Google Nexus One Smartphone

See Update at bottom!

Is there really any such thing as an iphone killer? Probably not, but the Nexus One built for Google by HTC definitely qualifies as iphone competition!

First of all, I bought this phone after concluding that my primary online presence was going to be as a Google affiliate. That helped a lot because while the phone can integrate with any website via apps, it is designed to integrate with Google primarily. I invested the time needed to fully update my Google calendar, gmail contacts, etc before activating the phone. When I inserted my SIM card and linked it to my Google account, all the contact data, appointments, etc were synchronized to the phone within 60 seconds.

In the 48 hours since I've been having a marvelous time with it. Standout features include:

voice recognition - I can start the "voice search" app, say a phrase and have a Google style web search completed while most iphone owners are still typing. It also works with texting; just tap the microphone on the virtual keyboard and speak in brief sentences instead of typing. The accuracy is excellent; the punctuation less so, but for texting who cares?

noise cancellation - I was having a conversation with my brother and stepped outside just as a large vehicle was passing. I apologized for the noise, and he replied "what noise?" The truck was deafeningly loud, but he said all he heard was a minor distortion in my voice!

camera - it takes pictures more like a camera than a phone. Resolution and focus are excellent.

screen - the high resolution OLED screen is beautiful, with adjustable brightness and superb colors. Also, the active wallpapers are a fascinating addition. My favorite is the Zen pool.

apps - I am just starting to download apps, but the variety is excellent if not Apple-esque in quantity. I can say a phrase in English and seconds later have my phone say (yes, it talks) the same phrase in Chinese - or any of dozens of other languages. And yes, that process is reversible as well.

haptic feedback - it takes a while to get used to, but I am already starting to appreciate it, and it can be easily turned off if you don't like it. For those who don't know, this is a feature that uses the vibration motor in the phone to let the user know when the touchscreen has registered certain levels of contact.

Add in the GPS capability, magnetic compass, WiFi, etc and you have a product that can perform any task any other smartphone can perform, and probably better.

I fully intend to enjoy the process of learning what this phone can do for me!

Update: A year later, and I STILL LOVE THIS PHONE!!

Three Google upgrades later, and it just keeps getting better. Voice recognition started great, and improved with use. I can now tether my phone to my computer (with or without wires) and surf the web on my computer at 3G speeds using only the phone as a source. My calendar always lets me know when it's time to be somewhere, and my wife has taken to asking me random questions as they occur to her because she knows I can find the answers in seconds. I watch movies on airplanes (on the phone) and listen to music or FM radio through the Bluetooth 2.0 link. It READS MY TEXT MESSAGES TO ME ALOUD AFTER ANNOUNCING WHO SENT THEM! Is there nothing this device cannot do?!!

Okay, I need a mirror to video conference over Skype with the phone because it only has a single camera. But good grief, what a device!

You can take your iPhone and shove it!

What's the hype behind the iPhone anyway? Sure it plays films and music well, but then again that's why I bought an iPod years ago. What I was really after when I got the iPhone 3GS was the mobile "killer app", but what it turned out to be was a kludged phone with great video and music play back capabilities. Couple this flawed piece of hardware with (possibly) the worst purchase management system on the net (I refer to iTunes of course), and the two spell the death knell for the iPhone platform.

By comparison, the Google Nexus One engineers (thanks HTC), have made phone functionality the number one priority, and everything else secondary. That said, the Android Market is a joy to use and comes stocked with a massive number of well-written freebies, and the Nexus One still rocks the house when pumping up videos and music. Oh yes, and as if these last points weren't enough to kill Apple, did I mention that the Android Operating System can be modified by any one with the desire and skill set to do so. For the more intrepid out there, I'd strongly suggest moving to the 2.2.1 version of Android, then switching to the latest Cyanogen mod.

So, boys and girls, just to recap:
1) Google Nexus One - Open Source Operating System v Apple iPhone - Closed source ('nuff said)
2) Google Nexus One - Phone functionality works very well v Apple iPhone - If you don't re-boot the bloody thing 4 times a day you miss loads of calls because the handset doesn't ring!
3) Android Market - Loads of great applications and you can write your own without paying Apple or Steve Jobs.
4) Be an individual, not part of the sheeple flock, get out there and pick one of these beauties up before they're all gone.

