Nexus One
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Android display battle: In the end, there can be only One
It's not everyday you get to see six (6!) Android devices pitted against each other in a display-quality grudge match. No, not that sensor sensitivity nonsense again, rather, just a plain ol' video playback comparison for your subjective observations. Fortunately, the Android-loving kids over at HDBlog shot a video of the MyTouch 3G, HTC Hero, Motorola Milestone / Droid, Acer Liquid, Nexus One, and Samsung Galaxy (laid out clockwise in the image above). In our opinion, the Nexus One with its 3.7-inch AMOLED display packing a 800 x 480 pixel resolution comes out on top with the best overall image (though slightly on the red end of the color spectrum) -- good thing the video wasn't shot outdoors where that AMOLED is all but unreadable. But hey, that's our opinion, form your own in the video after the break.
Nexus One's big update can be had without the wait
Android's devised one of the slickest, most widely-deployed systems for delivering over-the-air operating system updates to smartphones, but there's a problem: you've got to wait until your carrier (or manufacturer) blesses you with them. They're typically deployed in rolling batches so that it's easier for the company to do one final test of the code's veracity and limit potential damage before sending it to a wider audience -- but where there's a will, there's a way, right? As is often the case with these things, some folks have found a way to get the Nexus One's glorious new multitouch code on the phone before Google's willing to give it to you, and for anyone who's done this before, it's a fairly standard-issue procedure: copy the update to the root of your microSD card, reboot into recovery mode, and apply the binary. We've tested the procedure and it works like a champ, so if you're feeling impatient, go ahead and pull the trigger -- we're going to go out on a limb here and say that the risk of bricking is pretty low. [Thanks, Jeremy]
Nexus One gets a software update, enables multitouch (updated with video!)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Nexus_One_gets_a_software_update_enables_multitouch_Enga'; The iPhone isn't the only handset getting bumped today -- Google's just outed a very, very significant update to the Nexus One that includes Google Goggles on board and a re-upped version of Google Maps that includes suggestions and a dedicated night mode. Much more significantly, though, they've capitulated and enabled multitouch in Browser, Gallery, and Maps -- great news and a big win for the Android community at large. Finally, there are some 3G improvements in there, but you might have to wait a bit -- Google expects to have it rolled out to pretty much everyone toward the end of the week. Seriously though, now that we've gotten that whole multitouch spat cleared up, it's time for Engadget to rally around something else: ridding the world of tiny ninjas, perhaps? Follow the break for a video of the new firmware -- in all its multi-fingered glory -- in action! Update: ReadWriteWeb's gotten an official statement from Google on the question on everyone's mind: why now? The company says that Android 2.1 "powers a new class of devices" with more horsepower and bigger displays, and "based on these new capabilities and numerous requests from Android users, we decided to provide pinch-to-zoom capabilities with this new over-the-air software update for Nexus One devices." This sounds like a total cop-out to us -- HTC got multitouch working just fine on the Hero way back on 1.5 -- so we still think they just got uncomfortable with the noise surrounding the groundswell of demand for it. Of course, that's fine by us -- power to the people, right?
Nexus One for AT&T's 3G bands likely in the works
By all appearances, Google's trying to break Android free of the surly bonds of the manufacturers and carriers that support it, opening its own online store and selling unlocked Nexus Ones to anyone willing to pony up the $529. Problem is, the Nexus One as we know it today is only available in a configuration that supports North American 3G on AWS spectrum, meaning you've got to go with the States' fourth-largest carrier if you want to blaze -- you've got no other option. That's not very "open," is it, Google? That brings us to an FCC finding today. Take a look at the two labels above; the one on the right comes from the current Nexus One. The label on the left, meanwhile, is physically identical and comes from a new filing for a device with FCC ID NM899110. The old Nexus One has ID NM899100, so this new device is just a single digit off -- likely a variant of the existing model. If you look into the RF reports a bit, you'll immediately notice that the new handset supports 3G on WCDMA Bands I, II, and V, meaning that it'll work on AT&T (and Rogers, Bell, and Telus for the Canadians in the room) along with most of Europe. Same label style, nearly identical model ID, different bands -- we think we know what's going on here. Google, your move. [Thanks, wonderbread]
Nexus One experiencing nationwide data outage? (update: it's back!)
