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The Queue: Patience is a virtue
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today. This is usually the part where I try to be funny and write an eye-grabbing intro to The Queue. Today, that goes right out the window. Why? Because I'm busy. Busy doing what, you ask? Picking our new columnists! We have some good ones this time around, folks. Keep an eye out. Anonymoose asked... "Why does Keristrasza always yell "Preserve? Why? There's no truth in it! No, no, no!" whenever you engage? How is it relevant, lore-wise, to anything we did for the Red Dragonflight in and around the Nexus? Why is she frozen there in the first place?"
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.
Upcoming Adjustments announced for Old Kingdom, Nexus, Culling of Stratholme
Zarhym popped into one of the many official forum topics complaining about the seemingly inordinate amount of times Old Kingdom pops on the Dungeon Finder to offer some welcome news for exhausted dungeon runners: Old Kingdom and Nexus alike will be receiving some adjustments meant to bring the dungeons in line with other Wrath heroics.
Nexus One hardware costs $174.15, US multitouch still priceless
If, while perusing the Nexus One teardown, you were doing a mental tally of just how much each internal part may cost, here's your chance to compare your numbers to some professionally obtained figures. iSuppli reports a preliminary estimate of $174.15 for the cost of materials needed to build each handset. The research firm also congratulates Google on keeping a bill of materials comparable to most recent smartphones while having "the most advanced features of any smart phone ever dissected by iSuppli's Teardown Analysis Service." Costliest of all things was the 1GHz Snapdragon ($30.50), followed by the AMOLED display ($23.50) and memory ($20.40) from Samsung. The Bluetooth and 802.11n WiFi transceiver cost $8.20, and perhaps the most egregious spend was $12.50 on a 5 megapixel camera that many of us might never use. Hilariously enough, Google has spent $17.50 on what is clearly identified as a "capacitive multitouch touchscreen assembly" from Synaptics, though enabling it clearly remains a bridge too far.
Google support forums rife with Nexus One 3G complaints, is this a real problem?
What started out as a few tips on 3G issues for Google's Nexus One seems to have ballooned into a fair bit of drama at Google's support forums. The main complaint appears to be owners reporting that their device either never switches to 3G, or, it is constantly switching between 3G and EDGE. Many users are also posting that switching out to another manufacturer's set yields great 3G reception where they're testing, and others have chimed in that the service on their phones has been spotless. In an interview today at All Things D here at CES, Walt Mossberg mentioned the support problems to which Andy Rubin replied "we have to get better at customer service" -- all too true if this is a real problem. Let us know in comments if you're seeing an issue, and if there is a real problem here, hopefully it'll get addressed on the double. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nexus One gets a custom ROM
It's been but a week since the gang at Modaco rooted the Nexus One -- and what do we have here? A quick visit to the self-same forums today has revealed that the handset has a new custom ROM. Based on the 22607 release (in case you're curious), this bad boy sports many new and exciting features, including the Nano 2.09 text editor, wireless tether, Titanium Backup, Busybox 1.15.3, and more. Feelin' adventurous? Hit the source link to give it a go. And make sure you drop us a line and let us know how it goes. (You don't think we're going to be the first to try it, do you?) [Thanks, Jules]
The Engadget Interview: Erick Tseng, Senior Product Manager of Android
We had a chance to sit down with Erick Tseng, Senior Product Manager of Android at Google, who you may remember from that little press event the big G held the other day. We have a pretty detailed conversation on the impetus behind the Nexus One, details on Google's long-term strategy for its online store, a deep dive on the device itself, and lots more. We've split the chat up into three, easy-to-digest parts, so hit the videos after the break and get the full scoop!
Vodafone promises Nexus One 'in a few short weeks'
Nexus One's vague Europe-bound release window has tightened up quite a bit. A Vodafone spokesperson said the Google Phone is coming first in the UK and -- here's the kicker -- within "a few short weeks." France, Germany, and a few other unnamed companies are following after later in the year. Enjoy your new Android device across the pond, ladies and gents.
Live from Google's Android press conference
We're live at Mountain View for Google's super-secret Android press conference. Sure, we've got a pretty good idea what'll be announced here (note: it's probably not multitouch capabilities on Maps), but you never know, there might be a few surprises in store. The whole shebang is supposed to go down in just a little bit, so stay tuned!