Peace.

Fantastic, even close to a year after initial release!

This is a terrific smartphone. Has all the features I could ever need or want --> 3G, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, Multitouch, Expandable SD, Removeable Battery, Gorgeous 3.7" capacitive touch screen, Great 5mp camera.

Pros: - Google device should receive android updates promptly
- Not Carrier Locked
- Good battery life (for a smartphone)
- Mine came preloaded with Android 2.2

Cons: - Wish it had 720p video
- Android Market still has a ways to go especially in the mobile gaming department

Do NOT hesitate to purchase a Google Nexus One. This is still a top performer in the market nearly one year after release.

A great Android phone

I have owned a few Android phones and the Nexus One is by far the best of the bunch. It has a beautiful, bright 3.7-inch AMOLED screen at a resolution of 480 x 800. This phone is also super fast thanks to its 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM. It feels good in my hand and has a nice weight to it. And, because it is a true Google phone – sold by Google – with stock Android and not a skinned version, I’ll get OS updates when Google releases them. I love this phone and you will too.

Google Nexus One (HTC)

I didn’t believe that one day I’ll love a mobile more that I did to IPhone, yeah, Android is a new and very powerful Mobile device operating system, and Google succeeded in introducing it’s new OS among of the major giants such as (Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry and others), the phone with its 1Ghz Processor and AMOLED screen makes mobile more fun and amusing, and the integration with the web and Google’s Apps make it the best combination you would ever have.
Having N1 was like a brand new era, I had to search for everything starting from how to change the ringtone to how to install my custom ROMs (of course, I lost my warranty) but, it’s an adventure and I love to do it since my previous PDAs (HTC HD, Omnia, i-mate), N1 has a plenty of features that you can find everywhere on the internet, but, I’ll try to just make a balance of its Good and Bad as I know that many of people will read my review online.

First of all, I’ll talk about the Good,
1. You are free with your phone , YES you are, install themes, customizations as many as you want, you don’t have to jailbreak and wonder if with the next release whether you will be able to update or not.
2. Less expensive and sold officially unlocked.
3. Great Processor and very stable OS (solid performance).
4. Great Screen but, not very sensitive like IPhone, but, trust me, it’s better and touch sensitive isn’t a big issue, as it makes the screen more delicate.
5. Track ball with its warning lights / effects, wow I love it so much.
6. Support, Available Software and Customization are a plus to Android world.
7. Integration with Google Apps, makes it a very easy to get your contacts or calendar from anywhere in the world, not just from a mobile, considering that Google a very strong company in the world of information.
8. The Widgets and multi-desktop is a great feature, I really miss it since my Windows Mobile days (SPB Shell)
9. I love the Search button that’s makes it easy to access the search feature and the integrated text to voice feature.
10. From a development prospective: it’s easy to write software for it through Google APIs, so, it’s very promising market.
11. And the best of all the “Ease of Use” which makes using this Phone is a pleasant experience.

The Bad are here (nothing is perfect through)
1. Lower ringtones (not a very big issue), I believe this could be solved in many ways.
2. Google’s Market isn’t available for many countries (there is a solution).
3. Doesn’t have Arabic support (Third party solution exists(reliable 100%))
4. Virtual Keys, I find it hard to use it, but, after a day or two of usage, it would be easy.
5. By default, Applications are installed on the Internal memory ( a working solution exits as well)
6. Outlook Syncing is not available by default, even there are some software that you can buy, but, still for some users it would make an issue(Not for me for sure )
7. You can’t dial using your handfree Bluetooth, but, it would be available in the next OS releases.
8. If you are using the internet (3G) for 3 hours you will need to recharge the battery, I guess, the 1Ghz is consuming the battery in addition to the AMOLED screen as well.

I can’t tell you to buy this Phone or not, but, it deserves to be titled as the best cell phone in CNET (http://cnettv.cnet.com/prizef​ight-htc-hd2-vs-nexus-one/9742​-1_53-50085314.html)
I’m willing to write more detailed review on my blog (http://www.microsoftawy.com) a long with my personal comparison between IPhone and N1.