NexusOne
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Nexus One, Nokia X6 coming to South Korea in June
Like Japan, South Korea has a wireless industry that's typically leaps and bounds ahead of just about everywhere else in the world -- but the country has never been a Symbian or Android stronghold, so it's actually not much of a surprise that two big recent releases are just now heading over there this Summer. From Nokia, the X6 will be hitting KT in June for 595,000 won, which works out to $495; Google, meanwhile, will be contributing the Nexus One by way of rival operator SKT toward the end of June for an undisclosed price. Don't say you weren't warned, MOTOROI.
Nexus One's AT&T flavor is out of stock (update: it's back)
We don't mean to fire up any conspiracy theories, but the 850 / 1900MHz 3G version of the Nexus One is nowhere to be found in Google's inventory at the moment -- strange timing, considering how long it's been available and the fact that we're not coming up on a purchase-heavy season like the holidays. That said, there are a few reasonable theories: for one thing, the Nexus One (amazingly) remains the only readily-available high-end Android device that'll run on AT&T's 3G bands; two, we've heard talk that AMOLED supply is tight, which would also explain why Verizon keeps slipping the Droid Incredible's ship date for new buyers; and three, we do know that Google's looking to phase out its online store anyhow. Whatever the reason, Google says the phone is only "temporarily" unavailable, so keep the faith -- it's not like there's an easy way to get Android 2.2 on an AT&T Nexus One right now, anyway. Update: And that was painless -- it's back in stock.
Nexus One starting to show up in third party retail channels, commands big money
If you want to know what Google meant by "more retail availability" for the Nexus One when it talked about spiking its first-party phone store, take a good, hard look at our brave new world here. Independent retailer i Wireless has started offering a number of Android devices in the past few days, including the Nexus One -- a product that's still extraordinarily difficult to find outside of Google's own site, especially since none of the American Big Four carriers intend to offer it directly. It turns out that i Wireless is an authorized T-Mobile affiliate, so they're selling the phone for $299.95 on contract after rebate -- a good bit more than the $179 Google charges, but in return, it looks like you can select just about any plan T-Mobile offers (Google restricts you to the Even More 500 plan to get the subsidy). We think we already miss the old way of getting these things.
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 Froyo manual update found, now available for select Nexus One devices
It was only a matter of time. The direct link to download the Android 2.2 "Froyo" update from Google's servers has been found. According to XDA-Developers, it only works if you have a "non-rooted stock ERE27 system" Nexus One. Meet the requirements? Can't wait any longer? Download link below. Update: Want no pre-conditions? Here's another link, albeit less official so proceed at your own risk. [Thanks, Justin!] [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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 coming to Nexus One, open source community 'in the coming weeks'
Why, thanks Google! Just a day after wrapping up a rather monumental Google I/O event in Northern California, the company's official show Twitter account has belted out a tidbit that just about every attendee was wondering about. According to the outfit, Android 2.2 (yeah, that's Froyo for the inexperienced) will be "made available to OEMs and the open source community in the coming weeks," and it'll be hitting up the HTC-built Nexus One in the "next few weeks." That's music to our ears, and if you're unsure what kind of impact this will have on your own life, feel free to take a deep dive into this right here. [Thanks, Alex]
Android 2.2 ROM inevitably falls victim to device ports
Well, who saw this coming? Froyo -- yes, the one and only Android 2.2 that got released via SDK today -- has already begun its grand voyage into hacky, totally unofficial device ROMs that are available to unhealthily brave users. The two we've got for your perusal here are for the Nexus One (of course) and Verizon's Droid Eris, of all things; our understanding is that both of them are ridiculously unstable and unpractical for actual use at this point, but it's patently obvious that these guys aren't going to sleep until there are some solid firmware binaries on the interwebs. Mountain Dew Code Red and bottles of No-Doz, fellas. [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.
Sprint cans Nexus One in favor of EVO 4G
In light of Verizon's recent decision (or was that Google's decision?) to say goodnight to the Nexus One in favor of the Droid Incredible, we thought it might be wise to reach out to Sprint and get a comment on its own version -- the EVO 4G is just around the corner, of course, and it's lying in wait to cast a long, long shadow over any other Android device in Sprint's lineup. Sure enough, the carrier says that it's now taking a pass on Google's first "superphone," seeing how the EVO 4G is basically better in every respect: WiMAX support, larger screen, better camera, and so on. Of course, this might peeve a few folks who'd prefer stock Android over HTC's Sense UI -- if for no other reason than the fact that Sense-powered devices tend to have wildly longer firmware upgrade lag times than stock ones do -- but otherwise, the move seems to be a perfectly logical one. Oh, and as for that EVO? No update on a launch window, but Sprint says that it's still targeting Summer, thank goodness.