Well, Happy Friday to you, too! We've been inundated with tips from perturbed Nexus One users across the country (and even in Puerto Rico) suggesting that their T-Mobile data coverage is completely out of commission. As you can see above, our own Josh Topolsky is seeing the error in Brooklyn, NY. Some users have reported that their SIM card pulls down data when swapped out of the Nexus One and into another handset, and both T-Mobile and HTC tech support centers have purportedly been slammed. At the moment, no one really seems to know what the issue is, but we have seen some reports from owners that their data is coming down just fine. So, what say you? Let us know what's going on with your Nexus One in the poll below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: As of 12:54PM ET, it seems that data is back in action for Nexus One users. You should probably try rebooting your phone if it's not. %Poll-40752%
Nexus One Desktop Dock now available for $45
The rumored desktop dock for the Nexus One has been made official today -- conveniently (and accurately) bearing the official name of Nexus One Desktop Dock -- running $45 sold separately or bundled with your phone purchase. As expected, dropping the phone into the dock triggers the Clock application to fire up to give you access to alarms, music, and weather (not unlike the Droid), but the special sauce lies out back where you'll find a 3.5mm jack that connects to your stereo system using an included 3.5mm-to-RCA cable. A charger's included to keep the phone topped off while it's resting in the cradle, too, and considering the presence of Bluetooth here, we're guessing audio is ferried via A2DP rather than a hardwired connection. Technology! The dock's available right now for purchase directly from Google.
Nexus One succumbs to Colorware's charms
Colorware's out to conquer the whole gadget world, it seems, as it has now added Google's first own-brand phone to its roster. Joining such hero devices as the Nook, iPhone 3GS, every modern console and even the occasional ThinkPad, the Nexus One will take three weeks to undergo its makeover, at a cost of $175 if you're supplying your own or $800 for a brand new one. Whether the results end up priceless or worthless will be entirely up to you, however, so feel free to practice on their design site a bit before pulling the trigger.
Nexus One Dock to support external speakers, make use of that Bluetooth radio?
Your favorite ill-defined smartphone accessory is back, this time teasing us with talk of external speaker support (via mini audio jack) and wireless audio transmission. We did wonder why the Nexus One dock would have a Bluetooth connection when the phone already has one of its own, and the trick seems to be that the dock will act as the conduit through which the Nexus will transmit music wirelessly to your nearest set of banging sound thumpers. Simple, yes, but also rather liberating for your Eclair-sporting device. Makes that $45 price seem all the more reasonable, no?
Walmart greeters will soon welcome you to a Nexus One with Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T 3G? (update: nope!)
Today's Nexus One may be the hottest keyboard-free Android smartphone on the market today, but it doesn't exactly have the hottest network support. That looks like it'll be changing soon thanks to Walmart of all places, which has put up a "Coming Soon!" page for the Nexus One, listing an impressive suite of wireless bands including 1xEvDO for 3G on Sprint and Verizon and UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900 for 3G on AT&T. Could this finally be the network-agnostic smartphone (or smartphones, as the case may be) that Google has wanted, or is it just a case of some optimistic web admin letting his fingers do the walking when writing up this teaser? We're leaning toward the latter, and there's also a rumor of a $99 price when purchased at Walmart. We're having a hard time swallowing that one, too -- if only because the Droid went for $188 there at launch. Update: Seems Walmart slipped up! Spokesman Ravi Jariwala states: "Due to a technical error, this item erroneously was displayed on our site. We're working with our partner Let's Talk to have it removed as quickly as possible. We have no plans to carry Nexus One in Walmart stores or online at Walmart.com at this time."
Google: Nexus One 3G issues result of poor coverage, bugs; patch possibly within a week
Looks like Google's investigation into the crappy 3G claims on the Nexus One are winding down, and it's a one-two combo of good news and bad news. First, the bad: preliminary findings suggest that poor 3G coverage factors into it, at least in part -- a believable story considering that T-Mobile has the smallest 3G footprint of the four US nationals. Now, the good: there's a software component to the problem, too, and the company says that it's already testing a fix. So far, testing is looking good -- so good, in fact, that an over-the-air update could be available "in the next week or so." It sucks that this partly boils down to crappy coverage, but we'll have to see where things stand after the patch gets rolled out -- and hopefully this'll serve as a high-profile reminder to T-Mobile that it needs to step on the gas (and to Google that it might want to expand its horizons). [Thanks, Wesley]
Google's Nexus One censors your voice-to-text input, we #### you not
It'd be kinda funny if someone was live-bleeping your profanity, right? Sure, but five minutes later you'd sober up to regret and lingering annoyance. Turns out the Nexus One does it for real, courtesy of Google's speech-to-text engine -- it replaces notorious curses like the F and S words with a '####,' which is a more dramatic take on the Zune HD's now-obsolete Twitter censorship. As silly as this sounds, Google has come up with a good reason: We filter potentially offensive or inappropriate results because we want to avoid situations whereby we might misrecognize a spoken query and return profanity when, in fact, the user said something completely innocent. Kudos for caring, but it wouldn't hurt to have an on / off option either -- after all, it's not like we're asking for pinch-to-zoom here, and we'll promise to use a swear jar.