Nexus One review
The Nexus One. In the modern climate of hyped (and over-hyped) smartphone launches, Google's official entry into the phone-sales game has excelled in a department where many find difficulty: generating legitimate excitement. Of course, long before the name Nexus One or the recent bounty of pictures and details existed, the very concept of a "Google Phone" had been ingrained in the public conscience, predating even the Open Handset Alliance and Android itself; the company dabbled in the concept of direct sales through its offering of the Android Dev Phones 1 and 2 (alias Ion), but this time, it's a public retail ordeal, not a couple of one-off developer specials. The genuine-article Google Phone is finally here -- for better or worse. The device, a Snapdragon-powered, HTC-built phone looks -- on paper, at least -- like the ultimate Android handset, combining a newly tweaked and tightened user interface with killer industrial design. A sleek, streamlined phone that can easily go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 3GSs, Pres, and Droids of the world, powered by the latest version of Android (2.1 "Flan," if you're counting), and hand-retooled by Google. But is it all it's cracked up to be? Can the Nexus One possibly live up to the hype ascribed to it? And more importantly, is the appearance of the phone the death knell for the OHA and a sign of the coming Android autocracy? In our exclusive review of the Nexus One, we'll answer all those pressing questions and more... so read on for the full scoop! %Gallery-81309% Note: The unit we have in hand is -- by all appearances -- a production model, save for the QR code imprint on the back, which is likely an employee-only Easter egg. However, Google is making its official announcement tomorrow, and there could always be differences. If anything changes with the device, or there are revelations about the marketing or sale of the phone, we'll be sure to update the review with new info.
Nexus One trounces 3D benchmark, gets caught in high-res photoshoot
Just when you thought you'd seen it all with Nexus One, along comes an old friend with some higher resolution shots of the handset (hooray!) and a pretty impressive 3D benchmark test using Qualcomm's Neocore. Video's after the break --that Snapdragon chip outputs a mean framerate, no? Update: Also on hand after the break is a high-quality video of the UI -- ten minutes of it, to be exact. Just a warning, there's a brief NSFW clip from Californication at around the two minute mark. With that said, grab some popcorn and enjoy! Update 2: The original YouTube video was pulled. We've uploaded a new copy and embedded below. %Gallery-81227%
Nexus One rooted already?
No, you still can't have one (not yet, at least), but we've received a number of tips directing us Modaco forums, where admin Paul claims to have rooted Google's not-so-mysterious Nexus One. We can't validate the "superboot" file works, but the adjacent picture has popped up from another forum member as apparent anecdotal confirmation. Instructions for Windows, Linux, and OS X users can be found along with the necessary materials. What do you say, hacker community, any chance we can get multitouch loaded into the device before it ever becomes official to the world at large? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google Nexus One stands with iPhone and Hero, interface gets a 5-minute walkthrough
The Google Nexus One trickle continues. Today's two menu items include a 5-minute demonstration of the Android 2.1 interface -- shaky, sure, but it's a pretty thorough rundown of all the menus. We're also serving up some low-resolution picture comparisons of the Nexus One laying side-by-side with the iPhone and HTC Hero. It still eludes us how all these leaking parties don't seem to have in their possession a decent DSLR or camcorder (feel free to give us a buzz, we'll gladly help out). Video after the break. %Gallery-80805%
Another Google Nexus One sighting, this time a wee bit more clear
How a phone given to thousands of employees still manages to be nothing more than an occasional blip on the internets continues to boggle our mind. This latest Nexus One / "Google Phone" sighting comes care of two Twitter chatters -- @djrobrob and the less protected account of @phillm. It's the clearest shot of the interface we've gotten, and given our previous go-to videos have been subsequently pulled, the best "motion picture" interpretation we've got -- take a look for yourself after the break. %Gallery-80730%
Nexus One finally caught on video alongside its packaging (updated)
Frankly, we're surprised it took this long, but lo and behold, here we are with the first video of the Nexus One we've seen. It's just the all-too-brief and familiar boot animation, but thenexusone.com promises this is just one of many videos to come, and with any luck, a nicer video camera can be found in the interim. Also on hand is a few snapshots of the casing it came with -- don't read too much into that, however, as even the developer-only Google Ion had fancy packaging. Video after the break. Update: Video of the animated background now available over the break as is a first pic of the onscreen keyboard [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Android 2.1 moves down food chain, ROM now ported to G1 (update: hoax)
Future, meet your past. The fine lads at xda-developers forums have ported the Android 2.1 ROM -- you know, the updated OS from Nexus One that everyone's been talking about lately -- all the way to the original G1. Right now it's being dubbed version 0.9999 since it's still lacking A2SD, CompCache, and SWAP... and if you're feeling confused by the terminology, it might be best to not try this at home just yet. Creator Teh Dust has also removed a few things for the sake of making it more lightweight, including Car Home, Live Boot, and high resolution wallpapers / apps that don't jive with the G1 anyway. Willing, curious, and wanting to impress your Droid-carrying friends? File's hiding in plain sight, waiting for you. Update: Quoth the raven, 'twas a hoax and nothing more. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Entelligence: A Google Phone could be the death of Android
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. Without a doubt, the big buzz since the weekend has been over the "Google Phone," an HTC-built device called the Nexus One handed out to Google employees last week in what Google describes as a "mobile lab." Confirmed to be running Android 2.1, the Nexus One has once again raised the idea of Google selling unlocked devices directly to consumers. (Google has been selling unlocked HTC Android phones for some time, but only to developers.) It would be a strange turnabout if Mountain View made this move, directly going in the face of previous assurances that Google had no plans to compete directly with Android hardware manufacturers. What's more, there are a lot of unanswered questions here.
