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HTC and NASA to send Nexus One into space in 2013 as part of PhoneSat program
Okay, this definitely won't be the first time HTC's own Nexus handset will be experiencing a trip that most of us won't ever have the chance to replicate. But in 2013 the Nexus One will travel deeper into the void than it's ever been before. As it was in 2010, the upcoming Nexus One launch plan is also part of NASA's nano-satellite-building program (aka PhoneSat) and, according to HTC, this will mark the culmination of years of intensive testing -- which consisted of putting the former Android flagship through thermal-vacuum chambers, extreme vibration tests and high-altitude balloon flights. The Taiwanese phone maker didn't specify when exactly the Nexus One's out-of-this-world adventure will take place, but we do know the newfangled One X+ is already being touted as a potential candidate to climb aboard a Jupiter-bound spaceship in the coming future.
Nexus One denied Ice Cream Sandwich, becomes official relic of Android's yesteryears
If you're still clinging fast to Google's first ever Nexus device, now might be the time to start eyeing an upgrade. While the search giant's solidly confirmed an Ice Cream Sandwich destiny for owners of its penultimate Android flagship, the Nexus S, the same cannot be said for its HTC-made progenitor. It's not as though Mountain View's lost any love for its game-changing dev phone, rather that handset's 2010 guts just aren't up to snuff for the 4.0 polish. Besides, there are plenty of other more attractive and able-bodied smartphones to help you through the mourning process.
Nexus One takes a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwich, chews slowly
The Nexus One, grandaddy of Android's latest pure-bred wonder, appears to have some fight left in it. Developer drl33tmd has managed to coax the old man into running an early port of Ice Cream Sandwich, although it's not perfect. The somewhat unstable build is a bit sluggish, and suffers from media playback issues and a distinct lack of WiFi. Check out the demo after the break to see the original Google smartphone struggle up some increasingly steep software stairs.
HTC releases Android 2.3 restore files for Nexus One, makes your Google phone feel new again
If that custom ROM sitting atop your Nexus One has left you begging for an undo button, you'll be happy to know HTC is offering wily users a free return pass to its trusted Android 2.3.3 build (GRI40). While thrill-seekers previously had the option to come back through the Froyo door, this updated restore image saves the pain of performing a system upgrade after restoring your phone. With HTC's safety net squarely in place, you're certainly welcome to check out CyanogenMod's latest offering -- we hear they've got something new to play with. [Thanks, James]
New Android 2.2 build leaks out for Nexus One, minor improvements noted
Well, well -- what have we here? Word on the street has it that we're looking at a new, unreleased (officially, anyway) Froyo build for Google's now-tough-to-locate Nexus One. The open source community has yet again uncovered what looks to be a real gem, with this fresh Android 2.2 version (FRG33) promising minor bug fixes, improved WiFi performance and speed improvements from top to bottom. There's obviously no Google-approved changelog to prove anything one way or another, but you can give that source link a look if you're feeling froggy. Just don't blame us when you suddenly can't access the Android Market, or your world otherwise implodes.
Flash Player 10.1 goes final for Nexus One handsets, available to download now
Google just confirmed it at an Android / Flash event in San Francisco, and sure enough, our trusty Nexus One just found, downloaded and installed the final (read: non-beta) version of Adobe's Flash Player 10.1. It weighs in at just under 5MB, and it's looking as sweet as ever so far. Nexus One owners can hit up the Android Market to get their download on, and we'd highly encourage you to bookmark a few dozen Flash sites just to rub in the faces of your dearest iDevice-owning friends. Just sayin'.
Tweaker ports Samsung's TouchWIz UI onto non-rooted Nexus One for reasons unknown
This one's been kicking around the interwebs for a few weeks now, but it has managed to grow into something of a beast during that period. Frankly, we couldn't think of less fitting way to send the glorious Nexus One out than to completely deface it and ruin what Google has worked so hard to perfect. But regardless of what we think, that's exactly what has happened here. One rolle3k over at xda developers clearly has a masochistic gene or two planted inside of his skull, but at least his APK doesn't require your N1 to be rooted before providing you access to a TouchWiz user interface. Feel free to hit the source if you're up for seeing what you've been missing out on, but only if you literally cannot think of a single better thing to do with your time.
Ubuntu joins Android on Nexus One, apocalyptic repercussions nowhere to be found
Ever wondered what would happen if you threw another mobile OS onto your Nexus One? Without removing Android? Contrary to popular belief, the world will in fact not end, and in many cases, lives could very well be improved. One particular modder over at Nexus One Hacks has managed to put together a video how-to demonstrating the installation of Ubuntu as a secondary OS on his rooted N1, and while you'll obviously find yourself dealing with a few incompatibilities should you follow suit, it's not like you really have anything better to do tonight than tinker. Right? Right. Jump on past the break and mash play to get going.
