3G issue went away. http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=0bd8ccd4799040c2&hl=en&fid=0bd8ccd4799040c200047d8ac1e66eb2
I'm definitely one of those Nexus One owners that has experienced a 3G and now calibration issues.
WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END?!!
Interestingly engadget didn't report on widespread iphone WiFi troubles:
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/07/09/loss-of-wi-fi-connectivity-plagues-the-iphone-3g/
Is engadget.com sponsored by Apple?