New Gadget: Nexus One "Google Phone"

Hey guys,

So I was debating on whether or not to make a video unboxing of my new Nexus One, which just arrived from Google this afternoon, but since my Flip Mino was running low on battery, I thought I'd just write a blog post and attach some cool pictures. So, as some of you may know, this phone came out quite a while ago. It came out in January earlier this year after much hype from Google, but sales tended to flounder. For all of its life, the N1 was pretty unpopular, not because of the hardware, software, looks, or anything like that, but because Google decided that they would go a different way and circumvent the traditional means of selling in store. In fact, I felt like Google was trying to detach itself from traditional wireless plans and this was their first efforts to "test the waters" as we should say. However, I'm sad to say that all people aside from early adopters weren't ready to buy a phone, especially one for nearly $600 after tax (unlocked). Well, I bought it anyway, but that might have to do with the fact that I am an early adopter for merchandise, SaaS, you name it.

In any case, I decided to get this phone, after much debate and deliberation because of the potential I see in Google's mobile OS - Android. With its 3.7 inch widescreen AMOLED touchscreen, 800 x 480 pixel resolution, and slender size, the look was already there. I know some people criticize the design, but I'm not partial to the unibody iPhone look, and personally, the iPhone 4 looks worse than its predecessor. In any case, the phone comes with all the hardware specs I need, the 1Ghz Snapdragon processor I need for speed, and comes in a package that is infinitely smaller than the dominating Android OS phones out there today - Droid X, EVO 4G, etc. If I wanted a mini iPad, I would have gotten an iPad. But I think part of the reason I got this phone was because I'm an admitted Google fanboy/iPhone hater (I'll say it now so you don't call me it later).

Anyway, it took me that long to finally put aside my Blackberry Bold 9000. It was a great phone, but I felt like it wasn't cutting it for functionality and entertainment value. The Bold was perfect for writing emails on the go, getting push business and personal email (also a curse), but most of all it was the fact that the physical keyboard allowed me to type blindly that kept me hooked. Needless to say, not hooked enough, but I guess we never know if I'll revert back because a virtual keyboard is unbearable? In any case, I thought the N1, with it's "useless" little trackball would be a perfect transition from my Bold. It also didn't hurt to have Google's talk to text feature for all text fields, which will limit the need to type, and with Google this feature is extremely accurate.

Here are some of the specs:

• A removable lithium ion battery (which was missing from iPhones until this latest generation, which also admittedly has a lot of issues, right Steve?)
• 10hr talk time on 2G and 7hr on 3G, which means 5hr internet time on 3G
• It comes with Wi-Fi and bluetooth features, and with the new Froyo 2.2 (shall I mention exclusive to N1 OTA right now) has tethering and supports the feature of Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 7 devices
• It has a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, typical of higher end Android devices today
• Hardware includes 512MB flash, 512MB RAM, 4GB slot for microSD, but expandable to 32GB
• Supports ATT 3G bands (unlocked version) and T-Mobile through a plan
• It also has the usual accelerometer, digital compass, AGPS, etc.
• It has a 5mp camera, LED flash, 2x digital zoom, and HD video capture at 20 fps
• Also comes with a cute little Android neoprene sleeve, but I've put my order in for an OtterBox commuter case ON SALE at Amazon
• The phone comes REALLY minimalistic with small and slim buttons and regular jacks
• Live wallpapers and widgets are also pretty awesome
• Call Quality (because it's a phone) is EXCELLENT - no white noise, which is probably due to the double mics, one for noise cancelling and the other for input (the software also helps out)
• The capacitive buttons are reportedly unresponsive, but these buttons were really meant to be pressed and slid, which many non-N1 users don't know and therefore call it annoying
• Moreover, it covers all the OS bases of the iPhone and more - though I admit that multitouch and scroll isn't as smooth and seamless as the iPhone

...and that's off memory, so you KNOW how long I've been looking at this phone.

I also love the fact that it has an OS that has had multitasking functionality from the beginning. It also has push email, though I admit that it lacks with POP and IMAP email servers, but it doesn't really hurt me because I've worked with Gmail for a while now and my business line is with Google Apps, phew. Otherwise, I'd have to wait for email to come at refresh just like another phone I know, which would drain battery. This phone also boasts the most popular and growing OS on the market now and an Android Marketplace that is growing at tremendous speeds. As for apps, I'm excited to see Google App functionality - especially with Google Voice. I'm also excited to see newer apps like TweetDeck and my favorite Foursquare - though I might actually be able to make the switch to Gowalla as soon as I'm up and running since it doesn't work very well on the Blackberry.

I've uploaded a picture of a whiteboard that I used to write down the details - pros/cons - about each phone, which still didn't help me. I think it was finally the push from Google itself which announced the discontinuation of the phone that made me take the leap - I mean what kind of Google fanboy doesn't own the one and ONLY "pure" Google phone. This thing reeks of Googliness and doesn't come with the bells and whistles aka "bloatware" that you find with other HTC made phones. Now if a Google interviewer asks me what phone I use, I can answer with confidence :). So that's a little about why I got it and what decisions I had to make up to this point. Trust me, I considered the alternatives:

• Samsung Galaxy S (pretty neat phone)
• EVO 4G (too big, on Sprint)
• Droid X (too bigger, on VZW)
• Droid Incredible (on VZW, not impressed with HTC Sense)
• iPhone 4 (eeks, but yes, I thought about it for a split second)
• Blackberry Bold 9700

So if I convinced you and if you'd like to grab your own...hurry up, these phones are going to be gone forever, really soon! Yeah, and you'll have to find it here: http://www.google.com/phone - a little unconventional to the not so early adopter. For more info, I really like Jon4Laker's coverage of Android 2.2 (Froyo) and his EXCITING comparison between iPhone 4 and Nexus One.

Pics to come when I get my OtterBox Commuter case!

Posted via email from boochikan's posterous