Nexus One sees red, nearly doubles battery life? (video)
These five Nexus One smartphones may seem to have defects, but there's actually nothing wrong with their AMOLED screens -- the funky colors are an attempt to improve battery life by turning off unnecessary sub-pixel LEDs. Hooking up his handset to an industrial power meter, Android engineer Jeff Sharkey discovered a blood-red screen drew 42 percent less current than full color -- the least of any combination by far -- purportedly doubling the effective battery life of the phone. While you're probably not going to be able to test the requisite software patch for yourself unless you're mildly familiar with Google code, you'll find a video of the crimson wonder after the break to fuel your dreams of a eyestrain-free astronomy cheat sheet... and Android bullfighting, of course.
Nexus One getting Android 2.2 FRF83 update over the air?
The Android 2.2 source code just went public this morning, but we're hearing a fully-compiled, legitimate OTA version of Froyo may be hitting small batches of Nexus One handsets as well. Though a 1.78MB ZIP file floating around XDA-developers this afternoon was originally thought to be the droid we've all been looking for, Android and Me reports that they received an honest-to-goodness OTA version of FRF83 after trying (and failing) to get that ZIP to work, and we're getting several similar reports. Let us know in comments if you've received a frozen treat of your own. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Flash 10.1 on Froyo goes tete-a-tete with Flash Lite 4 on Eclair: butter vs. stutter (video)
Believe it or not, your newly-upgraded Nexus One isn't the first Android smartphone to have Adobe Flash video capability, nor even the first to play said content on a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU -- Europe's been rocking the HTC Desire since April, which sports a little something called Flash Lite even on the older Android 2.1 OS. Will frozen yogurt outperform puff pastry on its home turf? Find out in a blind taste test video showdown after the break.
Android 2.2's Froyo goodness hitting the Nexus One already? (update: just press so far)
Sometimes it's good to be the chosen child, the special one, and in the eyes of Google the Nexus One is that special phone -- at least for the moment. As such it seems to have been given a special treat: access to Froyo, earlier than expected. TechCrunch's MG Siegler is reporting that his handset received Android 2.2 overnight. So far we're not hearing too many other reports of folks seeing this update, but that could be thanks to everyone sleeping off a week of exciting announcements. Sound off in comments if you're waking up to this frosty, low-calorie snack. Update: We're not sure how this is being rolled out, as hardly anyone is seeing updates, but via Droidnytt we found a number of reports on Twitter that people are indeed seeing the update. Update 2: Count us among the lucky few who just received the OTA Froyo update, to our original T-Mobile-based device. Update 3: We've done some additional investigation, and as far as we can tell, Google is only updating review Nexus Ones that had been provided to the press -- not off-the-shelf phones. We'll stay on this and let you know more as soon as we do. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Android 2.2 'Froyo' beta hands-on: Flash 10.1, WiFi hotspots, and some killer benchmark scores
Much to our surprise at the time, when Adobe sent us a Flash 10.1-enabled Nexus One for testing, the phone came preloaded with a preview build of Android 2.2 -- a.k.a. "Froyo" -- the apparent turning point for curbing Android fragmentation due for a very public unveiling today at Google I/O. We've had a day or two to dig into it, and while we're surely missing some improvements here or there (Google was unable to provide us a changelog as of this writing), we've spent pretty much all our waking moments combing through every virtual nook and cranny. So what can Eclair alumni expect from the revised platform? Read on for more! %Gallery-93349% %Gallery-93350%
Nexus One runs Windows 3.11, possibly the saddest thing we've seen all day (video)
In a volatile Android ecosystem where bigger and better phones pop up every week, your Nexus One might be feeling a little obsolete. Frankly, there's hardly a better way to cheer it up than by installing an operating system that's a little more its speed. In the finest DOSBox tradition, one gentleman recently imbued his Googlephone with Windows 3.11, by far our favorite 1993 Microsoft OS. Realizing the futility of getting it to do anything -- ah, memories -- he set about crafting a step-by-step guide for you to do the same. If you care to give his misery company, you'll find instructions at our source link; if not, don your rose-tinted glasses and peep the video after the break.
Google changes Nexus One plans, will stop selling handsets online
Although Google launched the Nexus One with grand plans to radically change the way consumers purchased phones and service, it looks like the experiment has fizzled to an end -- the company just announced that will eventually stop selling handsets online and instead partner with carriers to sell the N1 in-store while using its website to promote "a variety of Android phones available globally." Google says customers simply want a hands-on experience before buying a phone, but we'd say the lack of subsidies from any carrier except T-Mobile and some serious customer service issues probably played in killing Google's original sales strategy -- and of course, both Verizon and Sprint essentially refused the N1 in favor of the bespoke Incredible and EVO 4G. We'd also say that Android as a whole will remain unaffected, since the Nexus One was never a huge seller, but it's still rare that a company simply gives up a business model like this, and we don't know if Google will ever follow up with a successor to the Nexus One. The Google Phone is dead, people -- long live the Google Phone. Update: We just asked Google about future devices and support for current Nexus One owners, here's what they said: On the future: We will continue working with our partners to bring cutting-edge new Android handsets to market, but we have nothing to announce right now. On support: This announcement doesn't have any immediate impact on support for consumers who purchase Nexus One through the web store.
