Review Google Nexus One

The coveted "Google phone" is finally here, but the HTC Nexus One ($180 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile, or $530 unlocked; prices as of January 12, 2010) isn't quite the superphone that Google intimated it would be. It lacks some valuable features--like multitouch and Outlook calendar syncing--that we've seen on competing models, and the Android keyboard can be difficult to use. That said, the Nexus One's speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor definitely sets it apart from the Android pack in performance.

One asterisk attached to the phone's performance involves its interaction with the T-Mobile network. The phone has run into some network issues, a distressing shortcoming on a phone with so many connected features. Nevertheless, it is a very good handset and marks real progress for the Android platform.

The Nexus One launch was not just about the hardware: This is the first phone to run Android OS 2.1. It hasn't been announced when--or if--other phones, like the Motorola Droid (which runs Android OS 2.0) or the current crop of Samsung Android phones (all of which run 1.5) will get this update.

Android OS 2.1 adds some lively visual and aesthetic tweaks to the otherwise bland operating system--such as interesting animated wallpapers of falling leaves or waving grass. These look good on the Nexus One's display, but they're a bit distracting and they seem likely to cut into the phone's battery life at least a little bit. (You can opt for traditional static wallpaper if you prefer.)

You get five homescreens (up from the standard three) for widget and shortcut personalization. Of course, that's nothing new for Motorola Cliq and HTC Hero users: The MotoBlur and SenseUI user interfaces from Motorola and HTC, respectively, also gives users five homepages.

To use an Android phone, you must have a Gmail account, but you can also set up POP3 and IMAP Web-based e-mail accounts easily, and you can sync your Outlook account via Exchange.

What makes the Nexus One stand out from its competitors isn't its OS or its design, though. It's what lies under the hood. The powerful 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor makes the phone fly. Apps loaded almost instantaneously, and Web pages opened quickly. I especially appreciated the Snapdragon's power as I flipped through the Android 2.1's updated photo gallery app.

Call quality over T-Mobile's 3G network was quite good. Voices sounded clear and natural with ample volume. Callers on the other end of the line were generally pleased with the call quality as well, though some reported that my voice sounded a bit distance. Most of my contacts could hear me clearly, even when I was standing on a busy San Francisco street corner. Ginniy Mies,PCWorld. Sort by Digi Camp.

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Microsoft Highlights at CES 2010

Steve Ballmer's keynote address at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) did not unveil the rumored Microsoft Courier tablet PC. Ballmer did take the opportunity, though, to reveal an HP tablet PC dubbed the "Slate".

The HP Slate was underwhelming, to say the least. Hailed by Ballmer as "something that's almost as portable as a phone and that's as powerful as a PC running Windows 7", the demonstration showed a flat panel computing device that seemed more equivalent to a color Kindle than to a Windows 7 wonder-tablet.

Dell followed in HP's tracks, revealing details of its own slate device. Apparently the PC world has decided to co-opt the rumored name of the Apple tablet PC, "iSlate", by adopting the term "slate" to replace "tablet" as the default name for the flat-panel form factor. Of course, HP took it a step farther by actually naming its device the Slate to further confuse things.

The legions of Apple faithful are quick to speculate that Ballmer and HP called an audible at the line of scrimmage and rushed out the HP tablet primarily to try and preempt the rumored unveiling of the Apple "iSlate" allegedly scheduled for later this month. With hype and speculation over the Apple tablet at a fever pitch, and Apple stock going up accordingly, perhaps Microsoft and HP thought they could steal its thunder by beating it to the punch with a tablet of their own?

If revealing the HP Slate at Ballmer's keynote was, in fact, a scramble to try and steal Apple's thunder and be the first out of the gate with a hot new tablet...I mean slate PC, it backfired. Exploiting such a high profile event as Ballmer's keynote speech at CES for an underwhelming presentation of a mediocre device just lowers the bar for Apple. PCWorld(News), ZDNet(Video)

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Google Nexus One Cellphone

Google Tuesday unveiled its long-anticipated new smartphone, Nexus One, which costs $179 with a two-year service contract.

The phone, available now, reinforces Google's position as a major player in the smartphone market -- and issues a challenge to its rivals and partners alike.

The Nexus One runs an updated version of Google's Android operating system. It has a 3.7 inch touchscreen display, with a 1 gigahertz processor from Qualcomm. It includes a 5 megapixel camera for video and photos, a global positioning system (GPS), and stereo Bluetooth connection for headphones.

The battery will last for up to seven hours of talk time, or up to five hours of Internet use, on a 3G cellphone network, Google says.

The phone, available online at google.com/phone, costs $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile. Similar offers will be available from Verizon Wireless and Vodafone (a British cellphone company) in 2010, Google says.

Consumers can also buy an unlocked phone, without a contract, for$529. Since the current model uses GSM cellphone technology, it work with AT&T's network as well as T-Mobile's. The future model, being designed for Verizon, will feature CDMA technology, used by Sprint, MetroPCS, Cricket and other carriers.

Rival Apple's iPhone costs from $99 to $299.

The Nexus One price didn't impress longtime Google watcher Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineLand, who asked Google executives why they introduced a phone with similar pricing to what's already out there. Sullivan mentioned reports that Google would one day introduce a free, ad-supported phone. "Where is that?" he asked. "I want the revolution from Google."

Andy Rubin, who runs Google's Android division, replied, "Before you can revolutionize the world, you have to have a mechanism in which you're selling products. Let's put the best class of products in the store."

Other manufacturers, including Verizon and Motorola, have already released Android phones, but the Nexus One is the first to be rolled out by Google. Manufacturer HTC, a Taiwanese company best known for the Touch smartphone, is actually building the device.

The message to consumers from today's announcement is that Nexus One is the flagship Google phone, and the others aren't as good, says Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Interpret.

"If I was a (Motorola) Droid customer who just bought the phone a month ago, I might not feel so good about the purchase," he says. Google "made it clear that not all Android phones are created equal."

Google's Rubin says that by having its own store, Google could potentially lower the costs of wireless plans, "because(the company) won't have the built-in costs" of heavy advertising.

The Nexus One includes a feature new to Android: active noise cancellation technology that will push out background noise when in a busy area.

Another highlight is a feature that lets you dictate e-mails, Tweets and Facebook posts without having to type.

It's an extension of Google's voice search, already available on other Android phones.

On the iPhone, similar functionality is available via a Dragon Dictation app, from the company that makes speech recognition software for PCs.

Other apps on Nexus One include YouTube, Gmail, and Maps.

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney says it's significant that Google is selling the phone directly via an online store. "If I was Amazon, Best Buy or Radio Shack, I'd be worried," he says. "Google is now in the retail phone business and if it turns out to be big, this is going to affect them. Its like what Dell did to the PC business."

Google could also undermine carriers by offering the unlocked model. Unlocked phones aren't very popular in the U.S., where consumers like subsidies, says Gartenberg says. But Rubin says that overseas, as many as 50% of phones are sold unlocked.

The Nexus One launched Tuesday in four markets: The United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong. by Jefferson Graham, Michelle Kessler, and Bratt Molina (USA Today)

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