GDC attendees getting free Droid or Nexus One, perfect for Palm's training session
Unless you're press or a booth worker, major industry trade shows can be educational, enlightening, relaxing... dare we say even fun events that actually don't fill you with dread at their mere mention. Of course, the trade-off is that you (or your employer, if you're lucky) are then responsible for fronting the hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars that organizations command for passes to those events. So what do you get in return apart from a few days of schmoozing with some of the most important people in your line of work and the opportunity to play with cool stuff and steal as many promotional pens and USB sticks as you possibly can? In the case of GDC this March, attendees who sign up for either the Mobile / Handheld Summit, the iPhone Summit, or the Independent Games Summit will be gifted with their choice of a Droid or Nexus One, representing the hottest, latest Android gear from Motorola and HTC, respectively -- potentially prime targets for the yet-to-be-tapped 3D gaming market on the platform. With Palm onsite, it should make for some interesting dynamics -- but then again, they're giving these things to people at an event called the "iPhone Summit," for crying out loud.
Attend GDC, get a free Android phone; attend as press, get bent
Apart from some fine print, the headline pretty much says it all. Attendees at this year's Game Developers Conference are eligible to receive a free Android phone. And not just any Android phone either. No, attendees will be able to choose between a super trendy Droid or an even trendier Nexus One. Needless to say, it's a pretty sweet deal. Now, about that fine print. First of all, the offer is available only for All Access or Summits and Tutorials pass holders. Speakers, conference associates, comped attendees and, ahem, press are not eligible. Those lucky enough to be eligible must register for GDC before February 4 and must register to attend the GDC Mobile/Handheld Summit, the iPhone Summit or the Independent Games Summit. Oh, you also have to select the "opt-in" option when registering for a summit (don't forget!) In other news, expect to see Joystiq staffers feverishly, desperately searching under the seats after every summit.
Nexus One Dock to cost $45, imminently available?
What's this? Another Google ad heralding the imminent launch of a gadget desirable? We're guessing yes just as those Apple ads preemptively signaled the launch of refreshed Macs and new Mighty Mouse. Engadget reader Geoff spotted the YouTube ad above that clearly shows the Nexus One Dock being available... and for "only $45!" For that tidy tithe you'll get a charged phone and the ability to kick off a slideshow -- presumably the "and more" refers to Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and AV tethering we saw in the FCC filing. We give this one a week, tops, before it's available for purchase. P.S. Don't feel bad, we tried to click the play button too. [Thanks, Geoff]
Nexus One's unitouch browser falls victim to Cyanogen
Hey, Andy, thanks for "considering" adding multitouch to the Nexus One -- meanwhile, though, there are folks in the trenches actually making it happen, so we might not need your help anymore. The usual suspects over at xda-developers (the legendary Cyanogen, specifically) have mixed, baked, and cooled a delicious new Browser APK for Google's so-called superphone that undoes the company's poorly-made decision to leave out the hot-button feature on everyone's mind. The dude says that you might lose your settings and bookmarks in the process, but we'd say that's a small price to pay -- especially considering that you'd normally have to flash the entire ROM anyhow. Seriously though, Andy, just check it out for a few days and see what you think, alright? [Thanks, Owaeis]
Tiny ninjas unbox the Nexus One on Google's dime
Wondering where Froyo is? It seems the boys and girls in Mountain View took a quick breather to commission one of the crazier stop-action short films we've seen in a while -- and probably the craziest stop-action unboxing we've ever seen. If you questioned the Nexus One's real ultimate power before watching this, you won't any longer. Follow the break for video! [Thanks, NordicOten]
Select Nexus One users complaining of touchscreen calibration, 3G connectivity issues
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.
