Guess this really makes the Nexus One from Google as unofficially official as something can get: Engadget has a device in hand (more so than even Gizmodo did) and is giving it the what-for, along with a hands-on video. The long and the short: It's fast, it's sleek, it feels good in the hand, but it's not revolutionary for an Android device, though it gives the Motorola Droid a run for its money.
And the specs are as we've seen thus far: a 3.7-inch 480x800 display, 512MB RAM/512MB ROM, 4GB microSD card, animated wallpapers and the like. The apps drawer has given way to a sort of Rolodex of apps, which is a nice change, and there's a bit of a card metaphor going on. (Don't tell our friends at PreCentral.)
Needless to say, we'll be seeing lots more of the Nexus One before the expected Jan. 5 launch. Stay tuned. [Engadget]
24 Comments
Why does it only ship with a 4GB MicroSD?
Yes, strongly agree. I'll probably buy a Nexus One, since I do think it's a step in the right direction. But the promise of an unlocked phone is clearly unrealized if it only fully works on one carrier. Hopefully, they can address this for subsequent phones.
Oops; got foncused by the threading. Above comment is a reply to the below comment on desirability of support for both CDMA and GSM in the same phone.
Google should just produce one world phone version locked for t-mobile and unlocked for all other carriers GSM and CDMA like the BB Storm for verizon. If google is trying to sell a phone independent of carrier plans then why not release a phone that is universally compatible. Which you could then buy from google for $530 (google profits) then go to your quality carrier AT&T/Verizon and say i would like to get a smartphone plan and use a phone that i already own (carriers profit). All of the corporations win as usual and consumers are then screwed into paying loads of money with a service contact as usual. it makes everyone happy and we get what we want.
Google should probably lower Unlocked price to $499 so its got that under $500 appeal
anyone agree?
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, get the mobile device you want on the carrier you want... mass hysteria!
THAT is crazy talk. HA!
I would shell out some major money for a true Android worldphone with specs at least as good as the Droid or Nexus One that I could wed to Verizon here in the states and use in Asia and Europe. I fail to see why this is so hard to develop... Expensive yes and with a relatively small market, I suppose, but certainly technologically feasible.
Actually there is such a version of the Droid released in Germany the same day as the lame unit was released in the USA. However, one cannot use an unlocked 3rd party phone on Verizon's system.
it would be great to have a cdma version my wife would get my droid real quick. thought i don't think its quite good enough for me to switch too t-mobile
I would be happy with a subsided 181 dollar price point shoot I would add a second line for this thing
i love my G1 but am due for an upgrade. Nexus One here i come!
Im sure VZW will be getting something very similar to this... there has been a rumored release of the HTC passion/bravo to VZW some time in January 2010 for a while (originally rumored for December but VZW probably didnt want to cut down on the hype from the droid). Im really hoping something comes this month.
see..the only thing that is holding me back from this, is the fact my wifes Eris gets HORRIBLE reception at our house..while my MotoDROID gets full service
I have been looking for an upgrade, so far given my needs nexus one is the most suitable.
Hmmm I wonder if Engadget will be in trouble for showing this off early?
Personally it looks pretty nice but is it going to really dazzle us as much as the hype is suggesting?
If it's set at a decent price though, it could be the first real challenger to the iphone I reckon....
I don't think the guys at Precentral would be too worried about the "card" issue. I'm running 2.1 on my droid right now. While the idea is similar, the functionality is completely different. WebOs has spoiled me, while the droid on it's own is a wonderful device, I still can't live without my cards. I hate to say it, but when and if Android supports true multitasking, I might have to say goodbye to my Pre.
I really want to see a droid running an official 2.1 versus the nexus one 2.1 to get a true comparison of the two phones. i just recently purchased a droid and doubt that the nexus one really is that much better than the droid when sharing the same OS. Yeah N.O. has a snapdragon processor, but when excess programs are closed i rarely bog my droid down to need such processor strength.
Keep in mind that the Droids processor is underclocked.Hopefully someone will fix that ;-)
Droid also came with a 16GB mem card, while the Nexus only has a 4. Droid is CDMA, while Nexus is GSM (I'll let others decide who thats a plus for)
In what way is Android not truly multi tasking? What does WebOS do with Cards? I thought that Cards are like Activities. But seems like they are not?
ever since the N1 was floated around as being sold directly by google, i expected better hardware specs. sure, the cpu is a lot better, the ram is fine but i was hoping for a bigger flash at least 1G so as to hold all the apps i can get my hands on. if an official apps-to-sd support is not included with the os, i'm going to think twice about buying this product. it is an amazing device but with 512M of flash, google missed an opportunity to raise the bar and promote the android market.
i totally agree. the technology is currently at a state where it would be easy for a phone to have 1 GB of devoted memory to applications. so why google would not try to set an extremely high bar for competitors is beyond me. Th N1 is definitely not "The Google Phone" it lacks a bunch of easy hardware upgrades that could set this android phone lightyears ahead of current models. But i guess google doesnt want to dominate the market. also they should drop the HTC Trackball, even blackberry who rarely makes ajustments to a system that works realized trackballs were outdated. It should have a Trackpad!
Ideal Google Phone
Bands: Universal Bands for use as a World Phone
Processor: Snapdragon
Camera: 5MP w/ flash and Video Recording at DVD quality
Operating System: Android 2.1+ w/ a more in depth categorizing of apps in the market so to make it an easier system than the apple app store. Also include an Android version of Blackberry Messenger.
Ram: 1GB
ROM: 512Mb-1GB
Device Memory: 4GB
External Memory: SDHC 32GB compatibility (Ship w/ 16GB)
Screen Size: equal to the HTC HD2
Resolution: comparable to the droid
Headset Jack: 3.5mm
connection chord: micro USB
Bluetooth: V3.0
usual android buttons: Back, Menu, Home, Search(Haptic feedback)
Battery:1600mAh
Screen option: mirrored screen when unlit
* I can only add 1 item to the "wish list": 2nd front facing camera for Skype :)
what wallpaper is that??
It's very exciting that the specs are as we've seen thus far a 3.7-inch 480x800 display, 512MB RAM/512MB ROM, 4GB microSD card, animated wallpapers and the like. It's great that the apps drawer has given way to a sort of Rolodex of apps, which is a nice change.