Wii Controller Demo gets active, Android and Wiimote handle Donkey Kong on video
We knew the Wii Controller Demo app (now known as "Wii Controller IME") was close to being able to interact with Android in a meaningful way, but we certainly didn't expect to see Average Joes playing Donkey Kong on their Nexus One devices this soon. Not that we're kvetching or anything -- and in fact, we'd argue that this landed at a perfect time for you hard-workin' Android owners to give this all a spin over the weekend. Jump on past the break for a look at the setup procedure as well as bona fide proof that a Wiimote and Android can indeed work together for the greater good. Mind those coconuts, though. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Whoa, we just spotted that this app is actually pikipirs' completely free Wiimote Controller app (available now to download in alpha), which just so happened to surface at about the same time as Ryan Frawley's Will Controller IME (also available now). The more the merrier, right?
Droid Incredible versus Nexus One: cameraphone showdown
With all this talk of the Droid Incredible ousting the Nexus One from Verizon Wireless, having a better multitouch implementation, and just being newer and shinier, you might think this comparison of cameras is just mercilessly piling on the pain for the original Googlephone. After all, the Nexus One and its 5 megapixel sensor came out a good few months ahead of the 8 megapixel Droid Incredible, so surely this battle would be over before it's even begun? Not so fast, says Android and Me, whose diligent testers have put the two HTC handsets through a side-by-side shootout. As it turns out, the Nexus One rather swept the contest in both naturally and flash-lit shots, while the Incredible habitually exhibited a blue hue in less than perfectly lit photos. Both cameras were adept at taking excellent daylight photos, as is to be expected, but the devil is as usual in the details -- and you can find all of them at the source link below. [Thanks, Matt]
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.
Confirmed: Droid Incredible's multitouch support is better than the Nexus One's
You might recall that fascinating video a while back showing the Nexus One's touch sensor getting all discombobulated when the tester's multitouch fingerwork started to get a little too fancy, and now, Android Central has confirmed that Verizon's Droid Incredible doesn't suffer the same fate -- but why is that, exactly? Android and Me is reporting that the Droid Incredible and EVO 4G both employ an Atmel maXTouch sensor with unlimited touch support -- a relatively new product launched in late '09 -- whereas the Nexus One is using Synaptics' older ClearPad 2000, which was designed to top out with simple two-finger gestures like pinch zoom. The upshot? Complicated multitouch games might end up being less playable (or downright unusable) on the Nexus One, but the silver lining is that HTC's gone ahead and rolled out better components for its latest round of devices that should prevent this from being a problem going forward. Follow the break for Android Central's video of the Droid Incredible multitouching circles around the Nexus One -- figuratively speaking, of course.
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.
Sirius XM app for Android 'coming soon'
iPhone and iPod touch users may have had a Sirius XM app for close to a year now, but it looks like Android users will soon finally be able to get in on some mobile streaming as well. While there's still no specific launch date, the app is apparently "coming soon," and looks to be mostly identical to its iPhone OS counterpart, complete with support for streaming over both WiFi and 3G. Somewhat curiously, however, Sirius XM seems to be saying that the app will only be available for the Droid and Nexus One, although that's a bit puzzling considering they're not the only Android 2.1-ready phones with fast processors (if those are indeed the only requirements). Full press release is after the break, and you can sign up to be notified of the app at the link below.
Google, Broadcom close to enabling 802.11n on Nexus One?
We need a name for this whole drama -- we like "n-Gate," but it's a little too close to N-Gage for comfort. Anyhow, you might recall that Google briefly listed 802.11n support in the Nexus One around the time of its release, then wiped all mention of it only to have iFixit's teardown reveal on no uncertain terms that the Broadcom-sourced wireless chipset was definitely capable of rocking it. The word on the street is that Google and Broadcom have just pushed new drivers for the chipset into the Android repository that enable the functionality, which likely means that future stock firmwares will support it -- Froyo, for instance -- including anything the Nexus One should happen to be graced with in the future. Faster wireless is always a good thing, as far as we're concerned... especially, you know, when Google closes the book on 3G issues. Follow the break for claimed video proof that this 11n business is all too real. [Thanks, Robert]