Motorola Shadow is Nexus Two with sliding QWERTY keyboard?
Fan-made render? Very possible, but we're intrigued by the notion. The gang at Mobile01 have laid out two more photos of what is being called the Motorola Shadow (not to be confused with the T-Mobile Shadow), which in a nutshell looks like Droid / Milestone with a white keyboard and wrist strap. Even more interesting is the assertion that this could be Google's next flagship device, here lovingly dubbed the Nexus Two. Now while there is no way to corroborate at this point, we could totally buy this as feasible. After all, what better way to complement the Nexus One slate than with one with physical QWERTY? And who better than the company whose Android 2.0 device increased the platform's mindshare at supersonic speeds, with a CEO willing to signify support even at the launch event for a competitor's product? Color us curious -- wrist strap-laden render after the break [Thanks, Serge]
The Engadget Show tapes today with Erick Tseng of Google, our CES wrap-up... and we're giving away a Nexus One!
If you caught our coverage during CES 2010 (and you better have!), then you probably saw our quick sit-down with Senior Product Manager for Android, Erick Tseng. We had such a good time chatting with him and had so many other questions, we thought having him on the Engadget Show made lots of sense! So, today Erick will join us live on-stage to answer all of our burning questions (and yours too -- shout them out in comments). We'll also be doing a wrap-up of all the gear we saw at CES during our editors roundtable, we'll be flying the Parrot A.R. Drone live and in-person, and we're giving away a bunch of stuff to audience members (including CES swag, limited edition Engadget t-shirts... and a Nexus One courtesy of Google)! Oh, and we'll have more chiptune goodness from our friend Glomag. Don't miss this one, it's going to be crazy. The Show is sponsored by Sprint, and will take place at the Times Center, part of The New York Times Building in the heart of New York City at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues (see map after the break). Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at the Times Center at 2PM on Saturday, doors will open for seating at 4:30PM, and the show begins at 5PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity in the Times Center is about 340, and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41st St. between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York City (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Nexus One sells only 20,000 phones its first week
Another "iPhone killer" has failed to deliver on its hype. According to mobile analytics firm Flurry, Google's Nexus One phone sold a mere 20,000 units in its first week in the market. The Flurry report goes on to compare the Nexus One launch with other smartphones, including the Motorola Droid, which sold 250,000 units in its first week. In its comparison to the iPhone 3GS launch, however, the report is a bit disingenuous. The iPhone 3GS was an update to an existing & wildly popular product, not a completely new product launch. In that light, the 1.6 million iPhones sold in the first week of the 3GS launch, while indeed 80 times the number of Nexus One sales, aren't a true apples-to-Apple comparison. Instead, a better comparison may be to sales of the original iPhone. According to Apple's Q3 2007 results, released on 25 July 2007, the iPhone sold 270,000 units during the quarter. The original iPhone was released nearly a month earlier, on June 29. That works out to around 10,000 original iPhones sold per day following its 2007 release, which dovetails nicely with an early 2008 analysis of iPhone sales from Ars Technica. Far from the flabbergasting sales lead of the 3GS, the original iPhone sold about 3.5 times as many units in its 2007 launch as Nexus One did in 2010; also, the original iPhone sold for a hefty $599, even with an AT&T contract, while the Nexus One is $179 with a new T-Mobile contract ($529 without). If anything, these numbers highlight the popularity of the Droid compared to the Nexus One. Droid sold nearly as many phones in its first week as the original iPhone sold in its first month, which is nothing to sneer at. By comparison to the Droid, however, the Nexus One launched with a whimper, not a bang. Flurry notes, correctly, that the Nexus One launch has suffered low numbers in part because of Google's "soft launch" of the phone. Both Droid and the iPhone had aggressive marketing campaigns leading up to their respective launches, while the Nexus One has had to rely largely on industry hype and Google's own advertising. Nexus One also launched directly after the holiday season, which seems like a boneheaded move; a launch even three weeks earlier could have gained them much more robust sales. Google is also sort of "going its own" compared to Apple and AT&T's partnership with the iPhone and Verizon's vigorous hyping of Droid. All these factors aside, both the low sales numbers and criticism of both the handset itself and Google's abysmal customer support boil down to one thing: while it may be a good phone on its own merits (or not), the Nexus One is no iPhone killer. [Via The Business Insider]