Cellbots get Nexus One upgrade, ad-hoc motion control (video)
Sprint and Verizon may have shunned the Nexus One, but that doesn't mean the handsets can't be put to good use: these Android-controlled, Arduino-powered Cellbots now feature the one true Googlephone as the CPU. At Intel's 2010 International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, we got our hot little hands on the DIY truckbots for the first time, and found to our surprise they'd been imbued with accelerometer-based motion control. Grabbing a Nexus One off a nearby table, we simply tilted the handset forward, back, left and right to make the Cellbot wheel about accordingly, bumping playfully into neighbors and streaming live video the whole time. We were told the first handset wirelessly relayed instructions to the second using Google Chat, after which point a Python script determined the bot's compass facing and activated Arduino-rigged motors via Bluetooth, but the real takeaway here is that robots never fail to amuse. Watch our phone-skewing, bot-driving antics in a video after the break, and see what we mean.
Google updates Nexus One page, tells Verizon customers to get a Droid Incredible instead (update: the Verizon Nexus One is dead)
Now this, this is all kinds of silly. Google has been busy updating its phone sales site, and the latest word for Verizon Wireless subscribers encourages them to look at the "similarly feature-packed" cousin of the Nexus One, the Incredible. Importantly, what's missing from the new wording is the "coming soon" tag, suggesting that for all intents and purposes the Nexus has been obviated by the arrival of the Incredible. In a separate blog post updating us on carrier partnerships, Google again reiterates its mini-advert for the new HTC phone on Verizon while keeping mum about the Nexus One's future. A true CDMA variant of le superphone should still be coming wearing Sprint regalia, but it's disappointing to see Google use such doublespeak techniques. Is the Verizon Nexus canceled or not? Update: We just heard back from Google -- the Verizon Nexus One is dead; long live the Incredible. Here's the official statement: We won't be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC. Now, that's certainly reasonable, given the similarities between the Nexus One and the Incredible, but here's a question: given that the Incredible runs Sense on top of Android, isn't the closest Verizon analogue to the Nexus One experience actually the Droid, which runs stock Android 2.1? Considering Motorola's recent moves away from Google, maybe this is a sign of something deeper.
Nexus One launches on Vodafone UK this Friday, April 30
The first European carrier for the Nexus One is all set to start offering Google's superphone for free on two-year contracts costing £35 ($54) or more per month. Pre-orders are being taken today and full retail availability is slated for April 30. It's kind of an anticlimax now that the Incredible has started stalking the American prairies, but we're sure there'll be plenty of Brits who've been waiting with bated breath for this. There'll be 18- and 24-month contract options, with prices starting at £25 per month, and a 1GB 3G data allowance is included together with a 1GB WiFi allowance via BT Openzone hotspots. Not exactly the most generous price plans we've ever heard of, but then the handset's looking eminently affordable with its zero cash up front requirement. Full PR after the break.
Google 'no longer investigating' fix for Nexus One 3G issues, advises 'changing your location'
Looking back through our archives, you'll find plenty of user dissatisfaction with the 3G reception on Google's Nexus One. Blamed alternately on T-Mobile's inferior 3G coverage and on software bugs, the problem was expected to be banished with an over-the-air update in early February. The update came, but the trouble also stayed. It might now be time to finally lay those last lingering hopes for rectification to rest, as Google has directly responded to calls for a bigger and better OTA patch by explaining that it's no longer working on "further engineering improvements." That's a pretty conclusive sign that the problem is in the hardware, particularly when you peruse the support thread in question and the reception comparisons users have been doing with other handsets. Well, at least you know for sure now. [Thanks, Ryan]
Apple iPad vs. Dell Mini 5 / Streak... fight! (Bonus: smartphone pile-on!)
Occasionally we've had strangers -- very likely non-Engadget readers -- coming up to us and ask, "Sorry mate, but is that the iPad?" To which we reply, "No, it's the Dell Mini 5." This may sound like a silly boo-boo to make, but there is this common misconception of the iPad being just "a bigger iPhone" while not knowing how much bigger it is (despite our best effort). To clear this up once and for all, we've brought the two devices in question together -- the Mini 5 / Streak smartphone on the left, and the iPad on the right. Now it's up to you guys to spread the love. As a bonus, we also threw in various phones -- HTC HD mini, Nexus One, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, and HTC HD2 -- to pile on top of Apple's latest toy, just to kill the Sunday afternoon. No magical and revolutionary devices were harmed in the making of this article. [Thanks for the toys, Chris and Andy]%Gallery-90236%