Android 2.1 ported to Droid, no one feigns surprise
You had to know this was coming. That Android 2.1 OS that's been circulating inside the Google's ultra-exclusive Nexus One has hit the internet, and thanks to some clever hackery, you can now theoretically put the update on your Droid handset. We say theoretically, of course, because it's not quite a perfect rip. DIY instructions were briefly posted on Sholes.info but have since been replaced with a curt advisory to wait for a ROM that properly preserves file system permissions, else risking some serious breaking. The original image file is still available, but don't say we didn't warn you. Separately and perhaps unrelated, a video has surfaced of the Nexus One's boot animation running on Droid -- feel free to enjoy that instead, after the break.%Gallery-80327% [Thanks, Seth and Kyle]
HTC Nexus One blessed by the FCC (updated)
Well lookie here. A little phone by the name of "NEXUSONE" just slipped through the FCC as model number PB99100 built by HTC. The filing also confirms a few more details including microSD expansion, 802.11b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. But the real news comes from looking at the radios: quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE with UMTS/HSUPA on 850/1700/1900 frequencies. In other words, this 3G phone is capable of both 2Mbps up and 7.2Mbps down for both the T-Mobile and AT&T networks in the US of A. If this device is sold unlocked (as rumored), at a reasonable price (as hoped), and with a jaw dropping user experience (as tweeted), well, it could be very disruptive to the status quo. Then again, that's a lot of ifs. Update: We're going to pull this back a bit. So far the FCC has posted a trio of reports this morning for the Nexus One but the outcome is inconclusive based on our own continued research and from the discussion in our comments. According to the bands listed (I, IV, and VIII) we're definitely looking at a T-Mobile USA device as well as applicability on European networks (among others). The whole AT&T range is in doubt as the test lab incorrectly lists 815-880MHz frequencies as part of band VIII. Hold tight as we dig deeper. Update 2: Only WCDMA Band IV was tested in the Part 22H / 24E / 27 Report, leading us to believe that the Nexus One is going to be HSPA 900 / 1700 / 2100 (a pretty common tri-band 3G setup) plus quadband EDGE. Sorry, AT&T, but that's how the cookie crumbles.
Google Phone / Nexus One makes first Twitter appearance? (update: new pics!)
Look familiar? For a story that broke on Twitter it's only fitting that the first reported picture of the mythical, magical "Google Phone" (AKA, Nexus One) would appear there as well. The tweeted image above appears courtesy of one Cory O'Brien, an account manager at a San Francisco Bay Area marketing agency that does not list Google as a client. That note of caution aside, the image above is an exact match to that leaked HTC Passion / Bravo image from October, only this time lacking the HTC logo on the top-side bezel. Besides the pic, O'Brien tweets that the "Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android." Granted, none of this is confirmed yet, but with Google releasing so many of the devices as part of its "mobile lab" concept, well, we expect to see plenty more sightings in the run up to the rumored January launch. Update: A quick search for "nexus one" on Google's Picasa photo service reveals several pictures taken with a camera pegged as the HTC Nexus One in the EXIF data. The very first of these geotagged 2592×1944 pixel (that's a 5 megapixel sensor folks, hardly "weirdly large" as described by TechCrunch) images were taken by user Bradley (who just happens to be a Picasa friend to Sergey... hint) in the SF Bay Area on November 27th. A few are clearly lit by an onboard flash as well. In fact, many of the pics appear to be taken from within Google's offices and at Google sponsored events. The quality is not exactly spectacular and that won't likely change in the final product because even Google's bound by the laws of physics when it comes to tiny cellphone sensors. Update 2: The device seems to have been around earlier with an EXIF identifier of "Phone88." Fortunately, Google's own employees have uploaded pics of the device, by the device, for us to marvel at -- so meta. Check the gallery for the images or a quickie close-up posted after the break. %Gallery-80187% [Thanks, Alberto and Aaron C.]
